SuzukiSavage.com - smoking hot cable

FlyNavy2005

Ex Member

smoking hot cable
12/10/05 at 07:37:48

Hi.

So I left the battery on by accident, and completely drained it. Went to walmart, got a trickle charger, turned it loose. Eventually it indicated full charge.

Put it back in the bike, tried it out, no luck.

Attempted to jump start it with my car, keeping the car ignition off, so as to not destroy the bike battery.

Hooked it up, turned the key, pressed the starter.
It started, but while trying to pay attention to the battery and keeping the bike going, i accidently kept my thumb on the starter button.

after about 40 seconds, i realized this, and took it off.
after about 40 more seconds, one of the black-covered cables going down to the transmission started to smoke and appeared to be melting the black coating on it.

Turned everything off, pulled handlebar levers to see which cable. it was the clutch cable.

obviously the battery is dead and i need a new one.

However, what was up with the hot clutch cable?
there shouldnt be any electric current going through it, right?
Was it because i held the starter on?
did it have something to do with using a car battery for the jump?
is it permanantly f-'d up?
...or, was it just some sort of fluke and i should be okay once i get the new battery?

thanks for the help,

-matt

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Jim_R Ex Member	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #1 - 12/10/05 at 07:49:46 There is a clutch switch but Im pretty sure that would be negative. Im not sure but that would be my guess. Wow 40 seconds of starting is along time haha. I wonder what u were daydreaming? hehehehe Im just teasing
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Steve530 Senior Member 2005 No Login Offline Posts: 452 Knoxville, TN Gender:	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #2 - 12/10/05 at 09:21:48 My guess is that you accidently got one of the cables in contact with something that is attached to the clutch cable. Then the sheath was carrying current and heated up. Steve
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torque Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline 2008 nightster,flat od green and black Posts: 748 rock hill,S.C. Gender:	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #3 - 12/10/05 at 09:47:00 i hope u didn't burn your starter up
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slavy Serious Thumper Offline smart cars for stupid people Posts: 710 Phoenix, Arizona Gender:	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #4 - 12/10/05 at 14:58:29 Pull the gas tank and the seat off and check the dammages. Don't try any shortcuts, because these mistakes are very costly. You might end-up loosing the bike in a fire.
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Ed L. Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline "We All go a Little Crazy Sometimes" Norman Bates Posts: 2808 Sunny Florida Gender:	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #5 - 12/10/05 at 15:35:05 I'm not sure if a Savage has a engine ground but it sounds like you might have a bad one. Without an engine ground the engine was using the clutch cable as a ground, that's why it got so hot.
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torque Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline 2008 nightster,flat od green and black Posts: 748 rock hill,S.C. Gender:	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #6 - 12/10/05 at 15:41:31 Ed L. wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12: I'm not sure if a Savage has a engine ground but it sounds like you might have a bad one. Without an engine ground the engine was using the clutch cable as a ground, that's why it got so hot. no, the savage dosent have a engine ground,its frame mounted,not rubber mounted.
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Kropatchek

Serious Thumper

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Why more than 1
cylinder?

Posts: 1457
Alphen a/d Rijn Netherlands
Gender: male

Re: smoking hot cable
Reply #7 - 12/11/05 at 06:45:20

torque wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:

no, the savage dosent have a engine ground,its frame mounted,not rubber mounted.

The Savage has an engine ground....
Look at the connection of your starter motor...there's only one , which gets a positive from the start relay when you press the starter button.

Somewhere the starter MUST get a negative.
That's the little fat wire going from the negative of the battery to the engine.
It is visable on the RH side of the engine behind the clutch lever. It is on mine anyway.

As said previously, if this wire is missing or not properly connected, the starter will find another negative and this time it's the clutchcable
Greetz
Kropatchek Grin

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Never ask your bike to scream before her throat is warm.
'93 Sav in '96 ( yellow) looks

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torque

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2005 No Login

Offline

2008 nightster,flat
od green and black

Posts: 748
rock hill,S.C.
Gender: male

Re: smoking hot cable
Reply #8 - 12/11/05 at 10:00:31

Kropatchek wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:

The Savage has an engine ground....
Look at the connection of your starter motor...there's only one , which gets a positive from the start relay when you press the starter button.

Somewhere the starter MUST get a negative.
That's the little fat wire going from the negative of the battery to the engine.
It is visable on the RH side of the engine behind the clutch lever. It is on mine anyway.

Greetz
Kropatchek Grin

i dont think so, yes there is one cable going to the the starter,the positive,and yes there is a ground coming from the battery to the motor(its grounding point).but the starter is grounded to the frame through the motor ,u can not ,and i mean can not,ground anything positive to the negitive side of a battery Angry

.try it and see what happens Shocked

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Kropatchek

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Why more than 1
cylinder?

Posts: 1457
Alphen a/d Rijn Netherlands
Gender: male

Re: smoking hot cable
Reply #9 - 12/12/05 at 01:55:31

torque wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:

but the starter is grounded to the frame through the motor

There u go, thats excactly what i mean.
Maybe my explanation was not so clear.

The wiring diagram tells it all: All the electrical components ground to a common negative ( ground) wire ending at the the small ( thin) wire attached to the negative of the battery.

Btw the connector about 6" away from the battery terminal is one of the first connectors I will check when trouble shooting.

The thick wire from the negative of the battery goes to the engine and hence to the frame. That's the ground for the startermotor and the sparkplugs.

Greetz
Kropatchek Grin

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Never ask your bike to scream before her throat is warm.
'93 Sav in '96 ( yellow) looks

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torque

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2005 No Login

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2008 nightster,flat
od green and black

Posts: 748
rock hill,S.C.
Gender: male

Re: smoking hot cable
Reply #10 - 12/12/05 at 06:27:17

Kropatchek wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:12:

The thick wire from the negative of the battery goes to the engine and hence to the frame. That's the ground for the startermotor and the sparkplugs.

Greetz
Kropatchek Grin

man ,think about what your saying,as soon as u screw a spark plug in it's grounded(by the motor).theres no ground wires involved.

what your saying is the positive starter wire grounds by going to the black wire then to the negitive post on the battery.

that little wire only grounds the battery,and things that dont bolt directly to the motor or frame(lights,ect).

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Kropatchek Serious Thumper Offline Why more than 1 cylinder? Posts: 1457 Alphen a/d Rijn Netherlands Gender:	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #11 - 12/13/05 at 02:21:37 Please don't get me wrong but you better study this wiring diagram as I seem to be unable to explain the basic DC principles. My native language is Dutch. Greetz Kropatchek
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LANCER Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Savage Beast Performance Parts Posts: 10618 Oklahoma Gender:	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #12 - 12/13/05 at 05:27:25 FLY NAVY 2005 Welcome from a former military aviator. Are you active duty now? What are/did you fly? My son is active Air Force, flying KC-10's. RIDE WELL
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Kaishaku Junior Member 2005 No Login Offline Posts: 68	Re: smoking hot cable Reply #13 - 12/13/05 at 11:09:21 Kropatchek, your explanation was just fine.
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Matt

Guest

Re: smoking hot cable
Reply #14 - 12/13/05 at 15:34:28

Hi Lancer,

Yeah, I'm a pilot in the navy, flying the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter.
I just got my wings in september, and am now at the fleet training squadron learning to fly the seahawk. Actually my first flight is tomorrow.

My kid brother's in the airforce, in Navigator training over in san antonio.

Its nice to hear from you

Have a great day!

-Matt

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