Very Hot Battery Cable

[Mark Hedberg]

Went to start my '64 this afternoon and it turned over a couple of time and went dead (I knew fixing the clock was a bad idea.. ). Went to pull off the positive batery cable so I could charge the battery. I loosened the nut, grabbed the positive cable and was rewarded with a nice burn on my hand. I could not believe how hot the terminal and cable was. She sparked like crazy when I took the cable off.

I've never experienced this before. Any thoughts?

Mark Hedberg

[John W.]

Re: Very Hot Battery Cable

The key here is that it sparked like crazy when you took it off. You have a very big current draw. You are drawing down the battery fast enough to generate heat in the very big battery cable. This is not good.

You need some electrical experience, and some electrical tools to safetly troubleshoot this problem.

It sounds like your starter is somehow drawing current through your solenoid.

If you have an Volt/Ohm meter check for ohms from your disconnected positive cable to your negative cable. If you have the key off, and everything else off, lights, dome lights etc, you should read very high ohms or infinity. If not disconnect that clock. Check again. If not high or infinite disconnect everything at your starter hot terminal. Be sure and check the teminal on the starter solenoid that you just took the wires off of. See which leg is showing low ohms to the negative. That is the leg with the short on it.

Good luck. If I can be of more help let me know.

[John W.]

Re: Very Hot Battery Cable

The key here is that it sparked like crazy when you took it off. You have a very big current draw. You are drawing down the battery fast enough to generate heat in the very big battery cable. This is not good.

You need some electrical experience, and some electrical tools to safetly troubleshoot this problem.

It sounds like your starter is somehow drawing current through your solenoid.

If you have an Volt/Ohm meter check for ohms from your disconnected positive cable to your negative cable. If you have the key off, and everything else off, lights, dome lights etc, you should read very high ohms or infinity. If not disconnect that clock. Check again. If not high or infinite disconnect everything at your starter hot terminal. Be sure and check the teminal on the starter solenoid that you just took the wires off of. See which leg is showing low ohms to the negative. That is the leg with the short on it.

Good luck. If I can be of more help let me know.

[Bill Clupper]

Re: Very Hot Battery Cable

Another thing that would contribute to this problem is a high resistance (poor connection) between the cable end and the battery post, or the cable end and the cable itself. Often this problem is the king that will develop if a car sits for a long time.

[Bill Clupper]

Re: Very Hot Battery Cable

Another thing that would contribute to this problem is a high resistance (poor connection) between the cable end and the battery post, or the cable end and the cable itself. Often this problem is the king that will develop if a car sits for a long time.

[Gary Schisler]

Re: Very Hot Battery Cable

The other suggestions sound very good! However, your comment about the clock sparked (pun intended) my curiosity. Did you take the clock apart to fix it? While trying to fix my 66 clock, I accidently managed to get the "L" shaped connector clips on the back close enough that they touched when I connected the electric clip. As I remember, one of the male connectors is fixed, the other is movable for adjustment. How about disconnecting your clock from behind and see what kind of a draw you get at your battery! Take a look at the two male connectors and see that they are not touching.

[Gary Schisler]

Re: Very Hot Battery Cable

The other suggestions sound very good! However, your comment about the clock sparked (pun intended) my curiosity. Did you take the clock apart to fix it? While trying to fix my 66 clock, I accidently managed to get the "L" shaped connector clips on the back close enough that they touched when I connected the electric clip. As I remember, one of the male connectors is fixed, the other is movable for adjustment. How about disconnecting your clock from behind and see what kind of a draw you get at your battery! Take a look at the two male connectors and see that they are not touching.

[Jack H.]

There's a 'key' here....

Interesting item(s) you mention point to diagnostic direction(s).

(1) Battery cable was HOT.

(2) I presume you disconnected it AFTER shutting down the

ignition switch....

(3) Obviously there's a branch circuit that's pulling excessive

current to cause slow crank and overheat of main B+ path

from battery.

(4) You did NOT mention the fuse/fuses that went 'bye bye' nor

did you mention the functional item(s) that no longer worked

on your car....

(5) Taken together, this EE believes the 'likely suspects' to

round up live on UNFUSED branches of your car's electrical

circuitry. This includes clock, ciagarette lighter, starter

solenoid secondary, Etc.....

[Jack H.]

There's a 'key' here....

Interesting item(s) you mention point to diagnostic direction(s).

(1) Battery cable was HOT.

(2) I presume you disconnected it AFTER shutting down the

ignition switch....

(3) Obviously there's a branch circuit that's pulling excessive

current to cause slow crank and overheat of main B+ path

from battery.

(4) You did NOT mention the fuse/fuses that went 'bye bye' nor

did you mention the functional item(s) that no longer worked

on your car....

(5) Taken together, this EE believes the 'likely suspects' to

round up live on UNFUSED branches of your car's electrical

circuitry. This includes clock, ciagarette lighter, starter

solenoid secondary, Etc.....

[Wayne M.]

Re: There's a 'key' here....

Jack -- to save Mark from checking his clock for the heavy battery drain, this component is fused along with the brake, licence, courtesy/dome lights --it's the lowest fuse in the panel. Found this out on my way to Carlisle one summer; a motorist pulls up to me at a stop to say my brake lights weren't working -- turns out I had a poor contact at the fuse, and fiddling with it only offered temporary relief. For the rest of the trip I used the clock as proxy for the brake lights; if it stopped, I pulled over and tweaked the fuse again.

[Wayne M.]

Re: There's a 'key' here....

Jack -- to save Mark from checking his clock for the heavy battery drain, this component is fused along with the brake, licence, courtesy/dome lights --it's the lowest fuse in the panel. Found this out on my way to Carlisle one summer; a motorist pulls up to me at a stop to say my brake lights weren't working -- turns out I had a poor contact at the fuse, and fiddling with it only offered temporary relief. For the rest of the trip I used the clock as proxy for the brake lights; if it stopped, I pulled over and tweaked the fuse again.

[Jack H.]

Thanks!

Thanks for the correction. Guess I've learned that on older cars with n-tuple prior owners, leave nothing to chance w.r.t. originality and presume ALL electrical branches that 'supposed' to be fused and bypass the ignition switch should be treated as 'suspects'.....

[Jack H.]

Thanks!

Thanks for the correction. Guess I've learned that on older cars with n-tuple prior owners, leave nothing to chance w.r.t. originality and presume ALL electrical branches that 'supposed' to be fused and bypass the ignition switch should be treated as 'suspects'.....