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From: Into the Mystic And yet, despite the look on my face, you're still talking TN
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '25
What did I just fry?
Good grief. Chasing down my ignition problem which I'm pretty sure is a plug boot arcing to the header. It's melting the boot.
But, I have my timing light hooked to the alternator with alligator clips.
Nothing is running, the key is not even turned on, I'm messing with the plug wire and all of a sudden I hear crackles and smoke's coming from the positive alternator terminal. The clip was trying to weld itself to the terminal.
Now everything's dead as 4 o'clock.
WTH?
Good thing I don't do this for a living
Where should I start looking?
Start at the beginning. That big red wire on the back of the alternator runs from there to the starter with a couple of fusible links in-line. Track it down with your 12v testlight. No real cause for alarm, the links probably did their job.
From: Into the Mystic And yet, despite the look on my face, you're still talking TN
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '25
Originally Posted by DUB
Knowing what year model would be great due to the fusible links changed locations. But I agree that a fusible link more than likely burnt.
DUB
It's a 79. When I couldn't fine my light, I quit. I'll dig out my wiring diagrams and start looking for them. Another thread mentioned just upstream of the starter?
I am NOT saying that you did not fry a fusible link....but what is oftentimes overlooked is this connector that comes up from the starter that GM started using for faster assembly times...because it DOES NOT make the car better. Just one more point of failure
I have seen these get rather 'touchy' and in a situation like what happened to you can cause this connector to have an attitude and sometimes pulling it apart and inspecting/cleaning it and putting it back together helps due to the years of dirt and high amp current load that goes thought this connector.
I am NOT saying that you did not fry a fusible link....but what is oftentimes overlooked is this connector that comes up from the starter that GM started using for faster assembly times...because it DOES NOT make the car better. Just one more point of failure
I have seen these get rather 'touchy' and in a situation like what happened to you can cause this connector to have an attitude and sometimes pulling it apart and inspecting/cleaning it and putting it back together helps due to the years of dirt and high amp current load that goes thought this connector.
DUB
Starter extension Harness. Whatever bonehead engineer dreamed up that should have his/her pencils all broken.
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What did I just fry?
Fusible link at the starter. Still don't know why just having my timing light connected to the alternator terminal would fry it, though.
