So I put my 350 rebuild on the back burner and decided to go forward with a head gasket replacement on the 307 in the car. While fixing the exhaust manifold leaks, the pos cable slipped under the manifold. Should have routed it properly in the first place. Lesson learned.

So the cable melted and shorted on the manifold. I have replaced the cable but am having electrical issues. Mainly a huge draw when the car is put in gear. The battery is at 12.4 on the multimeter when off and just under 12 when running. No reading when in gear. I plan on taking the alternator to the auto parts store for testing tomorrow.

My question is what else should I possible be looking at? What else could I have fried?

 

Ground between battery and chassis (or engine and body).

- Eric

 

You could have possibly damaged the battery and/or the alternator and regulator.

 

So I replaced the battery cables and the alternator (tested bad at the auto parts store). Even with new alternator, I was seeing lowered voltage when the car was running so I drove it up to the parts store. The battery tested bad in the car with the cables hooked up but good on the bench disconnected from the car. The sales rep suggested gauge 2 cables instead of the gauge 4 I was using. I wasn't convinced.

I decided to take the car to work the next day to give it a decent test drive. About 1 mile from my home, all the electrical cut out and smoke billowed from under the hood as I pulled to the side of the road. When I popped the hood, I could see that both the pos and neg battery cable were completely burnt up and smoking. No flames but ... lucky I guess. In the process of melting up, other wires were damaged along with the hood release cable (was barely able to pop the hood when I pulled over).

The tow guy told me he was a mechanic in the 70s and that the cable to the starter had a connection with a right angle on it to ensure the cable traveled right across the starter and avoided contact with the exhaust manifold and the cable I was using didn't, causing it to bend out a bit and that could be the source of my problem.

I'm a bit in the dark as to what exactly happened. I was a bit too frustrated (and busy) to deal with it the past couple days. Tomorrow morning I will get underneath and take a look. I think the cables are too burnt up to really know where the source of the short was. Right now, I feel like I should rewire all the electrical in the engine bay. I don't know just what that would entail but I need this car to be safe and reliable.

Any thoughts?

 

Yes.

1. If you installed a Positive starter cable that did not have the 90° bend like the factory cable, it touched the manifold and shorted out.

2. If that happened, it would melt the insulation off of the Positive starter cable, and possibly also the Negative battery cable that goes to the block (if that cable was also only a 4ga cable).
It would NOT melt ANY other wires.

3. If other wires are melted, ESPECIALLY the hood release, see my earlier post: You're missing a ground connection.

- Eric

 

1. So where would I purchase a Pos starter cable with a 90°?

3. It appears that any other wires melted due to contact with the Pos cable as it melted. Having said that, I have no experience with battery to chassis ground. Where is that on the chassis?

Also, if I wish to rewire the engine bay, maybe I should have someone else do it? I have no good working knowledge or experience in electrical. I wouldn't even know where to start.