Alternator Plastic Cover/hose melted
 

Need help identifying these cables/hoses that have been melted on top of the alternator.

Thanks in advance..

Also, what would be the best way to clean everything?

Attachment 289146

dude, you have a serious short. that wire is part of the main harness and you have to replace the whole thing.

or if you are ghetto enough, you can connect the positive terminal directly to that, the B+ Terminal is used to charge the battery

I see that you probably just replaced your Alternator? cuz I see that "World Class" label and "Remanufactured in USA

World Class is usually what Advance Auto Parts sells, but I think all their REman Alternator came from Mexico and it's crap

So is your Alternator a "2nd time" rebuild somewhere else ?

HOLLYYY

Dam that looks awesome!!

WHOA--fix that before you have many more problems--that hose is a vent hose for the "crankcase"

I'm scared to see what the rest of his system looks like :/.

I am really interested in seeing what the 120 main fuse looks like :SHOCKED:

Pardon my ignorance, but the B+ terminal main harness wire that I need to replace: Do you have a part number or something I can search for to find out exactly the wire I need? Or is it the entire main harness that I need to replace, not just the burned wire? I'd probably be better off towing her to the dealership. lol

And yes, the alternator was replaced 4 months ago and was "remanufactured". I was told by Advanced that reman'd alts were good enough :suspect:

I don't want a ghetto workaround I'd rather replace what I need to replace to get it working again, although I have a very limited budget. Hopefully this will only cost a few hundred dollars at the most.

Believe me, I am. I parked after smelling burning coming from the hood and I haven't driven it since. I really hope no further damage was done. :scratchhe

How did that melt? Did your engine overheat and cook the wires? Might have to do the whole harness at this point

It overamped and blew the fawk up.

Could have started an electrical fire, dude got lucky

End of wire
 

Hey bro that's a serious short you have there I'll tell you what you have to do.. Go to autozone and buy a battery terminal end ( I think that's what it is called) it costs about $13 usd. Start stripping that burnt end and get to fresh and clean part of it. Cut the burnt end. Now the Part you bought has a screw you can loosen , insert your wire into the opening and tighten well.. The end fits perfect with a small washer on the top receiving part of the alternator.. It evens has insulation.. If you need pictures I can send them txt me to 432-288-2907. What happened is that when you replaced your alternator you didn't fit and tighten that screw up there securely..with this you supply a fresh end to connect to your alternator.. You can check for continuity of the wire while stripped if need be;-) cheers

Also you can clean it with any type of battery terminal cleaner... By the way fOr those who ask why it burnt... If not securely tightened the cable end jumps around and with the bad connection creates much resistance and doesn't allow current through thus overheating and burning everything.. Don't drive it that way it's dangerous

That actually makes more sense, I've seen that happen before on other electronics.

Hope this saves you a whole bunch of money ;-)

wow, it even started to melt his UIM vacuum lines!

Yes, there has to be a clean and consistent connection with no change in the place current is passed through... I know cuz I disassemble computed tomography machines and seen the importance of this point while the machine spins

i texted you, thanks for the help

Pics sent... Remember to check your fuses and use electrical tape even after putting that battery extension I told you.. Little extra protection goes a long way d;-)

true that--when working with the electronics on a newer can bus car--be cautious and detailed oriented

And what melted the hose is the melted plastic cover. I had the same thing happen to me and it was the bolt which wasn't tight enough like reddream said.

what did you end up doing to fix it? did you DIY or take it to a shop? what did you replace?

I took out the plastic cover and I'm still looking for a replacement, haven't given it much importance though. I made sure the bolt is tight enough so as to not have any resistance, and taped the hose (which didn't melt in my case) just to make sure, I believe that is a coolant hose, really thick and doubt it actually melted through.

Bumping old thread.
 

Just had the same thing happen to me yesterday.

Car was running great, just out trying to get a short cruise in before the snow.
I couldn't place the odd smell occasionally emanating from the vents.
Returned home, let the car idle and open the hood and the terminal end on the Generator was glowing/burning red.
I quickly shut the car off. (so I didn't get a pic)

I restarted the car (no issue) to get a quick log and check the voltage using the Cobb AP
Volts 13.8-14.2 (cycled AC off and on and varied fan speed)
It didn't start glowing again (at least in the short time for the volt check)

Details:
- Battery relocated to the trunk
- Factory Generator, I did have it off last winter and re-installed it in the spring
- 90k on OD (km's)

I've not had a chance to dig in to it yet, I came here first for troubleshooting ideas.

Well I guess I have my next winter project.

Update
 

Nut was loose.
Once I picked some of the melted plastic away I was able to remove the nut with my fingers.

Clearly I didn't have it tightened enough or tightened at all (fail)

I will look in to the solution provided above.
However a used/new wire harness might be cool.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...8349bf8389.jpghttps://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...7285216ef8.jpg

Bummer. I might have one. Let me check.

Cool Thanks Team