GTUser

I finally have found the problem with my SS maxdatrix clutch line heating up and melting the rubber lining. The terminal end of the negative ground cable was not attached to anything and grounding out against the transmission housing or the firewall.

My first thought was to replace the negative battery cable with a new one. No auto parts stores have the correct cable. The Mazda dealer in Raleigh said I would have to order an entire wiring harness, $800. I found an auto electric shop that could build me a new negative cable if I could bring them the original. I found I couldn't totally seperate it from the wiring harness without tearing up the harness and maybe doing some serious damage. I think I'll just clean up all copper connectors and the grounding points that I can reach and secure the terminal end to the tranny housing where it should have been attached originally.

Does anyone have any suggestions about an alternative?

Thanks,

SevenGirl

9 times out of 10, the battery cables are passed ready to be replaced. Mazda no longer stocked ours and I wanted to keep the stock route, so here's a brief overview of what I did...

Purchased:
2 pre-made 60" 4-gauge cables from NAPA (Any auto store will work) removed old cables to determine correct lengths to cut down for Neg & Pos, bought a few 4-gauge connectors, blow torch, heat shrink, and soldering materials. While I was at it, replaced the Alt cables using 6-gauge cable, IIRC. Label everything during removal, including where bolts go.

The wiring harness is fairly easy to dismantle and unwrap. Buy new harness loom- the old loom is hard and brittle. The most difficult part was reaching the mounting bracket's 10mm bolt, and devising a new mounting connector at the shock tower.. weird T-style connector.

Good learing experience and a real pain for short folk with short-arms!!

cluosborne

I posted a write-up that roughly describes the above post, just do a search for "Notes about replacing battery cables."

GTUser

Thanks for the help osborne. I found that thread and made a copy that I will religiously follow this weekend. You must have been very motivated to go to that extreme to make your own cable and take the whole harness apart. I think I am going to start with a good clean up of the connectors and their connection points and the wiring I can reach. But I know what you are talking about, the cables should be replaced. I am sure new ones will be much more efficient.

Thanks again, I learned a lot just by reading your write up. That is the kind of info that should be put in a maintenance manual forum just as reference material.

Terrh

iTrader: (7)

Why bother?

I went to a parts store and bought ready-made 3' long 2/0 gauge cable, and bolted it to the block.

took 20 minutes and the car has never cranked faster, ever.

GTUser

What did you do with the original cable that was wrapped up in the wiring harness and connected to the transmission housing or a starter bolt? Where did you connect it on the engine block?

cluosborne

I didn't make a cable, I purchased a set of pre-molded cables.

GTUser

I was able to check the ground cable ends today. I cleaned them and their connection points and reconnected the terminal end to the starter mounting bolt. I was then able to do the simple unflooding procedure and got my car started. It filled the garage full of smoke, but after the smoke cleared it was purring like it should. I noticed that the check light stays on, I'll have to pull the engine codes tomorrow. Also the oil light stays on and the oil pressure guage reads 0. I will check the fuses and try to figure out why I am getting no reading on the guage.

Anyone have any suggestions about where I should look to find the oil guage problem?

I need to say thanks again to all of y'all that responded to my gounding problems. From what I was able to see, the only place the terminal end of the negative cable could have been attached was on the starter bolt. I can only guess that the cable had not been reconnected after the engine rebuild.

cluosborne

Check the connector at the oil pressure sending unit. The unit is located below the oil filter and the connection point is a round metal "button."

I disconnected mine when I replaced the battery cables. It's a white connector with a half-moon cutout on one side.

SevenGirl

[quote]
From what I was able to see, the only place the terminal end of the negative cable could have been attached was on the starter bolt.
[quote]

Correct, the long starter bolt.

GTUser

I finished the work on the system ground cable today and my car is running better than it did before the problem. I did clean all the ground contacts with electrical cleaner, retaped the wire groupings, and made sure nothing was touching anything it shouldn't.

Before the short, the engine was idling a little high, just over 1k rpm. Now it is back to 700-800 rpm where it should be. I found the problem with the oil pressure guage, I had accidently disconnected the oil pressure sending unit when I pulled the ground wire down to the starter bolt. I checked that today and had to get a little more slack in the sensor wire to allow it to reach the sending unit post.

The only thing I need to do now is read the codes and clear them. I still have the engine check light on but figure it is from the grounding problem or the oil guage problem. Would regrounding the system cause the engine to idle better?

SpeedFreak03

Yea it's amazing what a bad ground can do!

GTUser

To finish this thread out. I read the engine codes and they were 11 & 31. 11 is a problem with the Intake Air Thernosensor, I found that I had knocked it loose when I replaced the flexible part of clutch line at the firewall and the 31 code indicates a problem with the relief solenoid. In both cases I fully disconnected the sensors and cleaned the contacts and clips and reconnected them. My engine check light is out and I am still idling at 750 rpm.

I can't tell y'all how good it feels to fix a problem and when you get in the car its better than before you had the problem. I couldn't have found the electrical short and conducted the troubleshooting without the info on this forum. In addition to the experience I have added all this information to my homemade maintenance manual.