Auxiliary fuse box on driver's side 1970 280SL

[CromeYellow]

I was going to just respond here
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=17189.msg118713
but that topic seems closed.

On my car this auxiliary fuse box which is on the driver's side next to the main fuse box has the radio, hazard lights, glovebox light and all four of the side marker lights running through it.




the fuse had burned out because during the restoration one of the side marker lights was shorting which made all of those - radio, hazard lights, glovebox light and all four of the side marker lights - stop working.   Once the short was corrected and new fuse installed everything worked again.

This is a left hand drive US (California) car.

[lpeterssen]

Dear Friend

That is not correct, that auxiliary fuse box is intended ONLY for the side markers on an US spec car.  Those are the white/green leads.  Front and rear side markers are fused in that same position.

The radio if installed is fed through red/green switched T15 lead which can be found generally on the right fender main wiring harness loom taped.  Think it is always close to the CSV terminal.  Another possibility is close to the wiper motor, branch.  So the radio should be fed through an auxiliary fuse box installed there. This comment is valid for 230SL and 250SL

I remember you mention somewhere in your post you have a late production 280SL.  Well in that particular car, the cables arrangement for the radio may be completely different as your car came equipped with the latest 8 pin ignition tumbler switch which uses a round plug connector to drive signals to main harness. 

That 8 pin round connector has a direct RADIO output terminal, so it may be possible to take power for the radio directly from there and have the fuse box behind the radio itself. 

Nevertheless on the latest 280SL harness refurbished by me I have not found a red/green cable for radio connection anywhere in the engine bay part of the main harness as is normal on 230/250SL.

Hazard lights relay should be run from internal main fuse box, circuit no. 1 for the T30 lead and circuit no.5 for the T15 lead.

Globe box light circuit also belongs to main fuse box, circuit no.1

Hope this info helped you somehow in what to do with your electric system.

Best regards
L.Peterssen

[CromeYellow]

Yes I did read about auxiliary fuse box on passenger side in some 280SLs, but there is none in my car.  This driver's side fuse box has been there since day one (one owner as in one family car) so I don't know much more about it than that.  From what I understand the radios were installed by the dealer?

The radio was installed through that, but the glove box light and the hazard flashers not working if that fuse blows would have nothing to do with any radio install I'd think.
Also in that thread I quoted
https://www.sl113.org/forums/index.php?topic=17189.msg118713
one Pagoda owner had his radio running through that same auxiliary fuse box too.  Or maybe he thought he did.

Anyway everything works.  The reason that fuse blew was that after the restore one of the marker lights (front driver's side) was grounding and shorting out.  Otherwise, we would not have even known that the markers glove box hazards and radio were somehow connected.  It could just be that that auxiliary fuse is an additional fuse that is somehow along the power line that feeds part of the main fusebox or that one or more lines from the main fusebox additionally travel through this fuse.

[Leester]

If your car has the rear window defrost it would also run through that same aux fuse box. You didn't mention it so maybe yours is an earlier 280sL before the rear window defrost was added.

[Pinder]

I have this in my 1970 US spec car and i can confirm that it had one fuse in it and it does protect the side marker lights. (I know this as I blew the fuse out while installing a new set of lights).  On the passenger side there is another fuse box but I think that protects my radio. 

The fuse box you show should have a cover on it.

Regards

Pinder

[MikeSimon]

My 11/1970 built German spec 280SL has this fuse box. It has one fuse in it. The car has the heated rear window.

[CromeYellow]

I looked at a pic of the car before restoration, and there was no auxiliary fuse box cover then either so must've gotten lost over the years.  Where may I get one, assuming it will even fit over the end with those wires attached on each end?

Mine is a 1970 but as far as I know does not have the rear window defogger.  I don't see any button or knob for it anyway.

[Rahul]

The rear glass heater knob should be incorporated into the centre console tray, below the ashtray.

Photo from another thread attached here

[BobH]

I looked at a pic of the car before restoration, and there was no auxiliary fuse box cover then either so must've gotten lost over the years.  Where may I get one, assuming it will even fit over the end with those wires attached on each end?

There are a few complete boxes listed on Ebay and from the usual suppliers, and one listing for a lid only, i'm not sure if they are all the same size?  You may want to post it in the "wanted to buy" section, someone on here may have a spare lid

[MikeSimon]

If the car ever had a "rear window defroster", there should be a plug under a piece of cover on the pillar behind the driver door where the wire from the hardtop connects to.

[ejboyd5]

Original fuses can be repaired.