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MG MGA - Ouch! That's HOT!

This weekend the headlights started to flicker on my '58 coupe. After I reached my destination, I stuck my hand up to the fuse box under the dash and was met with HOT melted plastic. The fuse had gotten so hot that it has started to melt the fuse holder. Anyone know what might cause this? Will I be okay to just replace the fuse (which I have done) or is there some other problem that should be addressed? I'd hate to have it catch fire.

Thanks!
Pat10

If you don't find the short, it WILL catch fire! Could be a bad fuse contact, or it could be a partial short in the wire to the lamp. Take out the bulb and do a continuity test to ground on the line. Should be open. Look for a scorched lead and check where the harness touches the body.
Art Pearse

Is your fuse oversized? If the wire is pulling enough current to heat up and melt the plastic of the fuse holder or wire insulation, then the fuse should blow or have blown.

If there is a short, the fuse should blow immediately.

What size fuse are you running?

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

A corroded electrical contact can be high resistance and can generate quite a lot of heat as a resistance heater, even with moderate current that would not blow a fuse.
Barney Gaylord

The fuse (20 amp) did not blow so I guess it is not a short, which is good. It is possible that there is some corrosion on the holder but I haven't taken it out yet so I don't know. The car has always been garaged and is rust free so that wouldn't seem very likely. I have a new holder on order so I'll see what happens after I put that in. I will definitely be keeping an eye, or a finger, on it to see if it heats up again.

Thank you for the responses.
Pat10

This thread was discussed between 22/01/2013 and 24/01/2013

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