Auto Care - Cleaning the Fuse Box

Older cars are often wonderful cars, given a little extra TLC. One thing you can do to improve your older cars performance is to check and clean the fuse box. Corrosion can build up on the connections and reduce the effectiveness of your cars electrical system. I have a 1984 Volvo wagon, and recently experienced this problem.

In some cases, corrosion builds up due to moisture in the area of the fuse box. I noticed my car was having difficulty starting. At first, I thought it was either a battery or alternator problem. I mentioned the issue to my parts shop, and his reply surprised me. He asked if I had checked the fuse box for corrosion! My problem would likely be resolved if I cleaned the fuse box.

Before cleaning your fuse box, you should disconnect the battery, especially if you use a wire brush to clean the corrosion. (Note: some cars require the radio to be in the off position to avoid damaging the radio before disconnecting the battery. This is true of older Volvos with the original radio. Check your manual before disconnecting the battery!)

Make sure you have a diagram of the order of sizes your fuses are. If you don't have a diagram, you might be able to look it up online or in your auto manual. Some cars have colored fuses. If your car uses colored fuses, you can also take a picture of the order the fuses are in. It is important that the fuses be put back in the right order.

One way you can clean the connections in your fuse box is with a small wire brush. After removing all of the fuses and disconnecting the battery, use the wire brush to clean each connection. If you do not disconnect the battery, the wire brush will likely spark each time you touch more than one connector. After you have cleaned each connection on the fuse box, take a look at your fuses. Some likely need cleaned or replaced. You can very carefully clean corrosion from otherwise good fuses with gentle strokes of the wire brush.

Another way to clean corrosion from the fuse box is with rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. However, the cotton may stick to the connectors and will need to be removed before reinserting the fuses. Swab the connectors with the alcohol soaked cotton until the corrosion is no longer visible.

You may use both of these methods. Get the worst of the corrosion off with the wire brush and then clean it up with the alcohol. Be sure to reinsert the fuses in the right order, and only use good fuses.

If you have an older car, make checking the fuse box and fuses a regular part of your maintenance checks. When you check the oil, water and tire pressures, also take a peek at the condition of your fuses.