posted 05-23-2018 04:11 PM                  

It has been great driving again.
After 10 months of sitting, I have a problem.

First: Battery terminals shot. Replaced them with gold plated (expensive) terminals. Could not get them to stay tight. Viper tech at the dealer suggested to change to a different terminal. Expensive isn't always the best. Put on heavy duty lead terminals and the connections are working ... BUT.... The positive cable gets really hot. Too hot to hold on to.

What do I look for to know why the cable is getting so hot. I am afraid it will melt the insulation and cause a fire. Thank you for all the information.

posted 05-23-2018 06:25 PM                  

If you cut off the old terminal, you then need to expose BRIGHT copper wire by viciously cleaning wire strands before attaching new terminal. Coat wire with No-Oz anti-oxidant, zinc anti-seize or equivalent.

"DO NOT USE DIELECTRIC GREASE"

posted 05-23-2018 06:47 PM                  

I am going to check all the ground connections and where wires may be rubbing/chafing against each other or a body part.

I am thinking that I may have a couple wires shorting somewhere inside the harness in a tight location.

I will post a picture in a couple of hours .
Thank you for input.

posted 05-23-2018 07:18 PM                  

If you have Multi-Meter, volt/amp meter, it would be very helpfully in checking.

posted 05-23-2018 08:20 PM                  

Do you have one or two wires on positive battery terminal? If two, which is hot? Check wires as far away from terminal as possible, near radiator.

I'm assuming terminal wire(s) is only hot when engine is running? Let wires cool down. Put ignition switch to "ON" position. Do not start. Do wire(s) start to get hot after a while?

How old is battery? Alternator could be pumping high amps into a battery going bad.

You've been doing a lot of work on battery terminal and post. Is battery post (not connector terminal) loose in and way. Does post have any movement when you try to rotate it or pull up and down? You could have an internal broken battery post.

There's a clip that holds battery wire onto frame (between shocks). Check this area for chafing as well as where wires run under radiator.

posted 05-23-2018 10:47 PM                  

Many years ago, I moved the cable away from the area that chafs on the battery and the insulation is still good.

Battery voltage car not running is 12.85 volts (I did not disconnect a wire from the battery for the voltage reading.)

With ignition on and not starting, wires did not heat up.

2 wires on the positive side and both got hot immediately after starting the car (within 10 seconds) as far as I could reach just before the radiator.

The volt meter in the dash shows about 13.5 volts while the car is running.

The wing nut is very tight holding the terminal lug to the battery terminal. The wing nut and bolt are brass with a lead terminal.

Original alternator with almost 100,000 miles may be bad?? by overcharging??

posted 05-24-2018 07:25 AM                  

EDIT:
I did the same test with it running. 13.76 volts at the post and the exposed wire strands.

2nd EDIT:
The crimp terminal is actually from the original battery clamp that deteriated. I just trimmed the bad battery clamp off, drilled a hole in the solid metal for the post with the wing nut.

posted 05-24-2018 07:44 AM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by Tomcal:

Little confusing, first four inch or whole cable are hot???

If you have Multi-Meter, volt/amp meter, it would be very helpfully in checking.

I can walk you through a test procedure.

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I appreciate everyone's help on this.

Tomcal, I appreciate you offering to walk me through a test procedure. I am a little stumped on this issue.
Thank you, Brad

posted 05-24-2018 07:45 AM                  

does cable stay hot or is the heat residual from starting the car?
i would do the same test above but while starting the car...

posted 05-24-2018 07:54 AM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by BradleyG:

The positive cable is very hot (I only checked within about 4 inches of the battery terminal). The whole cable is getting hot.

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.
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quote:

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Originally posted by Tomcal:

Did you replace just the terminal or the whole cable?

Is entire cable hot or just near the terminal?

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Tommie,,, You wouldn't have asked Brad if he replaced the entire 'positive cable' if you knew what it looked like.

It is a very, VERY expensive cable and labor intensive to replace...

Take a peek >>>> V V
.

.
.

^ ^ If the "positive cable" needs to be replaced it is the whole engine compartment wiring harness!

posted 05-24-2018 10:28 AM                  

quote:

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Originally posted by mslc10:
[
i would do the same test above but while starting the car...[/B]

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posted 05-24-2018 10:34 AM                  

EDIT to add this paragraph:
The cable is not touching the shock spring.
The gets hotter the longer it runns. It does not cool until the car is not running.

This is my 3rd terminal to put on the positive post. The connection was good for a few miles and then would loosen and the car would just die. I could re-tighten and it is OK for a few more miles. I tried the expensive gold plated terminal, then a solid brass (both of these are much harder than the lead battery post), then switched to the current lead terminal hoping it would better shape to the post (good for about 50 miles), but I had the same result.

THIS IS WHEN I NOTICED THE CABLE IS REALLY HOT. With hot, I mean it is too hot to hold onto. I didn't notice the heated cable before. I just had not touched it the other times.

Searching the forum for answers, I found several references to bad grounds, chafing or pinched wires. A quick inspection and the wire bundle to the PCM is rubbing against the fiberglass body panel, but the tape appears to have protected the wires. I can take these areas apart over the weekend to check closer.

My conclusion is that with the car RUNNING, there is a short somewhere within the harness, so there is a wire shorting only with the engine running. With the ignition switch in the on position (Not running) the wire does not get hot. OR, could the alternator be overcharging enough to heat the cable so quickly?
Another puzzling thing is with the car running, it will die if the positive battery cable is disconnected. Shouldn't the alternator be supplying power to keep the car running?

Tomcal, I have a good basic electrical knowledge and a good digital multi-meter, hoping with some guidance, I can find the problem. I am open to your suggestions/guidance.

I did not replace the whole harness... just the battery terminal.

Do you have any thoughts as to where to start looking??

posted 05-24-2018 11:14 AM                  

"You wouldn't have asked Brad if he replaced the entire 'positive cable' if you knew what it looked like."

"It is a very, VERY expensive cable and labor intensive to replace..."

Sorry Alley Cat.... You DO NOT have to replace whole harness, if you know what your doing.

posted 05-24-2018 12:29 PM                  

I may have missed it in one of the posts, but is the black battery cable also getting hot?

While a short is possible, I would think any current draw high enough to heat those positive wires would blow a fuse or fusible link.

Presently, current draw maybe to high for your multi-meter. What is maximum DC Amp range on your meter.

Here's what I would suggest.

1- Swap out battery from another vehicle to eliminate that item as the problem.

2- Isolates alternator. Remove alternate belt or if you can get at it, remove red heavy gauge wire from alternator connection.

Or, you can cut smaller of two red wires (Red with Gray tracer alternator wire) from battery terminal. This would also isolate alternator.

You can always get a new terminal crimp connector to reattach from your local auto parts or home improvement center.

Whichever method works best for you. Alternator needs to be isolated from circuit.

Try these tests and then we'll go from there.

posted 05-24-2018 12:32 PM                  

"Did you replace just the terminal or the whole cable?"
.
.

Who asked Brad if he replaced the entire cable?
You,, not I.

That would be the last thing I would advise or ask to a owner having some electrical issue with the positive terminal/cable. You obviously didn't have a clue to what the entire positive cable involved until seeing the picture.

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Brad,,If Phil, Quincy, Padroo, RPL, or an owner who had a previous similar issue don't post an opinion....you might to go back to that Viper tech and ask him about the 'hot + cable'?

May even have to $pring for a $can with their high dollar, highly advanced Mopar test scanner to narrow down the cause. Good luck

posted 05-24-2018 12:45 PM                  

There are methods to replace cables that are faulty WITHOUT replacing entire harness. Have done this many times on old cars where rodents chewed through wires.

Just because you don't have a clue how to do it, is not an excuse to provide false information.

...

posted 05-24-2018 01:53 PM                  

You can access alternator wire from top of engine compartment if you have nibble hands. Or, remove side panel on drivers side and power steering reservoir.

posted 05-24-2018 04:12 PM                  

That wing nut on the battery and the way it is hooked up is most likely your problem with a hot cable. After you repair the positive cable correctly , start up the engine & remove one or the other battery cable. If it kills the engine, pull the alternator.

posted 05-24-2018 07:41 PM                  

Isolate alternator will remove the possible major current source. Once car is running, you just have minimal current drain for electronics. Normal running current will not heat battery cables. That is until radiator fan kicks in, or headlights are turned on.

So, swap out battery first. If still a problem, isolate alternator and see what happens.

If you have jumper cables, hook one end to bare copper wire area and other end to battery terminal. Bridging it, so to speak. That would help the battery area connection. Use only one of the jumper cable wires. But, I didn't need to tell you that.