FWD Fuse... Fuse Question

I'll preface this by saying I don't need a lecture about the pros and cons of using this mode on the vehicle. I've had plenty of discussions with people about it already (many on this forum.) I merely want to be able to switch AWD off in the winter when having fun in the snow just to see how easily I get stuck. I've done it before by running outside, popping the hood and sticking a fuse in. I am currently in the process of removing my carputer and I figured while I was doing it, I would run two wires into the car and re-wire the carputer power switch as an AWD switch.

My question is: Judging by how the manual states to just "stick a spare fuse" in without referring to a fuse rating, I am under the impression that it doesn't REALLY have to be a fuse - I could just as well use a piece of wire stuck into the two prongs. It seems more the point is just to complete the circuit and that this loop is not something critical that requires an actual fuse of any sort. Can I just run two wires to a switch? Or should I go ahead and put a fuse in line somewhere? I will probably put a fuse in just to be safe, but I am curious if anyone knows whether it really is necessary. Thanks!

dont **** with the fwd fuse.. youre going to fry your tranny and center diff..

the manual states that it is for emergency only and towing, and since the 4eat isnt true full time awd, what you plan on doing with the awd switch is useless

dont **** with the fwd fuse.. youre going to fry your tranny and center diff..

 

the manual states that it is for emergency only and towing, and since the 4eat isnt true full time awd, what you plan on doing with the awd switch is useless

Ok. Thanks. I appreciate your input...

...now can somebody answer my question? I already ran it with a fuse in-line. I'm just curious as to why the manual doesn't actually specify a fuse rating.

FWD Toggle Switch:

I did this with my 97 L AWD Auto.

Cut the wires off of the fuse holder completely.

Find the + wire & solder it straight to the + terminal of the switch.

Find the - wire, solder it to the fuse holder, then solder a wire from that to the - terminal of the switch. The amperage rating in the fuse is 10amps.

For 'other' purposes:

You've probably heard or read this before but turning on the FWD switch WILL save you about 4 mpg & give you the annoyance of chirping your front tires at will but the relevant issues are that the solenoid to which the FWD fuse is connected to is supposedly not designed for continuous current flow & the 'fact' that the 4EAT will fail due to clutch packs not engaging properly or whatnot but I've NEVER had this problem & I ran a spare on the back for a while (as in 3 months due to extremely tight funds). Still, it doesn't hurt to be too careful.

can someone explain to me what youre doing?

since the auto is 90% front wheel drive normally unless a tire slip (which then will it transfer to true 50/50 until traction is gained),

what im getting is from this is that you are trying to wire it so that you can run 100% fwd normally, then use a switch to put it in 90/10 mode?

if this is correct.. what the hell is the point? if you are going to do all that wiring, why not do it right with a dccd switch? which switches between the normal running mode of the 4eat as described above and true 50/50 such is found in the 5MT trannys of the same year

if this is incorrect, disregard this post and show me the light

can someone explain to me what youre doing?

 

since the auto is 90% front wheel drive normally unless a tire slip (which then will it transfer to true 50/50 until traction is gained),

 

what im getting is from this is that you are trying to wire it so that you can run 100% fwd normally, then use a switch to put it in 90/10 mode?

 

if this is correct.. what the hell is the point? if you are going to do all that wiring, why not do it right with a dccd switch? which switches between the normal running mode of the 4eat as described above and true 50/50 such is found in the 5MT trannys of the same year.

 

if this is incorrect, disregard this post and show me the light

He's trying to lock the car into 100% FWD as you have stated. Not really a lot of wiring to do that, at least compared to the DCCD resistor mod. Then again, if he wanted 50/50, he could just put it in 2nd gear.

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f8/t99075-4eat-diff-lock-switch-handbrake-mod-torquemada-lite.html - Mod for locking the 4eat into 4WD at will.

Thank you for your replies. There is no real "point" to what I am doing. I just think it's fun on occasion when you come across either a really steep hill, or some deeper snow, to switch the car into FWD and see how far you can get before getting stuck, then putting it back in AWD, getting unstuck, and feeling that much better about the car I own. So the car is never in FWD mode for more than a minute or two, and because it's on snow, there is no excessive stress being put on the drive-train. Just for a bit of fun, that's all. Plus I have to find SOME use for the ugly hole I now have in the center console, lol.

Also, I was always of the opinion that running the car FWD only would NOT give you any fuel savings because the only change is that power is not being transferred to the rear. The rear drivetrain components are still attached to the wheels however, so you still have the added weight of the AWD system, as well as the rotational mass of the rear components that still have to be spun up... so I don't know where you would get the MPG increase.

Go drive a honda for a day. Please dont make your subi fwd...ever!

Just add more lights and put a switch for the lights in the ugly hole lol

the power feed to this thing is already fused. the fuse is a convenient item to close the circuit. you can use a paper clip, but spare fuses are on the other side of the engine bay.

to keep it so you could eliminate it if / when you sell. i would use a blown fuse and solder wires onto the tabs / spades. the wires would then go to a switch. so in the winter when you want to get STUCK in the snow, flip the switch. but in the summer you can remove the wiring and have nothing in the fuse holder. all you are doing is bypassing the computer which regulates the frequency of the duty cycle, which determines how much power goes to the rear.

Ok, thanks. That's what I figured. I plan to just use some quick-disconnect plugs the right size to slot into the fuse holder, and run wires from those straight to a switch.

I appreciate the insight from everyone!

EDIT: Maybe this IS a retarded question, but is there anything wrong with running speaker wire for an application such as this? I assume no real load is going through the wires - it's just a signal circuit. It would just be neater than two wires.