Ok, so I am driving my 1984 4Runner in the snow today when I get the smell of electrical burning. Then everything cuts out, truck is dead. I dump the clutch and it starts up again, turn around and head for home. Somehow it makes it the 17miles home. The truck was showing that it was charging the whole way home.

I get home, turn it off and then try to restart it. Just get a click and the gauge is dead. Then smoke starts rolling from a ground strap between the rear of the engine and the body. A little comes off of one of the battery posts too.

Any ideas where to start looking? I am not an electrical guy at all, but if I kind of have an idea what happened I can start looking for the culprit. Like why did the ground wire get all toasty?

Thanks!

Jason

 

I would start by searching both the ground and hot lead from the battery. It acts like the hot lead has had the casing rubbed off, so it was making contact with the frame.

With the truck being off, I dought it was the alt or something like that. Might also be that a plat in the battery has fallon and is touching another plat inside the battery completing the circute.

Cool, you got home.

 

Thanks! I will start trouble shooting.

Yeah, thats one thing about these trucks is a lot of times they will get you home or somewhere safe when you think they shouldnt. The weather was crap and I was glad it made it back.

Jason

 

Looks like it was the starter, it didnt fully disengage and shorted itself out.

Jason