Trying my patience

[thekid92sho]

I'm having new little issues with my lovely 92 sho. there's a wire that connects to the side of the alternator that recently broke off. No big deal, I replace it. within a day the battery light comes on again. I check under the hood and the copper connector has eroded away. It seems to have happened because of heat. What could make the connection so hot that it burns through electrical tape and rubber insulation? Might be looking at a trip to Modern Auto Repair if it will make it. any advice greatly appreciated

 

[Racer X]

Loose connection will do that. If it's the alternator output wire burning up, make sure the bolt is tight.

 

[LJRuddy]

Is it the small single wire connector that attaches next to the output wires on the alternator? If it is, than there is nothing to worry about. That is simply the signal wire that tells the red light on your dash if your alt. is charging properly. Your car will run just fine if it is disconnected. The only downside is your alt. light will stay on all the time.

 

[thekid92sho]

that seems to be the one. the last time it was disconnected my battery was drained. dont know what it was from if that is not the cause. checked the alternator and passed all tests. this car is so frustrating

 

[LJRuddy]

FWIW, my connector has always been lose as well. Whem my motor mounts were bad and I did a WOT run, the engine movement would pull the plug out of the connector on the alt. Battery light would come on but no ill effects came from it. I know it sounds like a weird idea but you could always strip the wire from its skin and solder it onto the connection for a somewhat permanent connection.

 

[thekid92sho]

such a shame this car has so many unnecessary things on it

 

[SHOmethewayhome]

such a shame this car has so many unnecessary things on it

I dont consider the idiot light for the charging system unnecessary.
it saved me from a lot of trouble this spring when my alternator gave up the ghost and my battery crapped from a dead cell. I was about to embark on a trip down to Tucson in the car for work and it would have cost me a night of work, and a AAA tow back to phx had i not had that light come on and the sense to call Jesse to do an ops check.

thankfully i had also bought almost all of Jesse's SHO related stuff and a good alternator was in the mix.

I do however consider the way the battery mounts in a 1st gen as unnecessary. the battery hold down sucks.

 

[thekid92sho]

I'm always a fan of things when I'm not having issues with them. I hope that tightening it up will solve the burning problem. Since it's not a major component, would splicing be ok? The wire is running a little short.

 

[Off Road SHO]

Perfectly alright, just use the same guage and solder the splice if you can.

Tom

 

[thekid92sho]

Good to hear from you Tom. One of the few genuinely good people in the world. I swear sometimes it's like being in love with someone that doesn't love you back, with this car.