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Topic: Any of you guys experience this before? (Read 1502 times) previous topic - next topic

Any of you guys experience this before?

Ok, 86 XR7 is the car in question. My son drove home in it and all was fine(i was in pass seat so can verify that). Parked and went in the house for approx 10 min. I went to move car to wash it and had nothing, no start, no accessories, no nothing. Popped hood to look and grabbed both batt terminals to see if loose(already knowing they werent) but the pos side was way beyond warm. I quickly grabbed a wrench and took it off. Let it cool and just for giggles put it back on and car started just like normal. Should I chalk it up to unexplained phenomenon, a actuall problem or should I just blame my kid. Any thoughts are appreciated

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #1 –
check the fluid in the battery, possibly low. thats all i can think of
Remember, if the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer.

Chris
 93 cat rebuilt 3.8

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #2 –
It sounds to me like the positive battery cable has a bear spot and it is rubbing on something.

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #3 –
The positive battery cable was not making good electrical contact with the battery post. Clean both with one of those wire brush battery tools.
The hole in the cable connector can be oversized from many years of cleanings and not clamp tight enough. In this case you have to replace it.

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #4 –
Battery acid is full, matter of fact its nearly new. I was leaning towards the terminal connector being the culprit. If the positive cable wasnt making good contact why would it have been so hot?

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #5 –
if it was loose or bad conection it would cause more amps to go threw less contact, amps make the heat threw friction.

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #6 –
It got warm because of a poor connection, which means more resistance. py battery cables and ends will always do this..
'98 Explorer 5.0
'20 Malibu (I know, Chevy, but, 35MPG. Let's go brandon, eh)

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #7 –
umm,, none of the answers make sense to me.

the battery has a constat -12v ground.

the battery will only deliver power somewhere when an external part is calliing for power ..or... the pos cable is touching chassis.  Im pretty sure you would have seen the arch welding going on if the cable were touching chassis.

im leaning more towards the starter relay or ignition switch.

if the cable was too hot to the touch , its going to be difficult to troubleshoot without knowing if the battery is heading into thermal runaway.

dont add tap water to your battery.
if the battery is aged, then Id be looking to a new battery. 

Next time you start, check the voltage during crank and the idle voltage.
next check the voltage with more than idle applied like at 1000 or 1500 rpm.
see if the voltage jumps.

Any of you guys experience this before?

Reply #8 –
Poor and loose connections cause high electrical resistance which yields heat. Corroded battery cables will not allow the starter and electrical accessories to draw current efficiently. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not replacing battery cables when they should. Often you cannot see the extent of the corrosion traveling through the cable unless you strip the cable insulation. 

Bad battery cable and post connections are major cause of problems I see on a daily basis. Corrosion buildup is the number one problem I see.

Also, the battery posts and cable terminals can build up this black tarnished coating that will completely inhibit electrical current flow. That will cause the battery to act like it is just sitting there not even hooked up.

Corrosion cleaner and a good battery post and cable terminal brush is always your friend. So is a packet of battery terminal gel or just plain old navel jelly which applied to the battery posts and terminals inhibits corrosion buildup.