Starter pull cable melting

[Madmatman]

When using the pull cable to start the engine ,the cable gets hot and melts , and to top that off the return spring in the starter solenoid has broken
Any ideas before I start spending

Cheers

[svenedin]

Is that the cable glowing in your photo?!!!!!

Somehow, probably a fault with the solenoid, the pull cable is live and conducting electricity (which it clearly should not do and is not designed for). New cable and solenoid I’d suggest.

Stephen

[Madmatman]

Yes that's the cable on fire

[svenedin]

Yes that's the cable on fire

I'm so glad you are OK! I had a solenoid jam in the on position (a later key start) and that nearly caused a fire.

It sounds like something is broken inside the starter solenoid which is allowing battery current to flow through the pull start cable when it is pulled.

[Bill_qaz]

Have you checked your engine earth, it could be using the cable as earth which will cause it to glow due to amps it's carrying.

[myoldjalopy]

Have you checked your engine earth, it could be using the cable as earth which will cause it to glow due to amps it's carrying.

Sounds likely as if it is a pull-start it is a simple contact switch and not a solenoid.

[geoberni]

Keeping this quite simple.
If the return spring in the Pull Switch (it's not a Solenoid, that is an electrically operated device) has failed, it's very likely the internals are flopping around and the feed from the battery is now going direct to earth via the switch casing and the pull cable, instead of via the Starter Motor.
I don't believe it is all going via the pull cable, because it wouldn't take that much current for more than a few seconds.

We don't know how long you had it pulled, was there any attempt by the starter to do anything?

It's worrying that you appear to have taken a 16 second video of it glowing; that's a lot of extra damage you've caused, on top of what happened before you got your phone out.

Get it all stripped out and confirm if you need to buy a new pull cable in addition to the switch, from the look of that glow, you very likely will do.
You may even need the connecting clamp, which sits just inside that 'bracket', right where the glow is... See this image of my car's assembly.
There could be even more damage when you strip it out.
.

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.
You can check the engine earth on the gearbox just in case, but it's unlikely you've 2 faults at the same time.

[geoberni]

Is that the cable glowing in your photo?!!!!!

Somehow, probably a fault with the solenoid, the pull cable is live and conducting electricity (which it clearly should not do and is not designed for). New cable and solenoid I’d suggest.

Stephen

He's already said

to top that off the return spring in the starter solenoid has broken

... so he's been pulling on the start switch with no return spring to disengage it when the pull is released. The switch is knackered, yet he seemingly has continued to pull and, presumably, push it.
Heaven's knows how long he had it glowing fo; from the screenshot, he obviously felt it more important to get a 16 second video

He's very lucky he didn't set fire to something else behind the dash and end up burning the car out!
That looks like some nice kindling very near the metal bracket.
The bracket should be at 90 degrees to the bulkhead as shown in my photo, but clearly isn't, so that has become detached.

[Boomlander]

Wow!
Looks like a narrow escape!
As with all electrical components, especially high consumption ones, keep the adjacent areas clean, dry and free from loose cables and other combustibles.
One of the 1st things I replaced in my old series 2 was the dirty, rusty crud covered starter switch.
Glad your car is OK.

[Madmatman]

Cheers for the help seems I didn't fit a earth strap as I didn't have one with the car when I got it so ordered one now along with new cable and switch

[geoberni]

Cheers for the help seems I didn't fit a earth strap as I didn't have one with the car when I got it so ordered one now along with new cable and switch

Oh dear...

So we have no background to you and this car, other than your enquiry about Spoiler Lights.
From your comment above, have you been rebuilding it, and this is the first time you've tried to start it?

The earth strap connects to one of the cross member bolts, and it connects to the gearbox on the bolt that holds the clip for the speedo cable.

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Check the Engine Steady Cable on the gearbox and the Engine Tie Rod. I wouldn't expect the Tie Rod to provide a good Earth path with the rubber inserts, but I would have expected Steady Cable to have done so.

You can just see the Steady Cable on the gearbox at the top of my photo.