Cable attached from battery to Volt Regulator ripped

[Nocnir]

Hey! 

 

So the small cable on the negative cable from the battery to the volt regulator ripped while I was driving the car and burnt up all the insulation on it. Then another cable that's from the Volt regulator to the alternator also burned up. 

 

oh, also i looked at my fuse box and the only one that looks burned up was the one on common

 

I wanted to know what kind of damaged was caused and how can i fix it.

 

any info could help,Thanks 

 

Here are some pics I took.

 

http://imgur.com/a/sgcXF

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Datsun 510 sedan

[Doctor510]

That is a ground wire.

[DanielC]

A theory.  I think you might have had the connection between the cylinder head, and the negative battery cable go bad.  This is the ground connection the starter uses.  The starter by far uses the most current in any automotive circuit.  With the intended ground connection gone away, the starter will try to ground by any other connection, and it used the grounding wires for the alternator, and voltage regulator, that were never intended to carry huge current draw the starter needs.  This high current overheated the grounding wires for the charging circuit.

 

I would start with getting new battery cables, both positive, and negative.  Try to get good thick ones. It will be hard to find a negative battery cable with the pigtail on the engine end that goes to the alternator. if you cannot find one, you can make a separate pigtail, that also fits under the bolt that holds the negative battery cable to the cylinder head.

The clamp on battery cable repair terminals you have are not good.  You want the connections to be as few as possible, especially by the battery. because batteries give off small amounts of corrosive gas, and any non sealed connection will get weakened.  

I have made battery cables for my 521.  I would post pictures, but Photobucket is not working right now.  The cables I made use a 2/0 cable, and soldered connections on both ends, and then the connection is covered with heavy duty heat shrink, with the hot melt glue on the inside. 

 

You need to replace the grounding wire in the harness, between the alternator, to the voltage regulator.  This could be difficult, because the heat from the cable that got destroyed, may have melted what is left of its insulation to the other wires in the harness next to it.  You may need to replace some other wires, or the engine room harness on your car.

[Nocnir]

They are all cover with electrical tape right now i'm assuming that's how the previous owner set it up. I'm going to remove it and see what the damaged is to the other cables. 

 

Do you think this might have caused any damage to the alternator? 

[DanielC]

On 1970 Datsuns, it was factory to wrap electrical tape, or something close to it on the harness.  The alternator may be OK. 

 

1970 521

Positive battery cable.

Negative battery cable.

 

 

[Nocnir]

Any suggestions on some good battery cables?

[DanielC]

I made my own.  Do you know how to solder electrical wires and have a good connection?  The cable insulation is removed far enough to go all the way into the cup at the cable end of a battery terminal clamp.  Then I take the battery terminal, put it in a vice, cable end up, and heat the barrel up with a propane torch.  I fill the cup in the cable end of the terminal about 1/2 with molten solder.  Then I quickly push the cable into the molten solder, and hold the cable from moving long enough for the solder to cool.   You can also keep the torch on the terminal cup, with the flame pointed away from the cable insulation, and with the cable in the terminal. feed solder into the cup.

[thisismatt]

You can buy molded battery cables.  A real crimp (not the crappy terminal you have now) is the best connection.  A crimp is better than solder alone, as copper is a better conductor than solder.  Crimp + solder is also good, as it will only add to the connected surface area inside the crimp, and keep corrosion out.  You just don't want to wick solder up the cable and make it stiff.

[Nocnir]

Don't really think i have the tools to make my own right now.

[banzai510(hainz)]

Buy the tools and do this right.

These are simple cars.

 

you need those grounds otherwise it will find a ground and burn up the wires like it did.

[Nocnir]

Found a crimp just need a torch 

[KoHeartsGPA]

Harbor Freight, Wall Mart, Auto parts stores....they all have torches.

[Nocnir]

ok thanks