battery power cable gets hot

[Coolbreezin]

Hey all. I put my battery back in and went to start it the other day. The negative was loose and that was that. So I took the battery out, charged it and cleaned the bike a little. I put the battery back in and tried to start it today. The positive bolt on the battery turned bright red instantly and the power cable is hot. Nothing happened to negative side. Everything is tight and no cables or wires are crossed connected to the battery. Its at full charge, and last tested about 60 days ago it was in perfect condition. What yall think?

 

[Brew]

Find out which cable is hot and trace it back to its other connection and tighten it there or find any frays contacting something.

 

[Little-Boo]

Cable could be loose at the Starter Solenoid. If not your cable is not the right gauge, may be to small for the output.

Carlos :2thumbs:

 

[Sven]

Battery terminals opposite? Meaning (+) cable on the battery's negative post?

Ground Paths:

I want clean contacts at 8 contact points and those are both (+) and (-) battery posts, the cable ends, the stater solenoid post and (8) frame ground.

Bike To Frame Paths:

I am grounded to the frame, but is my starter and/or engine well grounded? Up to this point I cleaned to bare metal all 8 contact points. If my cables are still getting warm, not hot like they were, I am now about ground the trans/engine to the good known ground by using jumper cables.

My 4 clamp points are:
1. Battery (-) post.
2. Trans.
3. Engine.
4. Frame: opposite side meaning and as far from the battery ground to frame being used.

Is my cable still hot? If this cooled the cable, ground engine/trans with ground cables. That or scrape to bare metal the engine and frame touch points like you did with the cleaning of the 8 battery path points.

 

[BadDawg Bill]

You placed a negative wire on the positive post.... Pull all the wires off, check each one for ground before you put them back on. OR, like Sven tried to say one of the hot wires is grounded. Probably the one going to the starter.

 

[Sven]

...Sven tried to say...

I'm giving the OP the benny of the doubt. According how/who you want to believe path direction, current leaves from ground to the hot side. Case in point, look at the (+) cable glowing.

I'm trying to say the current wants to find the shortest path and if you have all your 8 paths free, then am I trying to say the engine may be sitting on a pad with paint on it, not bare metal.

And it's now not about the OP but your diagnostic path to hot cables/no starter motor spinning.

What I'm trying to say is, though this may not be the problem, and say the starter froze, all that current is backing up and at that hot spot, I say, know your good known paths, meaning, do the work.

This is tail chasing time. How fast can I make a ground is that jumper cable, if not 2 of them so one cable set is used for battery posts to ground/start and loophole the grounds at the trans to engine to frame and that sub-system. So to make the fastest path, it's the quick and dirty jumper cable(s)> if a hot bike cable turns cherry red = No 8 pad points needing cleaning. That's what I meant. No change in glow it is not the ground (jmp-cbl) system if those cables get hot = Look elsewhere like swapped battery cables around at the battery.

See what I meant by using the jumper cables to pin the tail on the donkey?

 

[Coolbreezin]

Wires and cables are tight and on the correct poles. When its said, "yr starter is going bad". What exactly do they mean, the solenoid connections? I still have the OEM power cable. Could it be that its worn out? Would it make any difference overall if I replaced it with the next larger size?

 

[BadDawg Bill]

I would suspect your solenoid is bad grounding out the positive post. You can check it by taking off the solenoid wire and checking it with a test light to see if it's grounded.

 

[Sven]

Would it make any difference overall if I replaced it with the next larger size?

To see if it's the cable, you are layering over a new ground system if you would just grab a pair of jumper cables and make some grounds but nooooooooooo. Would you listen to turtle and get it over with?

Signed,

I'm going to make you pay for not taking the easiest route. This type of diagnosing is not rocket science. How can I tell if it's my cables? Why, I'll ground the bike better off the battery. I will "loophole all my old cables" that are probably still good, but I'm going to buy-buy-buy is throw parts at it unit I have a new bike under me. I refuses to listen to the very first move, if my frame ground to the battery and my engine is well grounded to the frame and every place else. Only a pair of jumpers knows for sure



:up: You know why? It's not my bike! Either take the logical approach or let your wallet do it where you more pay to figure it out is why you'll pay for not listening to turtle's move that is free for the taking.

You wanna buy a cable and I'm saying there is a cable already someplace maybe and oh look! New cables I jumped a car with was once! Do I need a new cable or a better ground? No offense, breeze, but are we cool wit that?

 

[Sven]

I would suspect your solenoid is bad grounding out the positive post. You can check it by taking off the solenoid wire and checking it with a test light to see if it's grounded.

I'm going to go buy a solenoid and see? See what I'm saying? I have all my grounds clean, but I may have a poor ground at the starter. Why? Wire in is wire out, but this time it's the motor's body is the ground. I see one fat cable going into the starter motor, I see the body being used as going out to ground is that end.

Red = Starter body
Black = Battery ground at battery
Other jumper ends go to:
Red = New frame ground
Black = To engine

Battery -to- new ground -to- starter motor [body] ground -to- engine -to- frame. Do I still turn red or turn the starter motor? And if that cable sounds like it crunches as it moves, then yes, heat is the killer of everything almost, especially something electrical being cooked.

 

[Coolbreezin]

Took the slam button off and cked the solenoid. It was a little dirty but not what would be outside the norm. I sanded and alcohol wiped the plunger. Couldnt really reach the remaining parts. Bike fired right up. Should I bother getting a new power cable? Do they just wear out over the years?