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DEAD SHORT


Guest crtnrds

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Guest crtnrds

Prior to going away for 2 weeks.. I started the car ('90 convert)... disconnected the (-)battery & attached a maintenance charger. When I got home I tried to attach the negative terminal and got a strong spark, actually melting the lead on the side post battery. Checking all fuses & relays showed nothing. I don't understand what may have happened. Maybe a fusible link somewhere?? Any input from you Reatta Gurus would be greatly appreciated.

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I use a different method for shorts: take a 12v test light and connect in series with the battery. If you have a short, the test light will come on brightly. Now disconnect things until the light goes out then troubleshoot that circuit to find the short.

I mentioned mice because rodents of all kinds (sister in AZ has trouble with prairie dogs) love to chew on insulation. They can really make a mess of a car's wiring but usually only bother one wire with 110 or 220.

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Guest Mc_Reatta

Start by looking in the red positive terminal box behind the battery by the coolant overflow tank where the fuseable links are and remove the terminal that comes in from the battery. Also remove the battery terminal from the back alternator. That just leaves the starter. Try hooking the negative terminal back to the battery. If no sparks then starter solenoid is OK. Then using Padgett's idea and connect a test light between the alternator post and the battery cable. If light stays off then alternator diodes are OK. Reconnect cable to the alternator post. Then on to the common positive terminal behind the battery. Again use Padgett's test light method to see which of the wires leaving the box causes the light to shine brightly. Then that circuit can be dissected to find the short.

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Guest Mc_Reatta

There are plenty of items in a Reatta that will be powered on even with the key off, but they shouldn't draw that much current. I would check the relative brightness of the test lamp on each circuit and start with the one making the light burn the brightest.

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