Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

E28 technical advice asked and given! Troubleshooting, modifications and more.
Ordnator
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Ordnator »

Hi Cannabis9478,

My RHD 525e (UK version) does not have a mini fuse box fitted. When I check RealOEM using my VIN it shows item 10 as greyed out.

Maybe check Real OEM using your VIN to see if it is greyed out which would indicate that you also do not have a mini fuse box. If item 10 is not greyed out then it was likely originally fitted to your car.

Best regards,

Mick
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

Cannabis9478 wrote: Jan 10, 2023 9:36 PM Hi, would someone please educate me what's the mini fusebox for? My car wans't quite factory, non cat and RHD and I don't see a mini fuse box next to the factory fuse box. Thanks
Not every car has one. My understanding is they were used to make adding aftermarket stuff possible without hacking into your harness or fuse box. I've only had one car with one that was used and it was for an alarm system.
Cannabis9478
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Cannabis9478 »

Ordnator wrote: Jan 10, 2023 10:48 PM Hi Cannabis9478,

My RHD 525e (UK version) does not have a mini fuse box fitted. When I check RealOEM using my VIN it shows item 10 as greyed out.

Maybe check Real OEM using your VIN to see if it is greyed out which would indicate that you also do not have a mini fuse box. If item 10 is not greyed out then it was likely originally fitted to your car.

Best regards,

Mick
Thanks Mick I have checked my chassis number against realoem and bmwfans and both seem to have the mini fusebox greyed out.
Galahad wrote: Jan 11, 2023 1:26 AM Not every car has one. My understanding is they were used to make adding aftermarket stuff possible without hacking into your harness or fuse box. I've only had one car with one that was used and it was for an alarm system.
Ahh cool thanks for your reply, Galahad. By far this fusebox retrofit kit is still the best mod I have done for my car so far. Thank you again.
beast02er
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by beast02er »

Just installed this kit in my 535is and am glad I finally committed to the process!

I have 2 questions:

1. My idle air valve now sounds like it is on or powered when the key is in the accessory program (can hear it when I put my ear up to it). I am guessing there is a wire in the wrong spot.......I have no idea which one it might be!

2. The LED's which are on when the car is off, key is out.....I assume these won't drain the battery.... Just checking if I should flick the switch to turn the LED's off.

Thanks,

Bryan
'87 535is
Foonfer
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Foonfer »

beast02er wrote: Jan 18, 2023 2:35 PM Just installed this kit in my 535is and am glad I finally committed to the process!

I have 2 questions:

1. My idle air valve now sounds like it is on or powered when the key is in the accessory program (can hear it when I put my ear up to it). I am guessing there is a wire in the wrong spot.......I have no idea which one it might be!

2. The LED's which are on when the car is off, key is out.....I assume these won't drain the battery.... Just checking if I should flick the switch to turn the LED's off.

Thanks,

Bryan
'87 535is
hey Bryan- to your questions,

1) Almost sure the ICV (Idle Control Valve) should be "humming" the moment the key is turned to "acc" (cluster lights test on, last step before turning the engine on)

2) LED's draw current. Very little, but they do. They are there for you to easily check which fuses are active and whether there's any burned ones. I prefer to keep my LEDs off if I'm not using them.
beast02er
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by beast02er »

Fooner - well if that's the case, WIN! Looks like doing this upgrade fixed what I didn't know needed fixing!!

@galahad - I can't thank you enough for putting the time and effort in to develop and sell something like this for the community, especially one of such low numbers compared to the 'popular' BMW's.

-Bryan
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

@beast02er thank you for the kind words! I really enjoy seeing successful installs, funny to think this all started when I was trying to avoid some homework.

The LEDs pull about 15mA each. If you drive the car regularly leaving them on should be fine, most people leave them off.
kodachrome
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by kodachrome »

I followed the video guide, which was really quite good. However I only have 2 LEDs lit when car is off. Video says there should be 3 but no suggestion as to why.. Can we get clarification on what 3 and what they do? I took it apart again and cannot see a problem. I'm running a different engine (M54b30) which might be a factor but without knowing why or what these 3 LEDs represent impossible to say.

I tried to test if anything *isn't* working.. Everything seemed to be OK but I needed to charge my battery as it drained. I locked the car with bonnet hood popped slightly, came back 2hrs later to find my door central locks no longer work (only manual) and radio is dead! I'm hoping it just blew a fuse as the bonnet was open and it did that freaked out open close rapidly thing.

That or something is connected incorrectly. 😭
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

kodachrome wrote: Feb 05, 2023 3:17 AM I followed the video guide, which was really quite good. However I only have 2 LEDs lit when car is off. Video says there should be 3 but no suggestion as to why.. Can we get clarification on what 3 and what they do? I took it apart again and cannot see a problem. I'm running a different engine (M54b30) which might be a factor but without knowing why or what these 3 LEDs represent impossible to say.

I tried to test if anything *isn't* working.. Everything seemed to be OK but I needed to charge my battery as it drained. I locked the car with bonnet hood popped slightly, came back 2hrs later to find my door central locks no longer work (only manual) and radio is dead! I'm hoping it just blew a fuse as the bonnet was open and it did that freaked out open close rapidly thing.

That or something is connected incorrectly. 😭
The always hot fuses should be 4, 5, and 17. How did you wire the swap in, converter harness?
If you're blowing fuse 5 try putting in a bigger fuse, see the bigger discussion about the issue here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=158369
kodachrome
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by kodachrome »

Thanks, found that thread and for now it's all good with a 15amp fuse. I'll put a 10amp later.

On the swap, I had a new harness specifically for the e28 to m54 made by Redline Performance. I don't have fuse 17 lit up... But everything seems fine?

Also in my install there were 5 soldered wires in the fuse box (not 1 or 2 as per guide) seemingly from factory!
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

kodachrome wrote: Feb 07, 2023 2:43 AM Thanks, found that thread and for now it's all good with a 15amp fuse. I'll put a 10amp later.

On the swap, I had a new harness specifically for the e28 to m54 made by Redline Performance. I don't have fuse 17 lit up... But everything seems fine?

Also in my install there were 5 soldered wires in the fuse box (not 1 or 2 as per guide) seemingly from factory!
Fuse 17 is the aux fan fuse, it'll power the high speed if your car is overheated when it's off. [edit: not technically correct, see below]
What year is your car? I still don't know the pattern for which are soldered and which aren't.
Last edited by Galahad on Feb 07, 2023 2:59 PM, edited 1 time in total.
Shawn D.
Beamter
Beamter
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Shawn D. »

Galahad wrote: Feb 07, 2023 11:34 AM Fuse 17 is the aux fan fuse, it'll power the high speed if your car is overheated when it's off.
Is that stock, or a feature of your kit?
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

Shawn D. wrote: Feb 07, 2023 2:11 PM
Galahad wrote: Feb 07, 2023 11:34 AM Fuse 17 is the aux fan fuse, it'll power the high speed if your car is overheated when it's off.
Is that stock, or a feature of your kit?
I double checked the 1986 ETM, I got the details slightly wrong. See pages 0670-5, 0670-7 and 6454-0.
F17 is always hot and powers the high current side of the high and normal speed aux fan relays. You can't trip either relay unless F14 is powered, which is on in run from the unloader relay. So in effect the aux fan will only be on in run.
I don't know why F17 is always hot.
Ju@n
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Ju@n »

Galahad wrote: Feb 07, 2023 2:59 PM
Shawn D. wrote: Feb 07, 2023 2:11 PM
Is that stock, or a feature of your kit?
I double checked the 1986 ETM, I got the details slightly wrong. See pages 0670-5, 0670-7 and 6454-0.
F17 is always hot and powers the high current side of the high and normal speed aux fan relays. You can't trip either relay unless F14 is powered, which is on in run from the unloader relay. So in effect the aux fan will only be on in run.
I don't know why F17 is always hot.
It makes sense it's always hot, if not you would need 2 fuses (one for high and one for low aux fan speeds), which would be after the relays.
kodachrome
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by kodachrome »

Galahad wrote: Feb 07, 2023 11:34 AM
kodachrome wrote: Feb 07, 2023 2:43 AM Thanks, found that thread and for now it's all good with a 15amp fuse. I'll put a 10amp later.

On the swap, I had a new harness specifically for the e28 to m54 made by Redline Performance. I don't have fuse 17 lit up... But everything seems fine?

Also in my install there were 5 soldered wires in the fuse box (not 1 or 2 as per guide) seemingly from factory!
Fuse 17 is the aux fan fuse, it'll power the high speed if your car is overheated when it's off. [edit: not technically correct, see below]
What year is your car? I still don't know the pattern for which are soldered and which aren't.
Its a 1983 and didnt come with AC as standard, not sure if that matters or not. I wasnt aware the E28 had that functionality, though I cant imagine ever needing it as I have a low temp "race" thermostat and the car never reaches even the middle point now (also running an M54 engine). Im planning on removing the Mechanical fan and putting in an aftermarket electrical too, which makes this even more redundant.

No idea if it was working before installing the Blade Fuse kit!?
Ju@n
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Ju@n »

kodachrome wrote: Feb 08, 2023 2:55 AM
Galahad wrote: Feb 07, 2023 11:34 AM

Fuse 17 is the aux fan fuse, it'll power the high speed if your car is overheated when it's off. [edit: not technically correct, see below]
What year is your car? I still don't know the pattern for which are soldered and which aren't.
Its a 1983 and didnt come with AC as standard, not sure if that matters or not. I wasnt aware the E28 had that functionality, though I cant imagine ever needing it as I have a low temp "race" thermostat and the car never reaches even the middle point now (also running an M54 engine). Im planning on removing the Mechanical fan and putting in an aftermarket electrical too, which makes this even more redundant.

No idea if it was working before installing the Blade Fuse kit!?
Actually I used the aux fan the other day, without AC, my fan clutch broke and that saved me from overheating :D
svveetmikko
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by svveetmikko »

Image
Amazing product! Thank you for this. Took me about 3.5 hours because knowing me, I had to be really careful and not forget anything so my approach was to label EVERYTHING 😬 As usual, cleaned as much I can get access to while I take things apart. Things I’ve learned:

The YouTube tutorial helped a lot. The twisting technique showed in using the screw driver is great to remove the metal parts. I did it on both sides of the metal blade and it comes out so much easier rather than pulling with pliers on one side.

Not all the wires in the back are plugged to the outlet coming from the front so make sure you label or take pictures on which one you’re taking it off from. Drawing a diagram was my approach that worked for me.
Image

If interested: IG @svveetlu_e28 for more car project updates.
Last edited by svveetmikko on Mar 14, 2023 11:58 PM, edited 3 times in total.
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

svveetmikko wrote: Mar 14, 2023 11:27 PM Image
Amazing product! Thank you for this. Took me about 3.5 hours because knowing me, I had to be really careful and not forget anything so my approach was to label EVERYTHING 😬 As usual, cleaned as much I can get access to while I take things apart. Things I’ve learned:

The YouTube tutorial helped a lot. The twisting technique showed in using the screw driver is great to remove the metal parts. I did it on both sides of the metal blade and it comes out so much easier rather than pulling with pliers on one side.

Not all the wires in the back are plugged to the outlet coming from the front so make sure you label or take pictures on which one you’re taking it off from. Drawing a diagram was my approach that worked for me.
Image


If interested: IG @svveetlu_e28 for more car project updates.
Thanks for posting, glad it works for you!
Labeling and diagrams is a good idea - not every harness is the same so you don't always know what you're gonna get.
svveetmikko
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by svveetmikko »

I also did have to swap my 7.5 on 8a fuse to 10amp for the locking system per other people’s comments here since mine blew twice as well.
PhilC
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by PhilC »

I have been searching for a way to do something like this to my ‘02. This is a great solution and so I registered just so I could ask the question @Galahad are you/have you/would you consider creating the same for the ‘02? There would be a significant market for sure.
thugginrobby
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by thugginrobby »

I did mine a while ago, it took me about 3.5 hours and was pretty straight forward. I ended up using a different ground for the led light switch since it kept making my fuse pop. Relocated it and no issues. Good upgrade and really happy I did it since my car did have lots of fuse box connector issues.
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

thugginrobby wrote: Mar 26, 2023 1:46 AM I did mine a while ago, it took me about 3.5 hours and was pretty straight forward. I ended up using a different ground for the led light switch since it kept making my fuse pop. Relocated it and no issues. Good upgrade and really happy I did it since my car did have lots of fuse box connector issues.
Can you expand on this a bit? Which fuse was blowing, where is the new ground point? Glad you're happy with it!

PhilC wrote: Mar 25, 2023 11:57 AM I have been searching for a way to do something like this to my ‘02. This is a great solution and so I registered just so I could ask the question @Galahad are you/have you/would you consider creating the same for the ‘02? There would be a significant market for sure.
Yeah 02s are on the list, can you reach out to the support email and send a picture of your fuse box?
PhilC
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by PhilC »

[/quote]
Yeah 02s are on the list, can you reach out to the support email and send a picture of your fuse box?
[/quote]

That’s excellent, I will do.
thugginrobby
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by thugginrobby »

Galahad wrote: Mar 26, 2023 12:50 PM
thugginrobby wrote: Mar 26, 2023 1:46 AM I did mine a while ago, it took me about 3.5 hours and was pretty straight forward. I ended up using a different ground for the led light switch since it kept making my fuse pop. Relocated it and no issues. Good upgrade and really happy I did it since my car did have lots of fuse box connector issues.
Can you expand on this a bit? Which fuse was blowing, where is the new ground point? Glad you're happy with it!
The fuse that is for the Hazard switch, obc, etc. I made a new ground on the bracket that holds the coolant reservoir but I made the ground on the flat surface near the threaded hole.
Galahad
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Re: Holy Grail Labs - Blade Fuse Upgrade Kits

Post by Galahad »

thugginrobby wrote: Mar 27, 2023 6:02 PM
Galahad wrote: Mar 26, 2023 12:50 PM
Can you expand on this a bit? Which fuse was blowing, where is the new ground point? Glad you're happy with it!
The fuse that is for the Hazard switch, obc, etc. I made a new ground on the bracket that holds the coolant reservoir but I made the ground on the flat surface near the threaded hole.
Fuse 5? Central locking blowing 7.5A fuses in F5 is a somewhat common issue
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