All of the electrical circuits of the vehicle are protected by combination fuses, circuit breakers and fusible links; two of the fuse blocks are located under the
Instrument Panel on the left side of the dash and in the engine compartment. Each fuse is provided to protect a specific circuit and can be located on the fuse panel. Easy fingertip removal and replacement of miniature fuses with blade terminal design is facilitated by miniature size and a blown fuse is readily apparent visually by looking at the fuse body through a clear plastic element. Fuses of the wrong rating may be physically interchangeable, but only fused that are rated properly should be used, so that adequate protection is given to every electrical circuit and the fuse body bears the amperage value molded into it. A replacement fuse is not repaired if it fails while the power is on, since that indicates a short circuit resulting from a broken or deteriorated wire; replacement of the fuse will not cure the problem. They also include main fuses, or fusible links, that protect all circuits from the battery, blowing the main fuse to protect the main wiring harness from damage should they overload. These main fuses of metal strips in 1986 and 1987 Integra models visibly melt when overloaded but must first be disconnected from the battery before replacement at a dealer with a new fuse. Other models use the main fuses in the engine compartment fuse block which are replaced in the same manner as standard fuses.