Urgent help with wires melting

1. user_64763 Established Member Joined: Jun 2013 York Posts: 2134 Citroen Saxo VTR (2001)

   #1 13th September 2014, 15:22

   Went to fuel station, stuck £25 in, went in and paid, came out and car won't start cos battery is dead. Got a jump off some land rover guy, drove home, turned it off, tried to start it straight away and not enough power to start it.
   I swapped the battery for one I thought might have charge in but it doesn't out it didn't but I noticed this wire that earths to get the gearbox was smoking...
   I saw yesterday that there was some bare wire showing so I just wrapped it in the red electrical tape and thought nothing of it.
   It's then melted through the tape so something is up...I'm meant to be off to Manchester this afternoon for a family party and I've got college on Monday!
   
   
   
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2. user_64763 Established Member Joined: Jun 2013 York Posts: 2134 Citroen Saxo VTR (2001)

   #2 13th September 2014, 15:27

   
   
   
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3. user_20080 Saxperience Hardcore! Joined: Dec 2007 smurfland. Posts: 17346 Ex saxo owner.

   #3 13th September 2014, 15:49

   Not anymore your not,until an auto electrician has chacked it out.i would not drive it like that.disconnect the battery and remove it from the car.
4. user_64763 Established Member Joined: Jun 2013 York Posts: 2134 Citroen Saxo VTR (2001)

   #4 13th September 2014, 15:57

   Yep done that, now just need to track down what that one wire is connected too!
   
   
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5. D4MJT Saxperience Forum Bum Joined: Mar 2009 Morpeth Posts: 2539 BMW 116d Regional Toner Sales Edition

   #5 13th September 2014, 16:14

   That's an earth cable, if the earths are getting hot you have a short somewhere. Check all the earths and clean up the connections. Don't forget the negative battery terminal. It should have good contact and be tight.
   
   There is an earth behind the centre of the dash but that should be fine unless you've disturbed it recently, there is one behind each headlight on the inner wing, one for the fan on the front passenger chassis arm near the rad, one under the engine bay fusebox, one at the bottom of the dash behind the carpet on each a pillar, and one on each
   C pillar in the vicinity of the rear seatbelt.

   1 user thanked this post: user_61020
6. D4MJT Saxperience Forum Bum Joined: Mar 2009 Morpeth Posts: 2539 BMW 116d Regional Toner Sales Edition

   #6 13th September 2014, 16:14

   There are also 2 earths that bolt to the top of the gearbox. You've pictured one of them.
7. user_64763 Established Member Joined: Jun 2013 York Posts: 2134 Citroen Saxo VTR (2001)

   #7 13th September 2014, 16:28

   Ok so simply just be a job of cleaning all of the earths?? I'm halfway through taking the whole engine loom out!."
   
   
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8. oxass Infrequent Poster Joined: Sep 2014 Posts: 215

   #8 13th September 2014, 16:47

   As said it's a bad earth,faulty component or chaffed or damaged wiring.
   Clean all of the earthing points,check as much of the wiring as is possible,check all of the fuses are the correct values,if the wiring harness is not to bad and you have insulated the damaged cable test the battery voltage ,check the battery has a ground to the chassis ,check the engine has ground to the chassis.
   If you reconnect the battery (not advisable unless the wiring has been thoroughly inspected)check for parasitic drain also check the output of the alternator.
9. user_64763 Established Member Joined: Jun 2013 York Posts: 2134 Citroen Saxo VTR (2001)

   #9 13th September 2014, 17:05

   Right be got the whole wiring loom out to inspect. Absolutely 100% except the wire that's melted so all good there.
   The wire that's melted is a wire that goes from 2 down to one wire and it's after that join where the wire has melted.
   
   
   
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10. user_64763 Established Member Joined: Jun 2013 York Posts: 2134 Citroen Saxo VTR (2001)

    #10 13th September 2014, 17:05

    The earth that's melted is also connected to the middle plug of the ecu, the brown one. If that's any use to anyone?
    
    
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11. user_64763 Established Member Joined: Jun 2013 York Posts: 2134 Citroen Saxo VTR (2001)

    #11 13th September 2014, 19:28

    Update!
    Engine loom out, checked all wires and insulated where I need to, cleaned all earths, put back together, and she's started first time like a beauty!
    No smoke from wires or any trouble starting! Fingers crossed it stays reliable for another day or 2 haha
    
    
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