Battery Problems!

Hey everyone! Love the site! I came across this place trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my car.

Okay, I recently rescued a 1981 Turbo TransAm that was left to rot in a back alley. After having'er towed home, I pop a fresh battery in. No power what so ever getting anywhere. No lights, no nothing.

I then had'er towed to a local electrical shop, where they got it up and running. Man, she's a screamer! A real bat outta hell :) It was something about a wire from the negative battery post to the alternator.......??? Anyway, I started'er a number of times for days without any problems.

I park'er in the garage for about 6 weeks, then go to start it. Dead as a door nail, so I put a fresh battery in it and the wire from the negative battery post to the alternator literally melts the instant I turn the key in the ignition.

Ever since then, I can't even so much as touch the ground wire to the negative post on the battery without it sparking something fierce, nearly welding the two together!

It's driving me CRAZY! It would be just awesome if someone here could give me some pointers. There seems to be a lot of guys here that know their stuff, so I have high hopes :)

Thanks!
Nathan

Sounds like youve got a big voltage draw coming from someplace,,could be the starter,or alternator field windings,to get an arc on the battery ground like that,,,i would think the alternator is bad,,maybee the internal regulator,,and Diode pack are cooked,,you need to start fresh with a new alternator(or one you know that works) and get a test light on the wiring, and check it out,,,something is wonky for sure.
get a freind who knows his way around auto wiring to help you test it.

you need to look at that wire from the negative bat. post to the alternator. i think you've got the bat. wires backards. never heard of running the negative battery cable to the alt. there is a postive wire that goes to the alt. from the bat. if you have the bat, wires backwards it would do what you bat. is doing now. you need to check that out. :confused:

Yup starter stuck engaged.

You really shouldn't have a negative wire going to the alternator unless it's a smallesh one for the regulator...

Your vehicle needs a serious ground wire!

This ground wire has to carry ALL the starter current, which if this is a V8 would be on the order of 500Amps!! You should have a wire going from your battery(-) to a stout bolt on your engine block.

It should be about the diameter of your little finger.

From your battery there should also be a relatively large wire going from the battery (-) to your car's body. This wire can be about 1/3 the diameter of the other wire.

What happens is your starter is not getting enough current. So when you go to start the engine, the starter gear gets shot into the ring gear on the way to the starter gear turning, so your ring gear turns, so your engine turns.

Well the starter solenoid flings the starter gear into the flywheel... then when the starter goes to turn the engine BIG TIME CURRENT is demanded. But because of your crummy ground cable it just starts to turn and jams up. This keeps the starter motor turned on requesting that 500 Amps but because it can't get that it just sits there stuck often not allowing the starter gear to retact and turn off the starter.

Try unhooking the alt. then hook up batt. if that dont work then take starter wire off, and try the batt. again. Eliminate 1 at a time.

Awesome, thanks for all of the replies and great advice guys! I'll play around and see what I come up with. I'll let you all know the outcome :)

Thanks Again.
Nathan