I started up the bird today and. 5 minutes. Later the damn thing. Caught on fire. , now what could have caused. This?

 

Hard to say for sure... but one thing is certain: you need a new one now.

After you put it on, check to make sure the battery doesn't have a shorted cell or some such, which would cause the alt to attempt to produce ABSOLUTE 100% MAX power 100% of the time trying to get the voltage up to where it belongs. If that's the case, consider yourself lucky that the alt caught fire first, because the next thing that would have happened, is the battery exploding from heat and pressure; and that makes a REALLY BIG mess. Much worse than what did happen. Maybe, take it to the store with you and get it checked while you're buying the alt.

 

Well, before this happened, I had the accessorie brackets of and I saw that the heads. Were rusting. So. I sprayed some high temperature paint then proceeded. To install the negative cable coming from the battery and grounds at the. Cyllinder head on the passengers side . Then put back everything else how it was, the battery is brand new but hasn't been used for 6 months. And before the alternator caught. On fire the battery would not hold a charge. The only thing I noticed. Was that. Once in awhile. The red wire in the. Back of the alternator would spark. , could my battery not be grounding due to the paint?

 

PICS!......(jk)

 

her is a link to what the alt. look like after the fire .

http://youtu.be/hLazPI_dGTk

 

looks like there was a loose connection to the output
stud causing it to overheat,melt the plastic insulator
bushing and short out-loose connection could have been
inside the alternator at the rectifier or outside where
the output wire connects.

 

110 dollars later I learned my lesson , anyways, I finally got to drive. Her home it had been two years since I last drove her.

 

done .

 

testing sig .