Negative Battery Cable

T

txmike

Senior Member
I have a 1929 Ford Coupe. Went out this morning top test my restored pop out ignition. Started fine.... let it idle for about 5 mins then took her out of the driveway and it died. Would not start back up.....

Let it sit for awhile and went and put the battery charger on it.
When i removed the access panel to the battery the negative cable has separated from where it clamps on to the battery. Look like it melted?

Fuse did not blow....

What gives... I now know what it will not start

thanks
 
Is your car still positive ground? Maybe your negative cable was rubbing against something and caused a direct short. It would get hot in a hurry.
 
Yes the terminal on the wire can rub up against the hold down if you are not careful when installing it or using the wrong parts. It can also move and short out if not tight enough.
 
High resistance due to a loose connection can cause a load just like an electric heater coil. There would only be current flow if there is a pathway for it to go. I'd certainly check the power cable to the starter for a short. It would take a lot of current load to generate that much heat.

It had to have died on you for a reason. The open circuit is likely. I assume it wouldn't turn over or there would have been no reason to hook up the battery charger. I wonder what the amp meter was reading while it was idling for the 5 minutes? If the starter cranked after it died, how long did you crank the starter to try for restart or was the starter non-functional after it died?
 
I agree with either a loose connection or the terminal contacting the metal hold down bracket. I slid a piece of thin plastic tube over the cable and tape it in place.

The tube is just big enough to slide over the cable terminal [ keeps it off [away] the bracket and extend forward past the brake pedal. That would be , what, about 8" or so.
 
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I seem to remember there was a cable routing change in the service bulletins for rerouting the cable from the battery to the Starter due to wearing of the cable insulation on something. Sorry do not remember all the details.
 
They changed the routing because it was discovered that the pedals would wear on the cable eventually getting to the wire and shorting it out.
 
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