n4ynu1010

Looking for a fuse box for my truck, previous owner obviously ran a electric trailer brake or something of the sort on the rear taillight circuit and melted the box and burned the fuse contacts as well as moving fuse clip due to heat from excessive amp draw or bad connection, have checked wiring on back side and it is fine, just need a box.
The truck is a '89 F150 XLT Manual Trans, Standard Cab w/ 5.0L
Do not think Auto Trans or Extended cab would matter in this case but you guys probably know better, my first Ford
If anyone can help, I can mail payment or PayPal it to you once we confirm part is right, or if local, I can come to you or meet you half way or something.
Also if you know a yard that has one please give me Phone # and I will be sure to call them, I have one yard that has one but they want $110, I think that is inflated but may have to pay it if I cannot find another.

Do not want to rewire with universal, and issue is sometimes I lose back lights and have to wiggle fuse even after using dielectric grease, so it is just a pain, I know I can bypass with fuse holder but would like to keep truck OEM as much as possible.

Thanks
Guy

Steve83

The fuse block frame (the plastic) is the same for all '80-96 F-series & Broncos and MANY other Ford/L/M products of the era, so you can get one in any JY and swap it in. The photos & captions in this album explain how easy it is to transfer your original terminals to the new block without cutting any wires (except those whose terminals are damaged):


(phone app link)

Only the tiny printing on the block (which is usually too small to read anyway) varied over the years, and for the various vehicles.

Dielectric grease is the wrong thing to use where you want electricity to flow - dielectric is specifically to stop electricity. Use electrical grease (which is NOT conductive) as this caption describes & links:


(phone app link)

n4ynu1010

Dielectric grease is the only thing I have used for 30 years in all automotive (over 25 years with GM) and electronic (also worked for over 25 years and still do in communications servicing two way equipment and transmitters/amplifiers).
Dielectric grease does not stop conductivity at the connection whether it is mechanical, spring pressured or a pinch type connector which covers virtually all connections, it only stops conductivity outside or around the connections which is one of the reasons it is used for ignition wiring and distributors to prevent arcing and moisture induced problems which when you speak of high voltage it is arcing or tracing.
Dielectric grease also prevents moisture from causing shorting issues on normal or lower voltage connections, it also prevents oxidation of the contacts, I have been using this on my auto's, motorcycles, marine and small engine driven toys for my whole life, best damn stuff in the world !!
Regular grease is conductive, and it will not stop oxidation, rather with many metals it causes oxidation issues, and can cause many issues with capacitive bleeding and literally make and sustain controlled shorts across the greased surface, it has to be dielectric if used in electrical applications.
I took a quick look at my fuse block and it looked as if it had harness end connectors tying all the wiring in to the rear of it, but the link you shared with me shows it is not that way at all, I appreciate the link and the pics, really helpful , so now I will have a second look and see if I cannot remove the female connector for that fuse from the block without further damaging the block, if I can, then maybe I can re-tweak the female spades and clean them up and re-install, hope I can, otherwise I will go and check some JY's now that you helped me allot by giving me a year range for the fuse block that will make hunting much easier
Thanks for the link and for the year applications, that was a big help, obviously what I thought I saw and the way it is are two totally different animals, I figured I could just get a new block and unplug harness ends and replug the new one, by the pics that is not how it is, I have rewired many harnesses over the years, have several kits and tools for ends and service, so now that I know what it really is, the only question will be whether once removed will I be able to have it lock back in place...............so tomorrow I will remove it and drop it down and take a better look.
Thanks for the link and year ranges ! That helped alot

Guy

*Edit - I see you mentioned using non conductive grease, but I have always used Dielectric grease, it protects better in my opinion, the non conductive types used are dielectric because they are non-conductive, the only real difference being dielectric can be used in very high voltage applications, still it will allow conduction in any mechanical connection but in my opinion does a better job stopping oxidation and will never be affected by moisture like any other grease (unless you use a synthetic non conductive), moisture and or water pollutes and causes grease to break down and change (unless it is synthetic), although it will lose its consistency, it will never happen with the dielectric

Steve83

Many people use the wrong stuff for decades without knowing. Yes, the purpose of any dielectric is to insulate against the flow of electricity - look up the definition of the word "dielectric". Even without grease, electricity does not flow "around" electrical terminals; air is non-conductive. Yes, dielectric grease reduces the chance of spark leak, but not enough to notice, even if you smeared it all along the plug wires. Yes, it's used in distributor caps to prevent water from clinging to the cap, and to keep ozone from attacking the rotor tip as quickly. No, electrical grease is the proper material for keeping normal connections dry & slowing corrosion. Did you follow the links in the 2nd caption & read Ford's recommendations & warnings? No, very few greases are conductive. No, dielectric is different from non-conductive; all dielectrics are non-conductive, but NOT all non-conductive materials are dielectric. Neither type of grease is appropriate for spark plug wire terminals; but either works for keeping the rubber boot from adhering to the ceramic. All silicone greases are synthetic, but that has nothing to do with it being water-displacing. Water does not cause any grease to break down or change properties - it either lifts the grease off the surface & disperses it, or it emulsifies with the detergents in the grease, and silicone grease has no detergents.

I'm glad that photo album was useful. If your plastic isn't damaged, you should be able to simply change the damaged terminals without replacing or depinning the whole block.

n4ynu1010

Yeah, it's the plastic block I am worried for, not the female spades, they are discolored but I do not think they are beyond use, may just wind up pulling the connectors and rewiring in a single fuse, was going to do today but weather is crazy and supposed to be low teens tomorrow and the next day, so gonna wait out the rain and then the arctic air LOL, I will post my findings and solution, maybe I can add a few pics as well in case some others may be helped by it.
Going to agree to disagree on several points on the grease, without grease you open the door for water/moisture issues and more importantly oxidation and metal destruction and corrosion of contacts and wiring/crimp connections, I have seen grease go sour from moisture and dry from age and destroy many things over my years as well as conductive issues, and loss of oil causing caking and in the end lack of intended protection, never seen that with the dielectric which is why I swear by it, I tend to let experience override data in many areas because my experience with many things learned from other people often proves the data wrong in the end

Steve83

Dielectric grease is THE SAME as electrical grease; it never dries or cakes. But dielectric has sand added to keep metal parts from touching.

n4ynu1010

What I use has no sand, I have never seen any with a granular media in it, what I have used for years and years is ignition grade by 3M, but it is primarily for automotive, marine and recreational, I use it on any electrical connection, even 24V/120V/240V wiring and connectors on mechanical equipment and home wiring, every wire nut I ever put on has a pencil eraser size application in the wire nut before screwing it on, great in commercial kitchen equipment as well, protects the contacts from grease damage and oxidation from other chemicals and moisture, never have a dry connection or oxidation, I also use it for electronic connections in communications equipment and service for over 30 years, it will keep connection surfaces clean and beautiful for life, that is the beauty of it, it never degrades in those ways, protects and insulates, awesome stuff
Any time I do automotive electrical work (really any kind, bulbs, sensors, pigtails etc) I fill the female connector by pushing it in with my finger, then plug in the connector, if I see more close by I do them while I am there, if you put a generous shot in a bulb base on your trailers or cars you will never replace that bulb again unless it a extreme vibration application, over time you wind up getting all connections treated and never have to worry about chasing down a corroded/bad/dry connection there again !

Steve83

It's too small to detect, and it's not rough beach sand - it's fine & smooth, so even if dry, it would feel almost like water. But in the tiny space between flat parallel surfaces, it prevents the metal from touching, and maintains a microscopic film of grease.

Electrical grease does nearly the same thing, but without the sand particles, the metal terminals are able to squeeze the grease out of the way to make contact. Most automotive terminals are NOT perfectly flat or parallel, which is why you can usually get away with the wrong grease. But the right grease is obviously better - dielectric grease is specifically engineered to prevent electrical contact or current.