87zx Small fire...but not good..battery/Starter help

[jonrs]

I was prepairing to turn the engine over for the first time today, after putting on a new starter when after hooking up the battery lots of smoke came for the burning positive cable...which is fried..
I had been using the battery for things on the interior with no problems. I believe the starter is wired correctly..since the wire coming from the starter can only go to one terminal.

My question is can someone tell me what the electrical "box" that the positive cable runs into prior to going to the starter from the battery? That same box has a cable coming out of the top going to nothing and looks like one coming from the bottle to the starter.
ANY ideas are appreciated!!

[AZ-ZBum]

Post pictures. There is no "box" or anything from the battery cable to the starter on any of my Z31s.

[evildky]

there is a small fusible link box near the battery that a much smaller cable comes from the positive side of the battery leads to.

[AZ-ZBum]

there is a small fusible link box near the battery that a much smaller cable comes from the positive side of the battery leads to.

Yes. But that doesn't supply the starter with power. The positive cable is about 3' long and runs directly (unfused) from the battery to the starter.

[jonrs]

ok, figured out what the box was....its nothing inside but a rubber mount to hold the wires to the inside of the fender well. Now my question is was the starter hooked up wrong? One the 2 posts, I have the out side one with the positive battery terminal with a rubber cover and the inside one was the wiring coming out of the starter. I did have another large 6awg wire down there but was told it needed to be grounded to the bolts themselves (ground). Wondering if that should have gone to the positive side of the starter also...??

[evildky]

there are 2 posts on the starter one that is just a lug alone thats where the battery hooks up, the other lug has a braided wire coming off of it and leads to the side of the solenoid (I honestly don't recall the Z31 starter specifically but 90% of all starters are like this). The lug with nothing is where the battery positive connects. the ground cable from the battery connects first to the firewall then to a starter mounting bolt or any bellhousing bolt. It is possible however unlikely that the starter "went to ground" shorting the circuit and turning the cables into heater elements.It's also possible that if the starter, the engine or the trans were seized when you tried to start it the starter could not turn the engine over and burned up the wiring.

So had you just replaced the starter? you said you were going to fire it for the first time how about some back story?

[jonrs]

Got it working finally... Someone had wired a dual position cable onto the battery with one post to the starter and other to ground...both coming from the positive post...Not a good thing! Working now. Thanks guys!

[evildky]

WOW! where is darwin when you need him

[AZ-ZBum]

WOW! where is darwin when you need him

Not quick enough. You ever notice how so many of the "my car is broken" threads end with the original poster blaming the incident on "my friend" or "previous owner"? I sure do.

[jonrs]

Lol...I have been cursing the previous owner of this one nearly daily...but still having fun trying to undo all the previous work...she will run now...and moving forward.