short circuit? | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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short circuit?

Epi

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January 3, 2014
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Year, Model & Trim Level
1994 mazda b2300
After replaclng a mechanical speedo cable on my '94 mazda b2300 5speed, the pickup died on the road soon after I left home. No battery power and no headlights either. I noticed smoke coming from the pos. battery terminal so I cleaned the posts and term. Power returned but the truck started cranking by itself. Upon disconnecting cables from starter relay on fender apron and reconnecting battery cables the truck still started cranking by itself. I also noticed smoke emitting from below front of engine. Disconnecting thin wire from starter (solenoid) prevented the truck from starting, but smoke still emitted. If this is a short, pics of battery cable wiring under the engine would be most helpful.
 



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Welcome to the forum!

There are two solenoids in your starter system. One is mounted on the passenger side fender, and the other is on the starter itself. One of them may be stuck. I would use a continuity tester to check if one or the other is not functioning properly. You can also use jumper cables to test either one by stimulating it directly.

It does sound like you could have a short, so get out a continuity tester and check for shorts to ground. Perhaps a loose power wire is grounding out against something nearby?
 






like said above , you have 2 solenoids , I would check any and all wiring going from the fender mounted solenoid down to the starter , If wires check out okay , pull the starter , its 2 bolts and a little time and take it to a place to have it tested , If it tests fine and the solenoid on the starter is good , I would check into wiring more and Replace the fender mounted solenoid as thats a pretty reasonable replacement part .
 






short found

Thanks for the replies. I found the short after replacing starter relay on fender apron. The thick starter cable that runs underneath the engine from the pos. battery terminal was grounding to the block. Upon lifting the engine a bit and removing the cable, I found midways along the cable its insulation was burnt off and frayed. After replacing the cable, problem was solved.:)
 






Nice , glad you found the problem and have it fixed ! .
 






Sweet, I love easy fixes!
 






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