Ok, this will not be brief.


When we installed the new fuel pump (Aeroforce 340 stealth) it said NOT to use the OEM gray wire to supply power to the pump. We ran 10 gauge wire (as suggested) from the engine fuse box back to the pump. Well, it was almost all 10 gauge. It was 10 at the pump, to really close to the fuse box and then the 10 gauge was connected to the 14 gauge wire on the "Mini-fuse Add a Circuit" that we plugged into the fuse box. We used fuse #1 20A for the connection as it was a "switched" 20A fuse. The mini-fuse "add a circuit" was plugged in, the 20A fuse inserted, and the connection was made and I drove off.

Good so far?

Last Saturday I was driving and the car died. I said to myself, "DAMN! The fuel pump died!". A couple of other guys were in a caravan with me so they all pulled over. We muddled around and gave up to call a flat bed to tow the car. While standing there one of the guys asked if anyone else smelled a "burn" odor coming from the engine bay. Sure enough, the stink was there. We followed our collective noses and opened the fuse box cover. Inside we find the Mini-fuse Add a Circuit in a melted puddle of plastic. THE FUSE DID NOT BLOW! IT MELTED. The cover of the box was scorched, the adjacent fuse and relay was scorched. I pried the puddle out and cut the wire away from the lump and got a socket set to loosen the +battery nut next to the fuse box and put the wire under the nut and tightened.

The fuel pump started running and the car made it all of the way home.

I was going to replace the minifuse add a circuit as the quick fix but HERE IS MY WARNING!!!

The Add a Circuit has a MAXIMUM load of 10A. If you are using the minifuse add a circuit, you better be damn sure of the amperage that you are running through it.

I wired a temporary wire with an inline fuse to keep the fuel pump running as I went to the repair shop today. They cut and spliced into the 10 gauge wire with a length of 10 gauge and ran that wire into the fuse block and removed and replaced the stock gray wire with the direct wire to the pump by adding a new pin plug into the fuse block. We hooked up to the fuel pump relay (#55) so the fuel pump now runs directly controlled by the ECM. I think it was pin A6 on connector block C2.

Wiring into the fuse block directly was a major PITA but it is definitely the best way to wire in the bigger load wiring for the stealth pump.


Elmer

 

I would add an attachment in here to show the mini fuse add a circuit but I don't have the ability to do attachments. So, if you want to see what it looks like go to LS2.com via this link and you'll see it.

http://www.ls2.com/forums/showthread...7#post14371627

Some day I might make "techie" on here.



Elmer

 

what gauge wire does the "add a circuit" use?

 

14 gauge with butt connector.

Elmer

 

Not to be rude, but why didn't you just buy a Racetronix harness and be done with it. It is all plug & play, and powers the fuel pump via large-gauge wire directly off the alternator. The factory gray fuel pump wire is still used - it just triggers the relay and bears little load.
There's no way I would have run a whole new wire from the front fuse box to the fuel pump, but that's just me.

Oh, and I was just looking at the instructions on one of those mini-fuse add a circuits. They state several times not to exceed 10 amps. Guess you found out why.

 

I was going to post the same thing until I saw you already had.

BJK

 

I thank you both for your keen observation. I reused the BAP wiring that was run previously for the BAP to power the pump so why the hell would I need to buy another harness when I had the wire already in place?

Also, I had installers doing the work and I DID NOT employ the device that melted. I did however UPON MY EXAMINATION find the 10A limit and I brought it to their attention. That is why the 10 gauge now runs the FULL length of the run WITHOUT the add a fuse being employed in the process.

I read those same 10A instructions as you did. How do you think I found the problem and that is why I posted this warning to the unwary.

But I do thank you for your polite contributions to this thread.

Elmer

 

Thanks for your polite reply; much appreciated. I always love it when the OP only posts half the info in the beginning and then hammers those who reply with the other half that would have prevented their input in the first place.

BJK

 

Their "input," in this case, was needlessly snarky.

 

Like I said, I really wasn't trying to offend anybody. I just feel the solution I listed to be a much better option. It's a very well built, proven wiring harness using GM weatherpack connectors with very good protection and insulation for a critical circuit (IMO) in the car. Hopefully some other members see this before doing an aftermarket pump install.

For ~$60, yes, I would have ripped out the spliced/added wire from the front and payed the shop to install a Racetronix harness. Very small price to pay for a reliable fuel system and little to no chance of electrical fire. Also very easy to return the car to stock if needed.

http://www.racetronix.biz/itemdesc.a...%2D008&eq=&Tp=

 

Your idea is fine. I have no problem with it. This is not a thread on fuel pump installations. The fuel pump involved is coincidental.

This thread is a warning to people that employ the Mini fuse add a circuit. I tried to stress the importance of the amperage limitations when using the add on in the electrical system. The add a circuit can be used for many things. Another thought that comes to mind is the Mild to Wild mod. It uses the mini fuse add a circuit and now the question is, how many amps are on the circuit? I have a 10A fuse in it, so I am not worried about a melt down. My purpose is to tell people that it is EASY to overlook details when you are in the middle of a mod.

Getting sidetracked on ways to install fuel pumps is not the issue. The installers that did this to me had the add a circuit in the drawer as spare parts. It is obvious that they did not see the 10A limitation and THAT is what this thread is about.



Elmer

 

[Thread]
Used a mini add-a-circuit other than its intended use
Circuit failed
Discovered failed circuit
Posted warning to all--read the labels on the products used in your car.
[/Thread]

 

Thanks for the heads-up!

Merry Christmas

 

I hear ya, and understand you didn't do the install. I have a couple of those mini-fuse circuits on my car -- one for my B&B Fusions and one for my K40 radar/laser system. Ironically, I was looking at the instructions (with the 10-amp max warning) a few hours before you posted your horror story.

Maybe the moral of this story is: don't let uneducated shops do work on your C6. There was a much better way to go about wiring the pump, and a good late model Corvette shop would have known this. I guess that is what I'm trying to stress

 

Never mind!