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What should you do if your power wheels keep blowing fuses? We share a great fix in this power wheels battery fuse troubleshooting guide
As most of you know, your kiddo’s power wheels come with a built-in fuse for safety reasons- it automatically “trips” and shut down the vehicle in case it is overloaded or your kids are riding in too severe driving conditions.
So, what should you do if your power wheels keep blowing fuses –whether it’s after upgrading the battery or just randomly?
Well, here is what you should know and the tips to try if you are encountering this annoying problem:
Power wheels fuse keeps blowing – possible reasons why it is happening
Your stock battery is too old
Once power wheels batteries get old, they are unable to handle as much amperage as when they are new and in perfect condition.
That means any little strain on the vehicle which increases the current(Amperage) – for example, riding at high speed- can cause the fuse to blow (go open circuit) due to the increased electrical resistance.
Solution: You should replace your junk battery (first test it to confirm that the battery is too old/dead).
Oh, and your Power Wheels fuse will keep blowing if you install a battery with a higher amp rating than the amperage of the fuse so keep that in mind when shopping for a replacement battery.
Your wiring was reversed (after you upgraded the battery)
New parents sometimes get the wiring wrong once they upgrade the battery so you should check your wiring again and make sure the wiring is not reversed – you may have crossed the wires up when putting them back to the respective terminals.
Make sure that all other connections are made correctly too and tight- trace everything from the pedal and all the way to the shifter (and compare against your power wheels wiring diagram)
Something else: If you have converted to high-power batteries, consider rewiring the vehicle with a 10GA wire throughout (it is more suitable for conductivity –and hence safety- here than the small 12 gauge wire).
There is a problem with other parts
The problem may be recurring because of a fault in the gearboxes, motors, or another part so it’s worth inspecting and testing such parts.
In addition, for mltoys power wheels, the manufacturer strongly recommends not using rubber tires.
This is what the company says: “The spinning wheel on the car functions as the only clutch so you are likely to keep blowing fuses, motors, gears, and your wallet without it”.
Yes, you add more traction by putting rubber tires but then you remove the clutch since you’ll have changed the tire diameter.
The problem is that it results in a modified gear ratio which can potentially lead to a lot of problems including causing the motors to overheat.
Tips to prevent this problem
- Make sure you’ve gotten the mods right– from the wiring to the choice of battery and everything in between.
- Use the correct amperage fuse– more on correct power wheels fuse size shortly.
What size fuse for power wheels?
If you want to replace the stock battery with aftermarket batteries, use a 40 amps fuse (instead of 30 amps)- in general, a bigger capacity fuse helps the battery handles strain better.
Otherwise, the norm is 30 amps (your stock brand batteries actually come with a 30-amps fuse built in).
Even for a 6-Volt battery (for power wheels that use 6 volts batteries), a 30-AMP fuse is usually installed.
At the end of the day, the best bet is to go for a replacement fuse whose amperage matches that of the original fuse.
A word on power wheels thermal fuse bypass
While tempting especially when your power wheels fuse keeps popping, you should not bypass the fuse for the simple reason that you’ll be putting the safety of your kids in great danger.
You see, if you are not using an inline fuse and there is a short/overload, the battery can get really hot and everything will start to melt- the worst case scenario is a full-blown (life-threatening!) fire.
Put another way, having your children ride the power wheels without a fuse is asking for serious problems should something go astray after a few minutes!
You don’t want to do that!
Power wheels thermal fuse location
If you are not sure about power wheels fuse location, look at the top of the battery. You will notice it there.
Power wheels fuse keeps blowing – important notes
Never overload the vehicle
If you are constantly overloading the vehicle, do not be surprised to find yourself repeatedly replacing the fuse.
See your owner’s manual for information on maximum weight capacity and guidelines about towing stuff behind the vehicle.
Avoid extreme driving conditions
Also helpful is avoiding strenuous driving conditions like driving up extraordinarily steep hills or even driving into fixed objects.
Why?
Doing that often causes the wheels to abruptly stop spinning while current is still being delivered to the vehicle motors.
This is likely to eventually cause the fuse to blow up.
Wrap up
If you’re finding yourself changing fuses a lot particularly after performing motors/battery mods, it is likely that you got something wrong in the process.
For example, you may have crossed the wires or put a less capacity fuse (you put one whose amperage is less than that of the battery).
We have looked at all other possible causes of the problem so you now have a good idea of where to start your troubleshooting.
Be sure to contact your nearest Authorized Power Wheels Service Center (there is a list in your Owner’s Manual as well) or Power Wheels Consumer Affairs if your car is still new for further assistance.
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