electrical smoke

[broncoboy2828]

hey guys, i recently wired up my bronco and everytime i turn the key a 20 amp fuse blows, but everything still runs and works with the exception of my battery draining, i looked into it and found out that my voltage reg. and one of my wires to my altenator was hooked up to a ground post, instead of one of the correct posts. so i fixed that and then correctly grounded my altenator and my voltage reg. and my fuse stoped blowing, i was all happy until i go to start my rig today and my little 10 guage wire from my neg on my battery to my frame is smoking and melting, and my truck wont start. it turns over but it wont start!! ahhh!!! please help me out guys, im very young (15) and dont have a lot of expierence, but i love to learn! thanx

-adam broncoboy2828

 

[swa0330]

If you lived near me, I would show you the way I wired all my stuff. I just finished, and other than the main wiring harness, every wire in my bronco is AT LEAST 4 guage. The return wire from the alternator to the battery (the charging wire) is 2 ot (00). It sounds like you just need more heavy duty stuff. The return wire painless provided was 10 guage, but I just chucked that. When the electricity doesn't have heavy enough guage wire to travel to its destination, it will encounter resistance and generate heat. Sort of like when you're in LA traffic and you car starts to overheat ;D . Get something like a 4 guage or lower wire (1 guage possibly). Make that be the cable that runs from the alternator charging post back to the battery.

 

[dpmerrill]

Does the 10 ga wire only get hot when you turn over the engine?

If so, I would say you have a bad ground from your engine to your battery and the high amps being pulled by the starter are finding their way through the 10 ga wire.

Your negative battery cable should be grounded to your engine block. Double check the connection at the engine for clean threads and a good contact area. Also inspect your negative cable. It may be corroded...

 

[broncoboy2828]

Does the 10 ga wire only get hot when you turn over the engine?

If so, I would say you have a bad ground from your engine to your battery and the high amps being pulled by the starter are finding their way through the 10 ga wire.

Your negative battery cable should be grounded to your engine block. Double check the connection at the engine for clean threads and a good contact area. Also inspect your negative cable. It may be corroded...

i dont think its corrosion on the battery, i just bought a new vortex gel battery, and when i hooked up my neg cable, i ran it to the frame, and then hooked up a wire from the frame to the engine block, i think the engine connection might have paint on the contact area ill double check that, but it might be good for the time being becuz i just went and tried it and my old man said its not smoking anymore (go figure) ha, but for some reason it will not start, it turns over but will not start, i pulled the spark plugs off and cleaned them, i just bought them im baffled!

 

[Jeepster]

Can you get a volt meter?
See what your voltage is at the battery.
leaving one test probe at the +, work your - lead from the battery down stream to the next connection. Should be block....the reading you get should be the same as at the battery. if less could be a bad cable. if same check block next to connection, if less could be bad connection.

 

[RRRAAAYYY2]

Here is step by step instructions for voltage drop testing:

http://www.svapowerproducts.com/html/voltage_drop.html