Bussman Fuses

"Blueskies" wrote in message
...

"Peter Dohm" wrote in message
...

"kevmor" wrote in message
...
I went to a local auto parts store (Napa) and looked at their fuses.
They're packaged with their logo, but when you look at the fuse itself,
it
has the same "BUSS" lettering, I assume they're Bussmann? Other than
the
"AGC" instead of "AGS", they seem to be identical. It was $1.50 for 5
compared to $30-50 online (with minimum orders for aircraft parts).
Could
it be this easy? I couldn't find on Bussmann's website anywhere that
says
AGC replaces AGS, though.

The real question is not whether the AGC fuse would probably work, but
whether is the authorized replacement; and without the specfications for
the
old AGS fuse, that is difficult to guess.

For whatever reason, Cessna does not put a lot of information on line
for
public use and the Cessna 150-152 club also requires a member log in to
view
their collection of service bulletins. If it was mine, I would
certainly
consider a membership that might give me the same collection of
reference
material as my mechanic should have.

OTOH, in this case, it looks like the easy answer may be to walk up to
the
nearest Cessna parts counter. I have been wrong before, but I think
they
will have an authorized substitute; and if the physical size is the
same, it
will probably be less than $5, since there will then be no need to
replace
the socket. I strongly suspect that the AGS20 was simply a useable part
they had in stock at the time, and that they have long since determined
an
appropriate substitute. Therefore, once you have the authorized sample,
and
any needed documentation--such as a service bulletin number--things
should
be a lot simpler.

BTW, I have lived in Florida for many years and before breaker panels
became
common in houses, we kept our household fuses in a glass jar with an
airtight lid until they were needed--otherwise they corroded just enough
to
fail shortly after they were installed. Therefore, I do not trust old
fuses; and that is a large part of the reason for my insistance that you
should look for the authorized substitute. The remaining reason,
obviously,
is the cost.

I hope this helps
Peter

PS: Yes, BUSS is Bussman.



How can you be sure the fuse removed from the plane was the 'approved'
fuse as installed from the factory? Is listed in
the airplane's parts list?


My presumption is that the OP did comfirm the correct part number in the
POH. Scott Skylane has also stated a dimensional difference between the AGS
and AGC series fuses.

However, I really am glad that you responded to my post, as I was concerned
that I might be mistaken for a Rules Nazi. I am no such thing, even though
I do acknowledge the possibility that the entire flag actuating circuit
could receive a lot of scrutiny in the event that an incident resulted from
a failure of the flaps to retract on a missed approach.

My real point is that a lot of Cessna 150s, originally equipped with AGS
fuses, have presumably been been flying for a lot of years since the AGS
fuses were dropped from the Bussman catalog. Therefore, this problem has
been solved before and there should be no need to "reinvent the wheel" or to
buy a 30 year old fuse for the price of 100 new ones. My two best guesses
are that either (1) there is a service letter or bulletin and/or a kit or
(2) Cessna has ordered and stocked batches of the original fuses--you can
get things like that done if you are willing to order a reasonable number
and pay a set up fee.

In any case, the Cessna dealer's parts department will have the answer
available; and so will any good A&E-IA, including the one who signed off
your last annual.

BTW, it is not at all uncommon for an OEM to be the most economical source
of generic service parts. When I was an avionics technician, we saw that
happen about once a week (especially with semiconductors) and I have seen it
many times since then with automobile parts.

Peter