Battery Shorting Problem

[Green_gator]

I recently had an issue where my battery shorted when I went to start my 109. The positive battery terminal actual melted down just a bit and melted through the top of the battery. I found out that the issue was that where the positive battery cable went through the frame at the back of the battery box headed to the starter the cable had worn a small amount of the rubber grommet away and a small amount of the insulation. This left a very small area that when it lined up correctly shorted the battery to the frame. When I pulled out the cable to see if it was correctable I found that the insulation on the cable was brittle and some came off as I moved the cable. I replaced the cable and used a length of extra rubber hose over the cable where it passes through. May be worth taking a look at the next time you check the batteries. I will try to get a photo posted as soon as I can find the cable to connect the phone to the computer.

 

[319]

Good tip on the rubber hose. Old 3/4" garden hose zip tied on the cable works great.

 

[salvorone@aol.com]

ditto on the good tip

 

[cranetruck]

If it actually was a short to chassis, then the starting would have nothing to do with it. My guess is that you had a poor, high resistance connection at the clamp-to-battery-post and the starting current generated the heat, melting the post.
Always check battery connections before starting if the truck has been sitting for a while.
Yeah, the rubber hose is a good idea, works in a lot of applications.