520H4me 0 #1 Posted July 11, 2009 Did a search on this site but could not find anything on a melting fuse block. The light fuse (the one located toward the back of the block) on my 520H is melting. The light switch itself is "flakey". When I turn on the lights, they sometimes go on/sometimes it takes a while for them to turn on. Not sure if this would have anything to do with why the light fuse is melting in the fuse block or not... Thanks in advance for your input. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
520H4me 0 #2 Posted July 12, 2009 I pulled the melted fuse and started working again. The manual I have says this fuse is for the lights, but now the charging system does not work... I have to stop every so often to charge the battery so the tractor does not quit. At this point I plan to pull the fuse block entirely and put inline fuses somehow. I am not Mr. Electrical. If anyone has suggestions, I would appreciate them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 23,138 #3 Posted July 12, 2009 Well before you go and start shredding the existing electrical system you should address the issues you know you have like the possible faulty switch. I would try to remove the wires from the switch and touch em together to see if the lights come on instantly like they should. If they dont maybe the wiring up at the lights is messed up. You need both a good positive and a good ground or negative to get them on. The wires to the headlights can get pinched by the hood sometimes. If they come on like they should then get a new switch and see if that takes care of it. Remember two things cause electrical fires(or melting in your case). Overfusing of wires and loose connections. Loose connections cause heat and melting...see where this is going. You have either a loose connection in the switch or a loose connection at the fuse block. It might be that the metal inside the fuse holder that the fuse touches is not grabbing the fuse tightly and causing it to heat up and then melt. Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Mike.......... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
boovuc 1,090 #4 Posted July 12, 2009 Hi 520HforME, Welcome to RedSquare! If you go to any autoparts store or for a little more $, Radio Shack, you can pickup a single fuse holder and just bypass the fuse block. On the troublesome curcuit, isolate it with the fuse holder once you know you have no short elsewhere on it. (As Sparky says, any pinched wires or a short across the lamp holder(s).) Doublecheck to make sure the fuse that was in that circuit is the correct fuse. (I've seen that before)! I little VOM, (volt/ohm meter), is a must when working on electrical systems around the house/auto/tractors. It takes the guess work out of a lot of the detective work you need to do. I would greatly suspect that the light toggle switch needs replaced but as Sparky says, just pulling the wires off of it and shorting them together will give you your answer but I would personally only do that once you isolate that circuit from the fuse block. If the switch is bad, the fuse should blow, not melt the block. In essence: 1 Check to see if the light circuit has the proper fuse. (Proper Amp and slow-blow or fast blow). 2. Isolate the circuit with an inline fuse holder. 3. Check the switch. Sorry for the long post! Boovuc Rote, PA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
520H4me 0 #5 Posted July 12, 2009 Hi guys, Thanks for the input - I really appreciate it. As I mentioned in my second post, the manual says this is supposed to be the fuse for the lights, but when I removed it, the charging system stopped working. Somehow the circuit is reversed from what it should be - it is not not light circuit. I will have to put the in-line fuse in and bypass the block because that end is literally melted and is of no use anymore. My guess is that the connection between the fuse and the fuse block was faulty which cause the heat. I had to finish my project with the tractor so I simply connected the wires from the fuse block which brought the charge gauge back into the green area. I watched it for a while - no heat/smoke so I finished the project with no issues. I hate all the electrical issues I've had with this tractor. That said, whomever owned it before me did not take care of it and it sat outside a lot. My guess is the connections were all corroded which lead to the heat/melting issue. When this tractor works it does stuff that other newer tractors would not be able to do. I tilled 1.25 acres last night. The soil has a high clay content and LOTS of large stones. The 520H tiller literally spilt some of the stones in half and it throws a lot of them 6 feet or so. If I could get past these electrical issues I'd be really happy with it. Thanks again, 520H4me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtmoyer 1 #6 Posted July 12, 2009 most of the 520's have the fuse problem. mine was replaced with inline fuses when i got it. not real sure about my charging system either, i just charge the battery every few weeks. if u can keep up on the electrical issues or don't care if the gages work then a 520 is a great tractor. just make sure you keep the fins cleaned on the back cylinder. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Operator 7 #7 Posted July 12, 2009 Dielectric grease all the connections after you make sure they are free of corosion. I had the same problem. Randy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
