Hood Light
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,731
Likes: 22
From: Marietta Ga.
I don't have one, but, I bet if you open your hood, the light comes on even if the car is not running. In other words, it is a hot circuit all the time, if it develops a short, it could heat up and start a fire, thus the fuseing. My guess.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,435
Likes: 793
From: Redondo Beach, California
Maybe someone who designed the harness thought that the light was not adequately fused.
The most recognized fusible link in a corvette is the one from the alternator (well actually the horn relay) to the starter post, which is in turn, connected to the battery. This link has a small internal resistance that causes a small voltage drop as current flows. The ammeter, which is actually a voltmeter, is connected accross the fusible link to measure current flow into and out of the battery.
Back to the subject of fuses. Do you know why electrical circuits in cars and airplanes have fuses? It's not the protect the loads - the electrical devices connected to the harness wires. The purpose of fuses is to protect the wire harness!! If something in a car develops a short circuit, you don't want the large currents to heat up the wire in the harness and then destroy the harness. Actually this harness heating, if it occurs, could also cause fires. (SwissAir) In an airplane and in a car, you don't want a short circuit in an electronic box to cause a harness failure. Wire harnesses in cars and airplanes are intricately woven throught the structure. You don't ever want to be replacing a wire harness just because an electical device connected to it developed a short. Replacing a wire harness is a major dissambly problem. It's much easier just to put a fuse in the circuit and replace the fuse.
The most recognized fusible link in a corvette is the one from the alternator (well actually the horn relay) to the starter post, which is in turn, connected to the battery. This link has a small internal resistance that causes a small voltage drop as current flows. The ammeter, which is actually a voltmeter, is connected accross the fusible link to measure current flow into and out of the battery.
Back to the subject of fuses. Do you know why electrical circuits in cars and airplanes have fuses? It's not the protect the loads - the electrical devices connected to the harness wires. The purpose of fuses is to protect the wire harness!! If something in a car develops a short circuit, you don't want the large currents to heat up the wire in the harness and then destroy the harness. Actually this harness heating, if it occurs, could also cause fires. (SwissAir) In an airplane and in a car, you don't want a short circuit in an electronic box to cause a harness failure. Wire harnesses in cars and airplanes are intricately woven throught the structure. You don't ever want to be replacing a wire harness just because an electical device connected to it developed a short. Replacing a wire harness is a major dissambly problem. It's much easier just to put a fuse in the circuit and replace the fuse.
