Fuse Pulling’s a Pain

I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but it’s turning out to be just a big pain in the butt.  Let me explain;

We’re towing our Saturn Vue behind the motor home with all four wheels down.  With the Saturn, the owner’s manual tells us that in order to protect the transmission from damage, the operator needs to run the engine and put the tranny through each gear (Park down to low, back up to neutral) no longer than every seven hours.  This keeps the transmission lubricated.  Even if we drive for only five hours and say, stop for two hours, we still need to put the transmission through it’s paces before we move on down the road.  The Saturn engineers have tested and proven that in seven hours time (moving or still) the transmission fluid drains down into the case.

In addition, because we need to leave the ignition in “ACC” and in order to keep the battery from going dead, there’s a 30 amp fuse that needs to be pulled when towing.  Of course, this fuse needs to be back in place to start the engine every 7 hours to lube the gearcase.  This fuse is the big green one at the bottom of the picture.  This fuse box is located in the engine compartment.

So, every seven hours or so, we pull off (or earlier if it’s time for fuel or lunch), open the hood, put the fuse back in, start the engine, run the tranny through the gears, back in neutral, turn the ignition key to “ACC” (so the steering wheel is unlocked), go back out and pull the fuse, shut the hood, jump back in the coach and off we go.

Now, although this only takes a minute or two … the worst part is pulling the fuse.  These are pinched in very tightly and it takes some effort to wiggle them out.  Do this 2-3 times daily over the course of a week or so, and I’ve found my thumb and forefinger are pretty torn up.

So it’s time to break down and make or buy a wire harness with a fuse and switch to eliminate the hassle involved of pulling the fuse.