Big Jon Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 Hey guys. I have an early (9/73) 260, and Im in the process of gutting/sorting through what im keeping and getting rid of. I took out my center console and unplugged all of the corresponding wires regarding the hazards, radio, etc. Basically anything that was mounted in the console. I had removed my battery a couple weeks ago, and just recently put it on the charger to see if it would hold charge. The battery charged right up overnight to 100% and so i figured i would put it in and see if i could crank up my engine. As i was hooking up the negative terminal, i got the usual small spark on contact and then proceeded to tighten up the connector. After about 5 seconds, though, i saw smoke starting to come out of the plastic cap on the fusible link. I quickly took the negative back off the battery and took off the plastic cover to find that the black wire had started to melt through the rubber. Anyways... I havent tried to reconnect anything yet, mainly because i have to get a new wire, but im concerned with what might have changed in my electrical system. I bought the car from a friend, and it had been in running condition before with no electrical problems. The only reason why its not running now, prior to this current dilemma, was a clogged supplemental fuel pump, which ive removed and am running new lines. I am VERY new to electrical work, and would like some advice on what may have caused this wire to melt. Bad ground? Blown fuse? Im green, so you can be brutal. Im no dummy, but quite ignorant, i guess, when it comes to a car's electrical system. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LIVauto Posted April 8, 2010 Share Posted April 8, 2010 (edited) I had the same experience with the fusible link they weaken with age. Replace them with same rating fuse and fuse holder which can be bought from audio shops. Edited April 8, 2010 by LIVauto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jon Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 I had the same experience with the fusible link they weaken with age. Replace them with same rating fuse and fuse holder which can be bought from audio shops. Oh cool, man, thanks! I was worried that something under the dash got tweaked around, but I was careful not to yank on anything in case of a short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galloguy05 Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 I doubt that disconnecting those wires did anything to harm the electrical system. But it does seem odd that the wires fried once you connected the battery. I agree with doing the fusible link upgrade and i can vouch for it solving some issues with the charging and electrical system, but i would not assume that this mod would fix the entire electrical problems of the car. Doing the upgrade is a good step in the right direction though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jon Posted April 9, 2010 Author Share Posted April 9, 2010 I doubt that disconnecting those wires did anything to harm the electrical system. But it does seem odd that the wires fried once you connected the battery. Ok guys, I am an idiot! I found out why I got smoke, and you'll laugh. I had the battery out of the car, and I had the key in the ignition turned to the "start" position, because i had moved it around a little and needed to steer. I completely forgot that it was keyed on and something probably overloaded when I was connecting the battery. The weird thing is, i didnt get any noise from the starter, but it was in the "start" position. Anyways, any more help might still be needed. Thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftover z Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Sometimes you get lucky chasing down them electrical gremlins. Good for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Ok guys, I am an idiot! I found out why I got smoke, and you'll laugh. I had the battery out of the car, and I had the key in the ignition turned to the "start" position, because i had moved it around a little and needed to steer. I completely forgot that it was keyed on and something probably overloaded when I was connecting the battery. The weird thing is, i didnt get any noise from the starter, but it was in the "start" position. Anyways, any more help might still be needed. Thanks guys I don't think the key should stay in the Start position. It's spring loaded, so that's not right. If the key was on Start, even though it shouldn't be, and your starter didn't turn, that's not right either. Plus smoke from wiring is never good, it means you burned some insulation. Replacing burned wires is never fun, because the shorted wire, no matter what it runs, will usually take out several others, and melt the rest together. You're asking for more future smoke, and serious aggravation, if you don't dig a little deeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naviathan Posted April 9, 2010 Share Posted April 9, 2010 Are you sure you didn't reverse the terminals? My father did that to a Z once, but he didn't reverse the terminals, he reversed the charger leads and reverse charged the battery. I never thought that was possible, but I guess if the battery is completely dead it can be done. The guy at Advance didn't believe me either until he put the battery on the test bench and it said the cables were reversed. Switched them around and it passed the test. Might want to check you battery and make sure positive is actually positive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jon Posted April 10, 2010 Author Share Posted April 10, 2010 Are you sure you didn't reverse the terminals? My father did that to a Z once, but he didn't reverse the terminals, he reversed the charger leads and reverse charged the battery. I never thought that was possible, but I guess if the battery is completely dead it can be done. The guy at Advance didn't believe me either until he put the battery on the test bench and it said the cables were reversed. Switched them around and it passed the test. Might want to check you battery and make sure positive is actually positive. I;m pretty sure i put the battery back the way it was, but it wasnt the first brain fart i had that day, so its possible i put the battery in backwards without bothering to check the terminals. It really was one of those days! And i stand corrected, the key was in the "on" position, not "start" like i had said before. I checked my ignition and the spring loaded feature functions properly, so it couldnt have been as i stated before. Looks like i got you guys to keep my head on straight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharaohabq Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 If your Key was in the off position, you should not have had any Spark on connecting the battery terminals. A spark like that would mean your battery is being drained while the key is off, and would not be good, though something so small as the dome light or other power drain can cause a spark when connecting the cables. If you're sure everything is off, you shouldn't get a spark. This can be a good troubleshooting method, but is best done with a switch and a lightbulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.