July 30, 201510 yr So guys I need a little help, A little while back I added a starter relay to my car to solver trouble starting and that worked great, until now. I try to start the car and the fuse on the relay blows. I replace the fuse and it blows as soon as I start it again. I have gone through many fuses. This does not seem to happen however when the car is cold, I will still have to check that in the morning. What could this be? I would really appreciate some input on this, Thanks, Kyle
July 30, 201510 yr Author A little update, The relay fuse doesn't seem to blow when the car is cold, so is the relay getting to hot, is that possible? Anyone have any ideas?
July 30, 201510 yr Fuses/circuit breakers are circuit protection devices rated for a certain amount of current (Amps) if its the incorrect size it will blow. if it is the correct size and it keeps blowing you have a problem with too much heat. more current than that circuit is specified for, so that means there is probabley a short somewhere, or something is pulling to much amperage and you need to trace it and figure out what the problem is. check for wiring insulation rubbed off or bare wires touching metal. the problem could be in the starter itself. it would take some electrical trouble shooting and a digital multi meter to figure it out. best of luck. Edited July 30, 201510 yr by SoobDood05
July 30, 201510 yr I'll go along with the, "to much amperage" issue. It just may be that your starter solenoid needs replaced, and is why it's blowing the fuse.
July 31, 201510 yr Author Is it possible that the starter relay could be overheating. As of current it is just sitting loose near the engine, as I only suffer these symptoms when the car is warm, its starts fine cold. Can a relay be too hot?
July 31, 201510 yr What amp rating of the fuse? Are you talking about a fuse from the battery to the relay contact? The other relay contact goes to the start terminal on the starter?
July 31, 201510 yr Author I am talking about a 15 amp fuse that is in between the relay and the positive on the starter
July 31, 201510 yr Author So I moved the starter relay away from the engine near the fuel filter and that didn't work. My thought is that I am getting too much resistance with the car hot. However the sequence of connections is relay --> Fuse --> Positive on the starter, and all of the connections have no corrosion and seem to be in good condition! Any thoughts? I'm stumped.
July 31, 201510 yr 15 amps is too small. The solenoid will draw more than that. Go 30 or 40. The fuse should be between the battery and the relay,not between the relay and the solenoid.
August 1, 201510 yr Fuses/circuit breakers are circuit protection devices rated for a certain amount of current (Amps) if its the incorrect size it will blow Back to what i said earlier. +1 on what naru said
August 5, 201510 yr I had this exact same problem. I never figured it out, I ended up just taking the relay out, it was an issue with starter contacts anyway. Here is a link to that thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/151570-starter-problem/?do=findComment&comment=1271503 About half way down, I post a link to pics of my setup too. Someone mentioned that I may have used the incorrect relay, I had purchased a recommended one from some other thread I found here.
August 5, 201510 yr Also, why have you got the fuse between the relay & the starter? It should be between the battery & the relay, and as close to the battery as possible. It's meant to protect your car from electrical shorts, and hence fire. The original starter wire is fused via 1 of the 3 (or 4 depending on the car) "fusible links" hanging off the coolant overflow bottle. Much larger than 15A like others have said.
August 5, 201510 yr this article shows a good way to set up the circuit, but as stated i would use a fuse of 20 amps minimum, not 15 amp as in the article. http://www.glenn-ring.com/tech/relay_starter.htm TOONGA
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