ELECTRICAL HELP NEEDED!!!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,818
Likes: 11
ELECTRICAL HELP NEEDED!!!
I need help, seriously, I do. My car has not been run in about three months. Battery was dead. Tried to jump...nothing. Took it to NAPA, only getting about 300 cranking so I bought a new one. Got home, stuck it in. Put on the positive cable, went to hook up the negative and sparks went flying. Pulled it off and opened the hood. Smell of burnt rubber and smoke coming from pass. rear of the engine right below the plug wire. Looked around, couldn't see where it was coming from. Hooked up the neg and the pos on the battery and tried to turn it over. Nothing.
What boneheaded thing did I do wrong and what do I need to do to fix it?
P.S. Hate to come on here for simple stuff but I am in the middle of a master's program and have three very active kids so I am very limited on the time I can jack it up and go poking around. Thanks in advance.
What boneheaded thing did I do wrong and what do I need to do to fix it?
P.S. Hate to come on here for simple stuff but I am in the middle of a master's program and have three very active kids so I am very limited on the time I can jack it up and go poking around. Thanks in advance.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 709
Likes: 10
From: Carlsbad CA
Re: ELECTRICAL HELP NEEDED!!! (steelcities)
the positive cable goes to your starter which is where you described the source of the smoke. check your starter and the connections. Be sure you connected the Positive cable to the Positive post of the battery.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 10,860
Likes: 709
From: Beverly Hills/Pine Ridge Florida
Re: ELECTRICAL HELP NEEDED!!! (hdpete98)
The + cable, as well as the starter wiring harness AND all the fusible links are in the passengers rear area. Probably have one of the "hot" wires or the cable itself touching ground. You could have also fried the fusible links in the starter harness. If that's the case, you'll need to replace them. Hope this helps. Chuck
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Re: ELECTRICAL HELP NEEDED!!! (steelcities)
the smell of burnt rubber...that is rubber specifically....is from the fuseible link in the wiring harness....it's rubber covered sometimes....
now if it's burning plastic, it's probably the wiring itself...you need to probably drop the starter motor, and find the short in the wiring...probably due to old age and lack of insulation....maybe the starter/bendix solenoid is at fault....
GENE
now if it's burning plastic, it's probably the wiring itself...you need to probably drop the starter motor, and find the short in the wiring...probably due to old age and lack of insulation....maybe the starter/bendix solenoid is at fault....
GENE
