Ok now my starter relay fried, smoked, and melted my new positive cable

[WH23G3G]

I finally was able to figure out the wiring problem causing a bad battery spark when I hooked up the battery. It was the two ground wires that came together for the headlights. So I fixed that and hooked it up a battery minus the engine of course. I'm making sure everything is going to work. Well everything worked, well most of it. All the front end lights worked. I have the low beams and high beam connectors backwards on one side. However, not everything inside or in the rear was working. On the rear taillights only two of the driver side rear taillights were lightining up. The rear passenger side taillights didn't light up at all. I remember changing over those tail lamp sockets was a pain. What could be the problem there? All the bulbs new. I soaked the sockets in EVAPO-RUST so all the contacts were clean. On to the inside. The dial indicator lamp, dome lamp, A/C selector lamp, glove box lamp, high beam indicator, and fasten seat belts lamp didn't come on. All the wires I know are connected to the right place, especially the dome lamp. There wasn't anything wrong with it. I put a new bulb in it. The dash lights, and the emergency brake warning lamp worked. The map light worked when the door was opened. There wasn't much to the clock. It was in really nice shape to off of a low mileagage dash. I know the battery I had only about 11.50 volts. The fuses are all original too, and I don't see any blown. Does any of these things I listed only work when the engine is running? The starter worked too because I turned the key a little too much. Any suggesstions?

[WH23G3G]

I'm finishing up my 73 restoration and was attempting to test the lighting system last night. The battery I had only had 11.50 volts and 186 CCA. So I had it charged today and now it has a full 12.5 volts and 860 CCA. Well last night I was able to hook up everything without any sparks at the battery probably because the battery was so low. Most all the lights worked, the glove box, gear selector, dome light, and right rear tail lamps didn't come on but everything was conncected right. So when I went to connect the battery today to retest everything the large spark occured and melted my new positive cable and fried the starter relay. None of the instruments are on and I can't find any wire that's touching anything metal. There is a 14 gauge red wire that should connect to the B terminal of the relay, then into a fusible link, then turn into a 10 gauge red wire that goes to the Ammeter. If I follow that wire on the wiring diagram it says 60AMP. I now have a 60AMP alternator but it's not even connected, there is no engine in the car even, I'm just testing lights. I had a 10 gauge red wire that came out of the light harness connector which had been spliced with a black wire halfway between and was suppose to be plugged into the B terminal of the relay but on the wiring diagram it said to remove it with 60AMP. I removed that wire and just had the red starter wire hooked to the B terminal and that's when the relay fried and melted the battery cable. Before this happened we were getting the constant spark so I took out a couple fuses and tried to reconnect and was still getting the strong spark when connecting the negative cable. None of the fuses have ever blown throughout this continuing to connect the cables. All throughout this attempting to test the lights everytime I hooked up the negative last it would spark at the battery and at the B stud of the realy. So something is going on at that circuit right? What could be going on?

[davidlclassic]

I think I have a problem like yours. Came home last night and shut the charger down, everything was running fine, got up this morning to go to work and turned the key in the ignition and got nothing. Then I noticed smoke inside the car. I pulled the hood latch and ran and pulled off the battery cable. I had to drive my other car to work so I don't know the damage until I get home. I'm hoping a battery cable may be grounded on the exhaust is all. It was dark so I couldn't tell where the smoke was coming from. When I rebuilt the engine in the charger the body set for awhile, when we put the engine back in and started the car the lights begin to do weird things, the headlights worked but no tail lights, then I had tail lights but no turn signals. I took all the fuses out and cleaned them up and all the contacts where the fuses went with a pencil eraser. I put everything back and everything came on like it was supposed to. I guess the car setting so long corroded everything.

[WH23G3G]

I cleaned everything electrical I could get to. My dash harness was clean and the connections were mostly rust free. I cleaned the fuse box and cleaned any corrosion off of it. I replaced the entire engine harness because it use to be a 318 and now it's a 400. I got a new A/C harness for under the dash and a new reverse harness. I didn't replace the front light harness because I couldn't find one and the rear didn't have much to it and it was a pain to change out the tail light sockets. But that's why I'm testing everything right now to make sure everything should work when the motor/trans go back in so there shouldn't be any surprises when I go to start it up. I think I fried the starter cable on the battery because the starter doesn't turn over but it did the day before. But it melted the battery cable pretty good at that end. I'll just replace it and hopefully it will work. At least I know all the lights work. I tested the gauges when they were out of the car and I'm putting all new sending units on so I should be all set. I'm disappointed that the FASTEN SEAT BELT lights dont come on, maybe a ground issue, my AM/FM radio doesn't work, but the spare AM radio I have was crystal clear. So I can finish the heads, get the exhaust kit, and install the motor/trans finally!