Can a 80 amp fuse be swapped for a 100 amp without it doing any damage?

MIKE SLOVENSKY

MEMBER
2001 HONDA ACCORD
3.0L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
175,000 MILES

Recently my friend asked for help switching his battery in his car listed above. Being the master mechanic that I am, I switched the terminals and blee his 100 amp fuse. I realized immediately what I had done. We ran to three auto parts stores to find a matching 100 amp bolt on style fuse but had no luck. The solution was to use a 80 amp fuse of the same style. Should I worry about that fuse blowing while he is on the road? Is an 80 amp safe to replace a 100 amp for this car?

1 Reply

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

It is safe to replace this with the 80 amp fuse as it will fail sooner then the 100 amp fuse would. So if there is an issue it will blow quicker which is actually safer then the 100 amp. However, it may blow when it doesn't need to so it could cause an issue that way. I would have him order the correct one online and replace it when it arrives. Until then it should be okay. This fuse is for the alternator so as long as there are not high demands on the system like running all the lights and the A/C compressor at the same time then there should not be an issue.

Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks

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