Hot battery leads

[Captain flint]

I have got to the stage of my Morris 1000 restoration where I need to see if the engine fires up.
Today I connected my new charged battery,turned on the ignition and got a very dull red light.
Then I turned the starter key,and all I got was a click from the solenoid,no the starter is not jammed
and the engine turns freely by hand.Also both battery leads got hot.This is a car that has been converted
to alternator and therefore negative earth.Please help what checks can I carry out next,battery terminals are clean and tight.
Many thanks for taking the time to look!
Regards,
Martin.

[bmcecosse]

Sounds like a very heavy short circuit - disconnect the battery right away! To check - re-connect the battery and check if there is a 'spark' as you connect the second lead. beware - if the battery has been recently charged - or heavily discharged (by the short) - wait some time (at least 30 mins) to allow any flammable Hydrogen gas to disperse. However it seems the discharge came only when you 'turned the key' (although you report a dim Ign light..hmmmm ) -so perhaps there is an error in the solenoid connections - or a dead short in the starter! Any chance of a picture of the solenoid? And -who converted it to negative earth?

[Captain flint]

I will check tomorrow,also get a photo of the solenoid,
Thanks for getting back!

[alexmcguffie]

If you're battery leads are getting hot don't re-connect the battery until you've found the fault! Use a multimeter to check things through logically.

Obvious things - of the top of my head - to look for are:
a) Is one of the heavy leads on the solenoid too close/touching the bulkhead?
b) Is the smaller brown wire on the solenoid connected to the battery side of the solenoid and also going to the right place after your alternator conversion?

[rayofleamington]

the starter is not jammed

but could be short circuit!

[simmitc]

Are they proper battery leads - if too thin, then they will get hot. Check the earth connection to the body and make sure that it is clean and tight.

Disconnect the alternator and the lead to the starter motor - insulate the end! Now check to see whether everything else works OK, or whether the light is still dim and the wires get hot.

Try a jump lead directly from battery to starter to see if it works then.

[Captain flint]

For some reason which I will have to look into I can't upload my brilliant pictures,Dooh!
Any way this is what I have done so far,checked for short circuits,none detected,checked battery leads and connections,
diconnected white and red ignition wire from solenoid,got insulated scewdriver and shorted out solenoid terminals,hey
presto motor spins great!Re-connected all terminals and back with just the clicking solenoid.Is it too obvious could this
be a faulty solenoid,also bearing in mind the very weak ignition light.
Thank you everyone for most helpful input.
Martin.

[bmcecosse]

Could be faulty solenoid - until recently I had 'never' heard of such a thing on 'good old' solenoids - the ones with the black rubber button.. The newer copies on sale these days (with small red button) do seem prone to failure. But we still need to see where you have connected the cables - reduce the size of the pictures - then they will post. And your test doesn't explain the hot cables....or had the car been sitting in the sun.......

[whyperion]

Fault in the alternator conversion wiring up ( what size approx should wire from starter solenoid- presumably the feed side - to the alternator be?).

[Captain flint]

Success! I now have a motor that spins over,after days of scratching my head and seeking advice
From the good people on this forum,I purchased a new solenoid,but the problem persisted!
I had re-wired the new solenoid as was the old one,I broke my own rules,one of which is never assume!
Yes the old solenoid was wired incorrectly with both a negative earth and a positive going to the solenoid!
Removing the negative earth lead cured the problem,but as I keep telling you all I am an elderly(691/2)
Thanks for al your input,I tried to upload a photo,which I am sure would have got me the solution,but
I was unable to reduce the size for inclusion.
Thanks once again,
Martin.

[bmcecosse]

I knew it had to be something like that....although you said it worked fine when you shorted it with a screwdriver? How could that be if it was 'earthed' ? It's easy to re-size pictures...the instructions are on the forum ... And at that age you are scarcely any older than me - and many others on here - so we don't accept that excuse!