Changing a blown fuse

We all 'blow a fuse' sometimes. It's a way of letting off steam to prevent greater damage. So it is with the fuses in your house and your car. The thin wire of the fuse overheats and breaks (or 'blows') before any damage is done to the main electrical wiring. Often, a fuse breaking is the first sign of a fault with a component on your car which has overloaded the electrical circuit. However, they do sometimes just blow for no apparent reason, so it's always worth replacing the fuse first - to see if it blows again straight away.

But hang on, this all sounds very technical and is surely a job for a professional in overalls with a full set of spanners and grease under their fingernails. No! Replacing a fuse is about as difficult as opening the car door. It's one of the many 'single spanner' DIY tasks covered by Haynes Manuals. Haynes is the world's leading publisher of automotive repair manuals and renowned for teaching millions of car owners how to carry out routine maintenance and repairs. Haynes publishes manuals for more than 500 cars and vans as well as useful glovebox guides such as Your Car and Driving Abroad

One-spanner jobs are easy and can be done by a novice with little experience. Overhauling the air conditioning system - now that's a five spanner task best left to an expert in DIY car maintenance or that professional in his overalls.

Here's how easy it is to replace a fuse  

You'll need some spare fuses of the correct type and rating - check the vehicle handbook or your Haynes Service and Repair Manual for details. This will also tell you which fuse protects which circuit, and where the fuse boxes are.

1. The fuse box is usually under a cover near the glovebox or instrument panel. Sometimes there’s one under the bonnet as well. Switch off the ignition before starting work.
2. To remove a fuse, simply pull it from the panel. On some cars, there's a plastic tool for doing this - otherwise, use your fingers or tweezers.
3. A blown fuse is easily recognised by the melted wire in the middle. The replacement fuse must be of the correct rating - this is shown by its colour or by the number stamped on it.
4. Push the new fuse firmly into its slot in the fuse box. Switch on the circuit concerned. If the new fuse blows immediately, there’s a problem which needs investigation.

Now here's a tip, similar to the many useful Haynes Hints in the Haynes Service and Repair Manuals. If you don?t have any spare fuses, in an emergency you can 'borrow' one from a non-essential circuit such as the heated rear window or the cigarette lighter.

For more advice on model-specific procedures, please refer to the appropriate Haynes Service and Repair Manual. Haynes Manuals are available from this website and all good car accessory retailers and bookshops including: Halfords, Motor World and WH Smith. Please use our comprehensive Stockist Locator in the left margin of this page.