Fuse tapping is a clean and harmless way
(as in, no OEM wires need to be cut) to power your electrical accessories. I first chanced upon it in
this thread by bhpian paragsinchania. This led me to this
fuse tapping bible by bhpian arunphilip. These 2 threads have all the technical information and instructions needed to tap any car.
My thread is specific to the 2015 Ford Figo/Aspire as there some things that are different here. For starters, the fuses used are Micro2 and Micro3
(something that even the service centre guys didn't know when I asked them for spare fuses). Micro2 is 2 pronged and Micro3 is 3 pronged; I could only find fuse taps for the Micro2 type.
The different types of fuses Wikipedia link to Fuses
Micro2 and Micro3 are apparently rarely used, and these in particular are probably non-standard. I say non-standard because the fuses and the taps refused to slot into the fuse box. This could also be an issue with the taps that I bought, but that's unlikely.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Ford Figo or Ford Figo Aspire 2015
- Accessory/accessories that need to be powered
- OCD for clean, clutter free interiors
- Owner's Manual
- Fuse Tap/s
- Extra Fuses
- Fuse Puller / Cutting Plier
- Metal Knife
- Gas Stove (or any heat source to heat the metal knife)
- Gold File / Goldsmith
- Waste Newspapers
- Gardening Gloves (non-rubber)
Ordering Information Fuse Taps + Fuses
3pcs MICRO2 BLADE FUSE ADAPTER
http://s.aliexpress.com/EvmIziAb
Price: $4.10 (Rs.285.00)
The fuses that came in the set are all 15A and of cheap quality, but the fuse taps feel really well made. I feel it's better to order extra fuses of the correct amperage from Ford.
This is what I got from AliExpress
Fuse Puller
To pull the fuses out of the fuse box
2pcs Hot sale Universal Blade Fuse Puller
http://s.aliexpress.com/maMF32Un
Price: $0.46 (Rs.32.00)
You can also use a cutting plier, but be gentle with it.
Accessing the FUSE BOX
The Aspire had 3 fuse boxes - two in the engine bay and one in the passenger compartment.
In the engine bay In the passenger compartment
The one that we need to access, the one in the passenger compartment, is located behind the glove box.
Press these clips present on both sides towards the inside to bring the knobs outside the grooves.
(be careful not to push them inside too much; one of mine is already half broken)
This unlocks the glove box, so that it can drop down completely to show the fuse box.
This picture shows the fuse taps already in place. Also note the orientation of the fusetap
As soon as taps arrived from China by India Post, I tried inserting one into the empty slot, but it would not go in. I tried the same with the other 2 taps; none of them would slot in. I realised that the grooves on the fuse tap do not match the grooves on the fuse box.
I went to
arunphilip's thread for advice.
Here both arunphilip and audioholic suggested that the issue might be with the 2 metal prongs - I had to file them to match the Ford fuses. I checked by inserting the fuses that came in the set and they were right - they wouldn't go in.
This took me on a hunt to all the hardware stores in town. With no luck. Then somebody suggested to try a goldsmith supply store. And he was right - they had a thin file that would work on the prongs.
It was 40 rupees.
I started to file them but it was taking too much time and effort. So I decided to take professional help and went to an FNG (Friendly Neighbourhood Goldsmith)
. He did it in 2 days and charged me 100 bucks for it - worth it.
The filed fusetap
With high hopes I went back to the car and...
...the fuse taps still wouldn't fit in.
Next I tried the fuses, and they slotted in perfectly. So what I had thought of initially was also true - the grooves didn't match. I now had to change the grooves on my fusetap. Idea was to melt the grooves with heat. The stage was the kitchen - after midnight.
Knife being heated over flame Carefully flattening the raised portions Done Note: Using gardening gloves would be safer for the fingers. Also keep waste paper nearby - you will need to wipe off the melted plastic off the knife occasionally.
The tap and the fuses now cleanly slot into the fuse box. You can now follow the other two threads for instructions on how to do the wiring for drawing power from your car.
Here are the fuse charts from the Owner's Manual
Note that all the "unused" slots act in the same way as the accessory socket - always on. Take that into consideration while deciding on which fuse slot to use. I have used the audio system fuse (1) for the Dashcam and an empty slot (20) for the additional accessory sockets.