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1992 Shifter cable burning up... Possible ground problem??

Ajetsprt

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2006
Messages
35
Location
NJ
Hi,
I am having a problem with my 1992 coupe... I've put about 4000 miles on it (126k total) and last Friday drove it for about an hour and when I got back in it I turned the key and got nothing (VAT has been removed). After about 3-4 min I turned the key and it started right up. I went to put it in gear (automatic) and I had no gears. The shifter cable had broke right at the shifter in the car. I also smelt something burning and after I got the cable out saw the end was melted. I figured it was from laying on the exhaust after it broke.

A friend and I replaced the cable and I thought I was good to go... I've put about 2 hours in total driving time on it at about 15 min at a time and today the exact same thing happened. This cable completely melted. My friend thinks the car has some type of ground problem now and its trying to use the shifter cable to ground the car. Any thought? Any place I should look first? I did check the ground cable at the transmission and I found three on the frame that looked good but I cleaned them anyway.

Is there any way to test this to see if it is the ground as my friend suspects?

The last thing done to the car was about 1000 miles ago and was replaceing cap and rotor, plugs and wires and the water pump. I did check the plug wires and nothing looks melted.

Any help is greatly appreciated
 
Here is what happened to the new cable. Orininal cable just snapped and slightly melted
photo1.jpgphoto2.jpgphoto3.jpg
 
Here is what happened to the new cable. Orininal cable just snapped and slightly melted
View attachment 620View attachment 619View attachment 618
A ground does not cause heat or arcing unless there is voltage present. People struggle to have enough ground path in corvettes. The engine and trans are 2 places that are desirable when adding grounds.
You have a "hot-wire" shorted out somewhere...a major source of voltage that can carry enough amps to arc and melt a steel cable.
Might want to trace the battery pos cable and all the wiring harness under the shifter cover . If voltage is using that cable to "short"...something on one end or the other has voltage that should not be there...a worse fire is possible. You should go disconnect the battery RIGHT now until this is diagnosed.
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Thanks... Any ideas what the first thing to check would be or how to check it? There are two amps and a capasitor which go right to the positive at the battery. It is fused but I am going to disconnect them first. I guess where I am confused is how to tell if I found it before melting anything else. Any thoughts? Thanks again
 
Another question. Where the rear hatch latch is on the body is that actually a ground? The capacitor and amps are grounded there
 
Another question. Where the rear hatch latch is on the body is that actually a ground? The capacitor and amps are grounded there

I would be guessing without seeing the hatch "grounds" but I can tell you that there are positive wires for the hatch glass defogger that go thru the rear lift supports.

This sounds like a "short to ground" not a ground problem.
How to test? Again, I'd be guessing. Grounds are everywhere and a good thing. Shorts can happen anywhere. Frames are grounds, engines, trans.
Plastic cars with ECMs have grounds wherever they are needed. Your shorted hotwire will probably be near the meltdown.
If you are not familiar with electrical, then I'd take it (tow) to an auto-electric shop. They will diagnose it in minutes and let you do the repair. I've never spent more than $100 to have them track down something that I did not have the time or tools to find..Its well worth the money to find the real problem.
 

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