[NoVa-Corvairs] Why did this happen?

[Curtis Shimp]

Daniel:

I don't have all the answers but I have some leading questions.  Is this
the same car and alternator in which you had the hot and ground wires
switched at the alternator?  Could it be that the charred and damaged
connector was a result of that incident and not something that happen on
your drive in Pennsylvania?  If not then it sounds like you had a direct
short somewhere along that positive lead from the alternator.  If you
think you have a short along the "red" positive wire I would start to
look at the area where the positive pig tail lead leaves the positive
battery post and connects to the "red" wire at the junction block on the
body below and in front of the battery.  It seems to me that you did some
disconnecting and reconnecting at this area.

Curt

On Sun, 11 Jun 2006 15:27:23 -1100 "Daniel Goldberg"
<goldie at danielgoldberg.net> writes:
> I had my 140 Corsa out all day on Saturday in Pennsylvania.  At 
> night, while heading home, the gen-fan light came on.  I popped the 
> hood and found that the positive wire to the alternator had burned 
> off right at the spade connector, and the rubber insulator and 
> washers were charred.  I went and found a hotel.
> 
> The next morning I went to an auto parts store to cobble together a 
> new connection.  After doing so, the gen-fan light remained on.  The 
> parts store manager came out with his testing equipment, and we 
> determined that the alternator was charging and the battery was 
> holding a charge.  
> 
> I made it home.
> 
> 1) why did the wire burn off?
> 
> 2) why is the gen-fan light still on? (diodes in the alternator 
> fried?)
> 
> 3) what now?
> _______________________________________________
> Novacc-list mailing list
> Novacc-list at corvair.org
> http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/listinfo/novacc-list
>