BBR's 83GT - 552 BBF version 3.0 (at least)

[TheSilverBuick]

"Lightspeed!"
"No no no, lightspeed is too slow."
"Too slow??"
"LUDICROUS SPEED!!"

[CDMBill]

Spacers are ok as long as you still have enough lugnut engagement. In my case with 3" studs and a 5/16" spacer, it's not a problem.

Yeah it ran 11.19 at 120.6! Every pass I made it went quicker. It was getting late so I did not try again after the 11.19 run. I am still having problems leaving it in 1st until the shift light comes on. Stupid me. Each run I felt like I left it in longer and it went quicker, so I think there's still a little left in it. Air temp was mid-90's and the DA was 6900 feet. 60 foots were nice in the 1.56 range and may get a little better, but I'm freaking happy with that considering how little suspension work I have done to this car. It sure is fun having a fast car and having one you can pull a trailer to the track with, race and then get home again.

Took it to a big cruise here last night and it was fun. Temp stayed at 185 in traffic (it's a big loop downtown) until the fan's fuseholder had a meltdown and shut the fan off. I had to fix it with my pocket knife since I did not have any tools with me, but once I did that, it went right back to 185.

I am digging this car. Pulling the t-tops out and cruising around if freaking awesome!!!!!

Nothin' like hitting the cruise in your ten second street car with the t-tops pulled.

That is way cool and at that DA you are deep in the 10's corrected.

I don't recall what fan you are running, and at 142 pages I'm not going to go back and read all the posts to find out, but electirc fans pull serious amperage and if you cooked a fuse holder you are at the edge of your wiring/fuse size. I learned this the hard way on two consective DW's. We survived, but I cooked a 70 Amp relay one year and then the relay on the little Hayden fan contoller on the other. The rains didn't help either time, but I now have a 100 amp canister style (think Ford starter solenoid) relay on each of the two fan inputs. One of for cooling in lanes the other contolled by the ECU, but that way I have backup. I had to upgrade the fan wiring as well to number 4 guage wire along with the really big plastic fuses.

Because of the EFI I pull power for the noisy stuff (fans, pumps, coils, injectors) off the back of the alternator.

[milner351]

Nice work indeed. If I can get within a second of you we can have a chorus of giddy school girl laughs.... man I hope I can make it!

[BBR]

Bill it is a Chevrolet HHR fan. I think the wire size is fine, as it is the same size as what the fan has, but I'm guessing corrosion in the fuse holder probably created enough resistance to make it heat up. I will replace and also make sure the grounds are good.

Pic of the fuse folder:


Video of one pass.

[squirrel]

Looking at the picture more....I wonder if the tab on the fuse was not inserted into the clip one side? but was next to it instead. That might cause it to melt like that at the terminal inside the fuse holder.

[STINEY]

. I had to upgrade the fan wiring as well to number 4 guage wire

4 guage wiring to the fan? Wow. That's some serious wire.

Congrats James on a super cool car that just keeps getting cooler!

[MR P-BODY]

I run the HHR also and have it on a relay about 10" away with the same size wire as the
fan has with a 30A fuse... the supply wire to the relay is a #8 but supplies a few things...
so far its fine

[BBR]

Looking at the picture more....I wonder if the tab on the fuse was not inserted into the clip one side? but was next to it instead. That might cause it to melt like that at the terminal inside the fuse holder.

I'm going to look closer at this when I get home.

[squirrel]

I would want to cut it open and see why it got so hot. Could also be a defective crimp where the terminal connects to the wire inside the fuse holder.

[CDMBill]

4 guage wiring to the fan? Wow. That's some serious wire.

Congrats James on a super cool car that just keeps getting cooler!

The Lincoln Mark VIII fan draws 50 continuos, 100 at start up, hence #4

[Deaf Bob]

Run Taurus fans.. 40 amp fuse in one car, 50 amp breaker in the other..
We want them to run.. But not short as to draw from the battery which also runs the dizzy..
30 amp will blow in line up.. 40 will not..
Mainly have them so when the fan motor gets shorted.. We can still continue..Even with 2-950 or 1000 CCA batteries and being shorted, we have NEVER seen a fuse melt like that!

[BBR]

I would want to cut it open and see why it got so hot. Could also be a defective crimp where the terminal connects to the wire inside the fuse holder.

That's exactly what I did. Fuse was seated in both sides. It seems to have only gotten really hot on one side. The internal connector, crimp and wire on one side were very discolored, while the other side was much less so. The copper wire looked perfect. This fuse holder was pretty old, I'll just replace and keep an eye on it.

The fuses were just some I bought at the parts store or walmart in the little yellow slide-top box.

[Russell]

Does the HHR use a 20 amp fuse? If its needs a 30 would the smaller fuse increase resistance and make it hot?

[BBR]

If it pulls more than 20 amps it *should* blow the fuse. I am learning that localized heating indicates high resistance, so I think it was just a bad connection. This fuse holder was kinda old and was not one of the ones with the cover that keeps moisture out. The car stays outside all the time so it probably had some corrosion in it. In the past, I have run it for way longer than I did the other night w/o any problems.

I'm just gonna replace it and go on my merry way.

[Deaf Bob]

Like I said...We use 40 amps.. They do not melt like that.. When they are compromised, they blow ..
Condensation is bad where we store the boxes over winter..you have humidity..
Maybe there are a few strands that got pulled out of the holder?