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let the sparks fly.

let the sparks fly.

reptile610

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Location
st. clair shores, MI
Vehicle(s)
1982 CJ7: 151cu iron duke/ sr-4 trans/ dana 300/ dana 30 front amc 20 rear 3.73 gears.
so i just went outside and put a new battery in my CJ7 and when i hooked it up i seen some sparks from my alternator but then they stopped. got into the jeep to start it and it cranks over but won't start. safe to assume my alternator just shorted out???
 
so i just went outside and put a new battery in my CJ7 and when i hooked it up i seen some sparks from my alternator but then they stopped. got into the jeep to start it and it cranks over but won't start. safe to assume my alternator just shorted out???

:)Kind of funny that when you hooked up a new battery you seen sparks. What caused you to have a dead battery in the first place???
Always try to go back to the event that leads up to where you now are.
You can take off the alternator and take it to Napa to have it checked.

Since the alternator has a hot charging lead back to the Battery it could be that or something else..............sparks are telling you something went to ground. Make sure you go back over any wires that have been removed and check for polarity..........

Pull out your tester and start looking for anything thing that has an open circuit or burnt wires...........

:D:D:D:D
 
:)Kind of funny that when you hooked up a new battery you seen sparks. What caused you to have a dead battery in the first place???
Always try to go back to the event that leads up to where you now are.
You can take off the alternator and take it to Napa to have it checked.

Since the alternator has a hot charging lead back to the Battery it could be that or something else..............sparks are telling you something went to ground. Make sure you go back over any wires that have been removed and check for polarity..........

Pull out your tester and start looking for anything thing that has an open circuit or burnt wires...........

:D:D:D:D

since i bought the jeep something has been drawing power no matter what. i've always disconnected the battery to keep it from killing it and now problems. well i forgot one night and when i took it to auto zone they said it wouldn't hold a charge, it was under warranty so they gave me a new one. when i got home this happened.
 
since i bought the jeep something has been drawing power no matter what. i've always disconnected the battery to keep it from killing it and now problems. well i forgot one night and when i took it to auto zone they said it wouldn't hold a charge, it was under warranty so they gave me a new one. when i got home this happened.

That sounds like a bad day waiting to happen. If you have something grounding, sooner or later you are going to have wiring flambe... If you have access to an ammeter, WITH THE KEY OFF you can start lifting wires (one at a time) until you see your amps drop off. If not, you can do the same with a good volt meter, but if the load is small, it will be harder to see the load drop off (voltage will rise slightly).

I would start with anything that has been either modified or is not working - for instance, your gauges all have a hot lead, but generally ground through their mount to the dash - If a gauge isn't working, it can be grounding out. Tarry99 is right - burnt wire insulation or bad wire connections (check the molex plug connectors) can lead you to the issue.
 
since i bought the jeep something has been drawing power no matter what. i've always disconnected the battery to keep it from killing it and now problems. well i forgot one night and when i took it to auto zone they said it wouldn't hold a charge, it was under warranty so they gave me a new one. when i got home this happened.

:)Probably a clock or a radio with memory in it that requires voltage. Could be a bare wire also.........You can do a search here or on the internet for voltage loss and get some ideas on how to trouble shoot that voltage loss problem. .....Once you find it then have your alternator checked.

:D:D:D:D
 
One more thought - You should have a fusible link coming off the alternator battery lead. That shouldn't keep the vehicle from starting, but it would keep it from charging. If it is what sparked, it did it's job. now you have to figure out where the short is. Good luck!
 
It should still start with a fried fusible link.
Have that ALT tested PDQ......
LG
 
I use a circuit test light to help find battery drains. With a known good battery installed, ignition switch and all assessories off, disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery post. connect a test light between the negative battery post and the cable. If the test light shines bright, you have a constant drain on your battery. Then it's a matter of pulling fuses one at a time until you notice the test light dim or go off completely. When the light goes off (or dims), you've located a circuit that is draining the battery. If the light only dims when you pull a fuse, that could mean you have more than one circuit to trace for a problem. Stuff that pulls power all the time like a radio or clock will constantly drain but should only make the test light burn dim since they pull minimum amps. You can temporarilly disconnect stuff like that to perform the circuit test. Using something to clamp the test light to the battery post will allow you to see the light through the windshield without walking around every time to see if it went out after pulling a fuse.
 
Very cool! I like that approach!!!
 
A bad diode in the alternator can cause your battery to drain over night also, you could check the solenoid for a short.
 
well.... figured out what i did. i'm actually pretty ashamed to say this but in a rush to try and start the jeep i hooked up the battery backwards....... oops.
 
:)
:)Kind of funny that when you hooked up a new battery you seen sparks. What caused you to have a dead battery in the first place???
Always try to go back to the event that leads up to where you now are.
You can take off the alternator and take it to Napa to have it checked.

Since the alternator has a hot charging lead back to the Battery it could be that or something else..............sparks are telling you something went to ground. Make sure you go back over any wires that have been removed and check for polarity..........

Pull out your tester and start looking for anything thing that has an open circuit or burnt wires...........

:D:D:D:D

well.... figured out what i did. i'm actually pretty ashamed to say this but in a rush to try and start the jeep i hooked up the battery backwards....... oops.

Well Good Luck
 

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