When I start the car the ground off the battery gets hot and in some cause stops in from being able to start. But immediately cools down when it starts or you stop trying. My first thought would be the starter shorting but that’s new, as is the alternator. I just finished a 305 to 350 swap if that matters.
I'm new to cars and dad says he has no idea what would only cause a short some times.

Any help is appreciated.

 

it doesn't sound like a short, but it does sound like you've got some crazy resistance going on. the starter draws a lot of power when cranking. if the connection is corroded, broken, or loose, the resistance goes up and the wire will heat up. I would check your cables and replace them if they look frayed or in rough shape.

 

Hmm sounds like a possibility I'll take a look at them... But there's a ground coming off of the starter to the same spot, why wouldn't heat that up?

 

Which I guess I should say... Dad put there because I had a dead short (hvac wires) melted the ground in half so when he put a new wire on it he added that one to be safe.

 

There should be NO GROUNDS at the starter - ALL the wires running to the starter are all hot! The starter grounds itself on the block. There are 2 terminals on the starter, one smaller one, and one larger one. ALL the starter wires (battery pos wire and all fusible links) go to the larger terminal except the purple wire, which runs to the smaller terminal.

 

Not sure if it helping or hurting being there... There's a third post for a ground he said most vehicles don't use so he put one on when I had the short... And I assume he hooked it up right... He was a mechanic...

 

I feel like an idiot - missed this one. agreed, should not be a ground. but if there was a ground wire somewhere on the starter, the car wouldnt be starting at all.... maybe he's looking at the wrong wire?

 

No it's defiantly a ground hook up with the ground from the battery... Hooked to a third post that a believe isn't on the selanoid... Would just unhooking it at the top see if it's my problem?

 

Neg battery cable connects to the engine itself (usually at front pass head). There should be no ground to a starter - it connects to the block, and the block is connected to the head, and the battery ground cable is connected to the head. I'd definitelyu say get rid of that extra wire.

And BTW - there are no more 'mechanics' in the world except for those of us that work on our own cars. Mechanics listen to cars, drive cars, smell, feel, taste cars to diagnose a problem and fix it. All we have left in the world today are 'technicians' - they have a service writer translate what you describe as a problem into shorthand non-sense, then they read the nonsense and replace parts until they have a decent amount of time in your car, then they report all is well and take your cash regardless of whether the problem is actually fixed or not because it's 'not their job' to listen, drive, smell, taste, feel - but rather to replace. If it runs good, great - if it doesn't, it's not the tech's fault because he simply replaced everything the 'book' told him to.

LOL - no offense to anyone really - you all know what I mean. Today's society deems the auto as another disposable item, and the 'mechanic' is truly a dying breed.

 

My battery ground goes from the battery to the frame right by it... There's no way the wires long enough to have reached the engine...

And I do agree mechanics are dieing out... One of the good things about small towns... Now if only I could afford them... So I troubleshoot and try to get my daily to trudge on...

 

Well, you are correct - there should be a ground wire coming from the battery neg and going to the body. But the big neg battery cable is supposed to connect to the engine - that is needed in order to handle the large amperage draw associated with the starter engaging.

Battery connects as follows:

Pos - connects to starter, and may be a few smaller wires for other things - mine has the power dist box beside the radiator, and so has a smaller wire runs to supply battery power to it.

Neg - neg large battery cable runs to engine block.
Also will be smaller wire to fender (body).

Should also be a ground strap from the back of pass head to the firewall - usually looks like a braided copper wire with no insulation on it.

Thus the ground circuit is complete - neg batt to block, block groundstrap to firewall, fender to neg batt term - a complete ground circuit.

 

all wires are cleaned and correct... still shorting. As it turns over the ground to the fender gets too hot to touch, but begins to cool as soon as its started.

Oh and what is the "terminal" that the pos. wires go to by the battery?

 

Also not the ignition switch. Could it be where the old fender ground burnt in half and we soldered a new one in?