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electrical short

G Guest
Hi Guys,
I've got a problem. Not having driven #1799 for about 2 months, when I went to start it all I got was starter chatter. After checking the battery connections, (clean and tight) I decided to jump start it with my battery charger. It has a 70 amp quick start setting. I turned the key and immediatly noticed a load problem. I disconnected the charger. I removed the positive cable and reconnected the charger and let it trickle charge for the rest of the afternoon. I checked the battery with a volt meter, 12 volts. When I attempted to reattach the positive cable it wildly arcs and sparks. I apparently shorted out something somewhere. My question is, Where do you think I should start looking? I have all the schematics and manuals.
Thanks in advance
Warren #1799

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bosswrenchbosswrenchMember
Sorry, pal- this is simple grunt-work with a volt-ohmmeter, where you remove all the fuses, hook the battery up and beging replacing each fuse one at a time until you find the shorted circuit. Then at least you know which components to start chasing. Most shorts will be around wires going thru movable panels such as doors, or behind the console gauge panel- specifically, the unshielded connections to the amp gauge. But I once had such a short which after 2 days with a VOM, turned out to be a cracked isolation grommet for the headlight motor ground... Good luck!
R Rover (Guest)
A lot of assumptions here. One I assume that everything worked great until you went to start the car. I would start there. Disconnect the starter (pos side) from the relay and see if you still get the current draw. Could be a failed starter or a starter who's pinon gear is binding. Failing that, try the starter relay. The starter/relay is directly connected to the batt and bypasses any fuses. A reasonable place to start, before undergoing the fun Jack pointed out.
G grnfnby (Guest)
Hi again'
Apparently, the problem was a bad battery. After the car sat for a few days, I touched the positive lead to the terminal expecting it to arc and spark again but to my surprise, nothing. It still did'nt have enough power to engage the starter, so I figured it may be a floating short. I installed a new red top Optima battery and it cranked right over. When I can break away from football long enough, {say...February} I'll take it over to AutoZone and have them put a load on it to confirm. Thanks again. Now back to football.
Warren {Go Green-fn-Bay} #1799
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