ignition wire melted?

[shortchevy84]

i just recently fired up my 84 chevy, and it ran alright (even with 2 year old gas) however, after i shut it off, i noticed smoke coming from near the possitive accessory terminal on the firewall. i'm not sure the proper name but thats where the wire from the starter goes to. anyway, one of the red wires that has the dual connector to go over both bolts, melted approxiamtely 3 inches down from the terminal (touching valve cover) and was shorting out. i taped this area and reconnected battery and it still seems to cause the battery terminal to spark as if it was still shorting. the wire that melted is a single wire the splits into 2 after a small rubber connector. i followed the one wire, and it goes to the alternator. i can't tell where the other one goes, because i ran out of time. where does this wire go to, and how would i go about tracing where else it could possibly be shorting? it is defenitely this wire, and without it, i cannot start the truck, as i have no ignition power. thanks, and sorry for the terrible explanation.

[VileZambonie]

you burned a fusible link. That's a good thing. Rather the fusible link goes than your truck. You must have a short to ground. Check the wires that go behind the engine and down to the starter and make sure they are not shorted to ground. Check at the starter and trace all of those wires.

[shortchevy84]

how do i replace this fusible link?is that the part inside the rubber spot where it splits to 2 wires? i followed the wire down to the starter and it looked ok. the one that splits into 2 is the one that melted, so is this one needing to be replaced with the exact wire, or just cut out the splitter and splice in new wire? cuz i know where it was shorting, about a 3 inch long section that melted against the valve cover, just below this rubber splitter. I just want to be sure if i splice in a new little section that i should be able to drive it home, provided it doesn't melt again.

[VileZambonie]

http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/15/3e/6c/0900823d80153e6c/repairInfoPages.htm

See Figure 1

The fusible link is a short length of special, Hypalon (high temperature) insulated wire, integral with the engine compartment wiring harness and should not be confused with standard wire. It is several wire gauges smaller than the circuit which it protects. Under no circumstances should a fusible link replacement repair be made using a length of standard wire cut from bulk stock or from another wiring harness.

To repair any blown fusible link use the following procedure:

Determine which circuit is damaged, its location and the cause of the open fusible link. If the damaged fusible link is one of three fed by a common No. 10 or 12 gauge feed wire, determine the specific affected circuit.

Disconnect the negative battery cable.

Cut the damaged fusible link from the wiring harness and discard it. If the fusible link is one of three circuits fed by a single feed wire, cut it out of the harness at each splice end and discard it.

Identify and procure the proper fusible link and butt connectors for attaching the fusible link to the harness.

To repair any fusible link in a 3-link group with one feed:

After cutting the open link out of the harness, cut each of the remaining undamaged fusible links close to the feed wire weld.

Strip approximately 1/2 in. (13mm) of insulation from the detached ends of the two good fusible links. Then insert two wire ends into one end of a butt connector and carefully push one stripped end of the replacement fusible link into the same end of the butt connector and crimp all three firmly together.

Care must be taken when fitting the three fusible links into the butt connector as the internal diameter is a snug fit for three wires. Make sure to use a proper crimping tool. Pliers, side cutters, etc. will not apply the proper crimp to retain the wires and withwire end of the circuit from which the blown fusible link was removed, and firmly crimp a butt connector or equivalent to the stripped wire. Then, insert the end of the replacement link into the other end of the butt connector and crimp firmly.

To replace any fusible link on a single circuit in a harness, cut out the damaged portion, strip approximately 1/2 in. (13mm) of insulation from the two wire ends and attach the appropriate replacement fusible link to the stripped wire ends with two proper size butt connectors. Solder the connectors and wires and insulate with tape.

To repair any fusible link which has an eyelet terminal on one end such as the charging circuit, cut off the open fusible link behind the weld, strip approximately 1/2 in. (13mm) of insulation from the cut end and attach the appropriate new eyelet fusible link to the cut stripped wire with an appropriate size butt connector. Solder the connectors and wires at the repair and insulate with tape.

Connect the negative battery cable to the battery and test the system for proper operation.

Do not mistake a resistor wire for a fusible link. The resistor wire is generally longer and has print stating, "Resistor: don't cut or splice".

 
Fig. 1: Fusible link repair

[shortchevy84]

thanks, i'll give her a whirl this weekend! i'll let you know if i fry myself..lol