Your Car's Fuse Box, Explained!

Your fuse box contains more than just fuses! It is a hub of protection for your vehicle and protects most of the electronic components in it in the event of a fault.

What Does a Fuse Do?

Fuses protect circuits and fail when amperage gets too high, so you can replace an easy-to-access and inexpensive fuse rather than whatever expensive part it was protecting!

What Does a Relay Do?

Relays allow a small current to control a large current. Many switches and computers don’t like high amperage, so the relay handles it for them!

What Does a Diode Do?

A diode only allows current to flow in one direction, protecting components that would be damaged by current travelling in the wrong direction.

How do You Find The Right Fuse, Relay, or Diode?

Finding the right fuse, relay, or diode is an important step in troubleshooting a circuit/electronic item’s issue. There are two main ways to find them, and the best way will differ from vehicle to vehicle.

How to Remove a Fuse or Relay

Removing a fuse can often be done with a fuse puller, but needle nose pliers also work well. Relays can be a bit tougher, but a dedicated pair of relay pulling pliers can help tremendously!

Why are There Empty Spaces in the Fuse Box?

Are you missing fuses? Those empty spots may be there on purpose! Sometimes they are there to allow for future-proofing, but other times it’s just where a feature would be fused if the vehicle came with that feature.