RE: GTV6 does imitation of crispy fried chicken,owner perplexed

["Brian Shorey" <bshorey@xxxxxxxxx>]

well, i'm 0/1 with electrical problems in the past day, so take the
following input with caution..

>         One slightly scary problem may be causing this, but could use some
> advice first.On this car, there is a red power cable in the left
> side of the
> engine compartment.(It's red and appears to be about an 8-10
> gauge wire.The
> insulation is BURNED OFF this wire, which connects to the alternator and I
> would assume goes to the starter as well.It connects to the box which on
> Alfie, my Milano has wires coming from the fuel pump to it.
>           Question time.What would cause such a large cable to burn it's
> insulation off like this?(Reversed polarity on the battery?)This cable has
> been like this for some time, there is some corrosion on the
> wire.How is the

first of all, do *not* switch the polarity on the battery connections to try
to fix this problem - there is nothing wrong with the battery connections,
otherwise the car would not start and run.

the battery polarity could have been reversed in the past, but i doubt it
could have been left that way long enough to melt insulation.  it's also
possible that the ignition switch contacts are becoming burnt out, which
could cause them to stick together, which might explain the starter not
turning off and also perhaps the melted wire (from having excess current run
through it for an extended period of time).

> best way to approach fixing this?The car runs fine,fuel is going
> to the motor
> and it's just that the starter motor won't disengage.I'm thinking
> this wire is
> shorting somewhere causing the starter motor to continue running.

identify the wire, locate both ends, and replace it.  if it's a positive
lead that's shorting to ground, that would also explain the melted
insulation.  chances are it's worn through the insulation in more than just
the spot you can see.

>           I also have the emergency brake light this comes on
> when the car is
> shut off,and inoperative oil pressure and water temp gauges.Could
> this be tied
> in in some way to the crispy cable snaking my way through the engine
> compartment ?
> I desperately await all replies.

are they related?  maybe, maybe not.  i'd recommend fixing what you know is
wrong (melted wire), then observe the results.  if you still have a sticking
starter and dysfunctional gauges, trace them down one by one.  have you
checked the fuse that feeds the gauges?  even if they all are good, try
wiggling them around in their housings, alfa fuse boxes are notorious for
gripping the fuses poorly and making bad connections.

good luck,

bs

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