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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
December 2004
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Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 15:56
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Hello  I have a problem with my starter motor, or the wiring, or something. Basically, as the title says, the negative terminal on the battery starts smoking when I turn the key to start the car. The starter motor makes a click then a whiney noise, and the negative terminal starts smoking after just a few seconds.
As a bit of background, I have just finished putting this 4k into my KE15 sprinter, after cracking the head on the original k engine. As far as I know the new engine is ok, and the starter motor was working when I tested it out of the car. What could be causing it to do this? I have a multimeter (very little idea how to use it  ) which registers 12v on the wire going to the starter.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Perth, WA
Registered:
May 2003
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 18:00
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so the car actually starts but you noticed the neg terminal smokes?
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 20:56
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No, the car doesn't start. The starter motor clicks, and actually there is no noise after that (I must have imagined the humming.. it was 2:00am or something  ), just a click as it engages.
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Location:
Bundaberg, Qld.
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 21:21
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upgrade the earth from the battery to chassis to engine/gearbox to at least a 4 guage wire. make sure all the lugs are onto clean metal (not just the bolt earthing it).
what voltage does your battery show with the multimeter?
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 21:58
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The battery shows 12v. The wires connecting the battery to the earth and engine earth are all the original wires, which I never had a problem with. Another thing which may be relevant is the starter motor itself is different from my original starter motor. On my original there is a single electrial tab for the switch and a large bolt for the main current, however on my new starter motor there are 2 tabs, one marked "SW" the other marked "C". In the car itself there is only 1 plug for the single tab on the original starter. I'm wondering what this second tab is for and if it might be related? When I tested the starter motor before putting it in I only needed one tab connected, and the starter motor turned on ok, so I don't really think this is related.
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Location:
Wollongong
Registered:
November 2004
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 22:10
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As for the smoking... Check your wiring...
It sounds like something is backwards
As for the ticking, it sounds like you don't have enough power in the battery to crank over the starter motor...
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 22:40
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Hmm the battery was on the charger all night, and it's showing it as being fully charged. I can leave the battery connected and nothing starts smoking until I turn the key and hold it. I have put the battery in backwards once so I know what thats like 
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Location:
Devonport Tasmania
Registered:
June 2004
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Sun, 12 December 2004 23:07
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sounds like your starter is drawing too much current for the leads, upgrade the leads or check your starter
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Location:
Vic
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 01:14
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The terminal is probably just dirty or loose. The smoke will be caused from a poor connection creating heat.
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Location:
adelaide
Registered:
April 2003
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 01:36
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i bet stewart knows the answer
*awaits his post*
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Location:
brisbane
Registered:
October 2004
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 02:58
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bmak has hit the head on the nail.
Resistance in high current circuits causes heat! More current = more heat! More heat = smoke!
Probable cause is the battery connection being loose or there is corrosion build up between the terminal and the connection causing resistance.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
December 2004
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 03:00
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Thanks all for your help I'll try these suggestions and see how it goes.
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Location:
Kita-Ku, Sapporo, Japan
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 03:05
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i would HIGHLY recommend replacing the original starter cable with something like Jaycar 4gauge wire (or a commercially made cable)
then ALSO CHANGE the alternator charge wire (that originally went to the starter motor terminal) to maybe 8 gauge, and route it directly to the battery.
i agree with others, clean the battery terminals, make sure they have good connection.
oh, and have a VERY close look at the starter motor...
once i used a KE70 starer motor with heat shield, but thru vibration and fatigue, the strap, holding the starter motors heat shield tight, broke, resulting in the heat shield rotating and touching the fat exposed wire from solenoid to starter motor... when i turned key to start, large puff of smoke and the copper wire melted clean thru.. and the shield lost some metal too... and became fused to other parts 
so yeah, cheakc that first.. check that the starter cable is not earthing anywhere at the points near where it bolts onto the starter motor.., then check batt terminals...
Cya, Stewart
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Location:
Rocklea qld
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 09:31
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Might sound stupid but you havnt earth your engine off the starter have you where its possibly touching the power wires. I know someone who have ran power wires to earths and it caused him to fry 3 ecu systems before someone who knew what they were doing looked at it.
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Location:
Hobart
Registered:
June 2002
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 09:49
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ive had this problem, its just high reistance causing more heat (like Cool1 said), clean the connections around the earth lead. and maybe get a new earth lead.
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Location:
Wollongong
Registered:
November 2004
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Re: Negative terminal smokes when I try to start car (ke15 corolla)
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Mon, 13 December 2004 10:18
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| tracky wrote on Mon, 13 December 2004 09:40 |
Hmm the battery was on the charger all night, and it's showing it as being fully charged. I can leave the battery connected and nothing starts smoking until I turn the key and hold it. I have put the battery in backwards once so I know what thats like
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I nearly cried yesterday after doing that... Thank f'uck for fuses...
Luckily only damage was a 10amp fuse to the radio blew... Did it in a VX Commo... I shit meself... No one knew why I was so stressed out... It is soo damn scary when you put stuff in the wrong way and it goes SPARK SPARK SPARK "Wierd smell" *Wire really hot even though not connected*
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