58mark

iTrader: (3)

Changed my starter this weekend because of a heat soak issue, put on one of those heat wraps that is supposed to protect the starter from being overheated by the Manifolds and exhaust pipe.

Here's the wrap..

I WAS warned that these things are conductive, and I thought I had it so it wasn't touching any wires... I guess I was wrong. The first time I drove the car with it in place, I got two blocks from the house and BOOM, everything shut down. I opened the hood, and my postive cable was melted away and smoking. I disconnected the battery and pushed the car back to the house

So obviously I have to replace the cable, not a big deal, except it looks like I have to cut the smaller branch and splice in a replacement line. not sure about the fusable link in the replacement, I don't see anything like that in mine, but it may be where I can't see it. This is the replacement I'm looking for.

Here's my question. How can I tell if the link in the smaller wire was broken? Is there a way to test that before I try to dig to find if the wire I have now even has a link in it?

If the car was shorting out bad enough to melt the wire, what else could I have messed up? Nothing else was smoking as far as I could tell, just the one cable. Alternator? Starter? Battery? every freaking wire in the car?

Thanks for your help, I'm going to buy or at least order the replacement cable tomorrow, but in the meantime I'd like to know what else I'm looking at to get it back on the road.

It's a 89 2.8 BTW

58mark

iTrader: (3)

bump for input

Can anybody tell me if the factory cable has an inline fuse built into the smaller leg that goes back toward the radiator? The one NAPA sells shows the fuse, but the Delco one does not.

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

IIRC the factory one had a weather pack connecter with the fuse on the body harness.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

Thanks. Now I need to figure out if it busted that fuse. that part of the wire is not melted like the larger part that goes to the starter.

Does the smaller wire go to the alternator? Can I check it from the post side to the alternator for continuity?

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

The small lead branches off one side to the cooling fan relay. The other to oil pressure sending unit.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

OK, I just went out, disconnected the lead from the alternator and chbeck continuity from the smaller lead of the positive cable to the alternator. It checked out ok, so I'm assuming that if there was a fuse (which I cant see anyway) that it did not bust

I'm going to replace the cable, remove the heat shield, and keep my fingers crossed that I didn't burn up anything else

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

The alternator goes to the starter lug

58mark

iTrader: (3)

Odd, on my car, the smaller cable goes into a junction block, and one lead looks like it goes to the alternator, and then there's some red wires that go off somewhere like you describe

I'll go snap a picture..

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

The picture I put up maybe from a v8 Idk. If you look at the schematic picture I posted the small lead goes to the junction block, one to the alt, one to the cooling fan relay and one to the ops. The v8 uses the starter as a junction. If you have power at the alternator stud the wire is fine.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

Oh I See it now.

There is no fuse going to the alternator, but there are fuses to protect the other parts, like the ECM.

Do the fuse housings come apart? or do I need to replace the whole section if they are bad?

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

The fusible link looks like a plastic capsule. It does not come part. The rule of thumb if the fusible link is blown replace it with a fusible link wire 4 gauges smaller than the wire it is protecting.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/rep...00c152801dbbf7

58mark

iTrader: (3)

Thanks. I just tested the 20A fuse, and it's still intact. that's a good sign.

I'm going to see if NAPA has the cable, and if not, I'll order it from amazon.

I don't see the smaller fusible links, but at least the car will run without them, and I'll figure out the rest after I get it running without the short

58mark

iTrader: (3)

Guess who just started his Camaro? that's right, THIS GUY. turns out the reason I melted the battery cable was not because of the heat shield, it was that when I put the starter back on, the battery cable rotated as I was tightening the post just enough that it was touching the exhaust pipe (which is VERY close to the starter, hence the need for the shield) When the car heated up, the insulation burned away, and the wire shorted out against the pipe. Replaced the cable, and I'm good again, everything works!

Tuned Performance

iTrader: (92)

Yeh, That might do it sparky

58mark

iTrader: (3)

feel like an idiot. I spent so much time worried about not letting the heat shield touch anything bad, I forgot to look at what the rest of the cable was touching. Lesson learned

$8 mistake

Jonesyfxr

iTrader: (2)

Try this......

http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/fusible-link.shtml