Stereo & Electronics - fuses are brown

the fuses in my fuse box are all brown colored where the metal meets the plastic on both prongs, im having electrical problems in the ipc and wondering if i should replace the fuses. other than the discoloration they are all making a circuit throughout the fuse. my real question is could the browned metal be causing a problem or is it normal to have the fuses look like that?

Water loged or possible Flood Damage. Heavy, Heavy smoking. Normally it goes from The Color (plastic) to the Silver (metal). IPC?

The fuses normally don't look like that unless something above happened or there is massive heat from the junction.

Replacing them would only allow you to monitor them to see if will change again. I would Put a DVM on it to see what the resistance is, but I'm sure it will be normal.

Water loged or possible Flood Damage. Heavy, Heavy smoking. Normally it goes from The Color (plastic) to the Silver (metal). IPC?

The fuses normally don't look like that unless something above happened or there is massive heat from the junction.

Replacing them would only allow you to monitor them to see if will change again. I would Put a DVM on it to see what the resistance is, but I'm sure it will be normal.

the fuses are really tough to pull out, like they had been glued in.
IPC = instrument control panel (ipc/icp not sure)
ill try using a multimeter and see what that tells me

i just bought the car about 2 weeks ago so im just taking stabs in the dark here...

Pull the carpet up and see if there is water under the carpet.
Do you have a car fax on the car? (even though thats not always 100%)
Im leaning towards water damage as well since all fuses are brown/blown and your having electrical problems.

Is it all fuses or all the fuses in one spot?

Pull the carpet up and see if there is water under the carpet.
Do you have a car fax on the car? (even though thats not always 100%)
Im leaning towards water damage as well since all fuses are brown/blown and your having electrical problems.

Is it all fuses or all the fuses in one spot?

Not sure, I didn't check under the hood. The fuses on the side of the dash board are all brown. I'll be able to check under the hood tomorrow. And no, I never got a CarFax. I bought it from a little dealership in town, supposedly it was owned by a cop its whole life and the interior is in exquisite :) condition.

Thats a good place to start. You might start a thread over in here (http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=4). I have seen where they run them for some people. Get that other fuse box checked out and let us know what you find out.

hey if it's worth anything, neither of my WS6s have ever seen rain and the fuses have brown spots on the metal as well. I wondered myself "what caused this." But i have to say it's probably not water.

hey if it's worth anything, neither of my WS6s have ever seen rain and the fuses have brown spots on the metal as well. I wondered myself "what caused this." But i have to say it's probably not water.


You owned both from new? if so than that's a wierd issue.

I wouldn't know what else to think of unless they put a dielectric grease on the fuses that turns brown after awhile. I don't think GM did it. If anything, some dealers do this as part of their Detailing and Initial Inspection.

Factory uses maxi and mini fuses, they arent slo-blo fuses so they shouldnt turn brown. The brown, or burning, is caused by heat, water would be a factor. Thats why I suggested water damage.

I'm leaning toward some sorta moisture damage too. Hard to believe the dealer would go thru the 'extra' step of greasing 'em, but I'd be pleasantly surprised to hear it. If nothing else, wiggle 'em real good to ensure a good connection. Yeah, they're tough to get in and out, but give it a shot - it's a no-money-spent diagnosis.

Yea I'm thinking it also.

Quick question. Is it Discoloration or is there a material on the fuse?