Electrical issues

[verytastycheese]

Hi guys, hopeing someone can help me out here. I recently bought a 2001 Chrysler 300m for a good price, and go figure it came with some undisclosed issues. What I'm working on now is the electrical - the cable to the alternator corroded or melted or something and became disconnected. After a shop tried to rig it back up it shorted out and the alternator light came on. I took it to another shop for electrical diagnostics (cost $80) and they told me the alt is bad, I need a new one. They said they'd test the wiring but I'm not confident they've done that.

So I pulled a used alt from picknpull and got it tested - it is good. I put it in and drove around a bit - alt light came back on shortly. I have a multimeter but I'm not a mechanic or electrician. I tested the voltage from the alt to frame... spikes to 36 volts! I tested voltage across the battery: 11.5 volts steady. I guess this leads me to believe there is a short somwhere, but I'm not sure where or how to test for this. Can someone give me some direction on how to find a short or whatever the problem may be?

[vgames33]

I attached a quick cut of the charging system wiring. Its a bit hard to read, but should at least get you started.

I would suspect that fusible link shown between the output terminal of the alternator and the battery is where your issue lies. Fusible links are designed to melt when overloaded, so I'd assume that's what went wrong in the first place.

[verytastycheese]

Ah good to know about thanks! I'll check that out :-)

[verytastycheese]

You, sir, are a genius! The fusible link is definitely blown, which explains pretty much everything. Now the question is what to do... sure I could replace the whole wire but that looks difficult the way it is routed in and around the engine. Why can't it be like a normal fuse - easily replaceable?

Seems like that fuse prevented an electrical fire, so I presume bypassing it would be unwise. How could I go about splicing another one in? Crimping in a butt connector might be the only option hey?

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by verytastycheese

You, sir, are a genius! The fusible link is definitely blown, which explains pretty much everything. Now the question is what to do... sure I could replace the whole wire but that looks difficult the way it is routed in and around the engine. Why can't it be like a normal fuse - easily replaceable?

Seems like that fuse prevented an electrical fire, so I presume bypassing it would be unwise. How could I go about splicing another one in? Crimping in a butt connector might be the only option hey?

The replacement fusible link may come with proper terminals which would make the swap faster and easier.

If all you get are bare wires, a butt connector is not ideal, because they may produce an area of higher resistance, which can lead to a hot spot when the circuit is under high loads. Ideally, soldering the two wire ends together and covering with heat-shrink tubing is best.

[vgames33]

See about getting a replacement link from Chrysler. It should come as the whole wire. Otherwise, you can get fusible link wire of the correct gauge and splice it in (solder is recommended). Another option is to check the rating of the factory wire and retrofit in a replaceable fuse of proper amperage. Off the shelf links and maxi fuses are available well over 100 amps at most parts stores.