i think its #6 on the block. my 16 amp fuse runs so hot that the red plastic on one side melted but the fuse center did not separate. anyone know why the 2 metal tabs that hold this fuse in the block are getting so hot?

 

That fuse does get hot, but should not have melted, as it is ceramic. Are you saying the fuse melted, or something else? Can you take a picture. Is the fuel pump buzzing? It might be under more load than normal, possibly from some problems with the in-tank pump.

 

yes pump is buzzing but in tank pump is new. ceramic? ok looks like red plastic for 16 amp fuse and pretty sure yes melted a bit on the left side.

 

On any 240 with those awful 'euro' fuses, if you have any silver/grey/tin/aluminum fuses, toss them out, and replace them ALL with new brass/copper ones. make sure you clean the contacts on the fuse block with a bit of emery cloth.

Thankfully, the 740/940 use modern ATC blade fuses.

 

And yet the fuse block still melts...particularly when the blower begins failing.

To the o.p. One thing only causes excessive heat...too much current draw. Either an electric component is failing/binding or you have one or more poor connections along the way that are causing excessive draw. Since you've replaced the intank pump (not that that makes it necessarily good these days) check to see how many amps the inline pump is pulling. Look for loose and or corroded connections. One thing to remember is a fused 15 amp circuit is not designed to pull, say, 14.5 amps all day. There is a bit of wiggle room designed in for spikes when starting but generally should only have 10-12 amps max most of the time. I've had issues on my V8 w/ dual electric cooling fans and a small oil cooler fan. Total amp draw was 14 amps on a 20 amp circuit. Worked great for 2 years. Wiring between the relay and fuse started melting to point of failure and yet the fuse never blew. The fans had accumulated a small amount of grime internally which raised the amp draw to 17 amps. I sprayed the motors clean w/ brake clean and also separated the 2 cooling fans onto separate circuits for safety. Problem solved. In your case, I don't think there's a need for separate circuits...if the pumps check fine than check your fuel pump relay. It should be warm after running a bit but not uncomfortably so. If it's ok, then it's a snipe hunting examining the wiring. Your car has biodegradable wiring insulation so check under hood first. The gray multi-pin firewall connectors are always a chief suspect.

 

In addition to the other suggestions, I'm assuming you replaced the filter sock on the in-tank pump as well, that can cause strain.
Also, when was the fuel filter changed? That can strain the pump.