While working on an unrelated project, I took the cover off my fuses and discovered that the cover was warped and the fuse for the fog lights is melted.
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Click to view attachment

I'm running Pilot lights from Camp914 in place of the stock fog lights, and I normally have them on whenever the car is running. The fuse has never blown, so it seems that the circuit is not overloading, but it seems strange that there would be so much heat generated if the circuit isn't overloaded.

I'm wondering if a larger fuse would generate less heat (although that seems unlikely), or if this means I have to re-examine the wiring and change the gauge of the wiring.

Any ideas?

This is not an overload condition. It appears to me that the blade on the fuse got hot...check the fuse block terminals.

cm

Look at the wiring for blisters in the insulation, trouble is it will occur at the weakest link in the
circuit. . the wiring gage is designed so the fuse is the weakest link in the circuit, assuming a good ground is present at the lights. . how many watts are the lights combined?? I believe they are 55w each so that is not too much= 110 watts is about 10 amps at 12 volts
If it was me, I'd put in a new fuse, turn on the lights and feel the fuse. . . what this looks like is a hi current draw for extended periods, maybe a bad fuse connection in the fuse block or poor ground on one or both of the lights. .

Thanks for the tips. I'm always unsure about automotive electrical stuff so this really helps me have an idea of what to look for.

Let us know what you find out after checking your ground wires and trying a new fuse. I have these same driving light I'll be installing soon. I also have the same bladed fusebox to install. I hope it's something simple in your case.

I agree with the idea that the fuse had a bad connection : blade to fuse block on the upper contact. 12 volts with 15 amp fuse = 180 watts. Don't think the pilot lights draw that much.
By the way, ATC type fuses will hold 125% of the rated capacity indefinitely, so a 15 amp will allow 18.75 amps continuously. I set up an experiment with a 30 amp ATC fuse and ran it at 38 amps for 15 minutes and the fuse did not blow or overheat. At about 39 amps, poof, it blew.
Tom

I have a friend with a 914-6 that doesn't have fog/driving lights. We're looking at installing a set soon and the pilot lights look pretty awesome.

Could you please post a picture of the front of your car showing how they look installed? Do they fit the same as the stock units?

Thanks!
-Dan

Dan, they're slightly smaller than the stock Hellas, so don't quite fill the hole. But if you play with the mounting to get them centered in the grille hole they look good, in my opinion.

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Is the wiring harness completely stock or has it been been modified/rewired at some point?

I'm no expert on this, so may be way off base, but as the fog light fuse deals with a couple of components is it possible the hot wire is wired into the wrong side of the fuse box, so the current is bypassing the fuse altogether, but still going through the terminal, which is causing it to overheat and melt?

Like I said, that could be completely wrong, maybe someone who knows more than me can chime in.

According to my factory wiring diagram, fogs are on fuse 10 and power nothing other that the fogs/aux lights.
You should have one red/blk wire on the out side of fuse 10. . . that goes to the fog relay and passes on to the lights. The dash switch operates the relay and is not in the fused circuit. . Seems unlikely, but the relay might have some resistance in the contacts but highly unlikely to me. . .