A few weeks ago I went to start my 1990 toyota 4x4 pickup, and there was absolutely no power. No dome light, no horn, no fuel pump, no starter noise. Nothing.
I pop the hood, and I see the positive battery cable melted at the battery terminal. I replaced the cable, clean the grounds, and get the battery recharged. Still absolutely no power.
I checked the fuses and they all look fine. I am at a loss and very frustrated. Any ideas?

By the way, about a year ago my truck would randomly not start, at which point I replaced the starter, and both the positive and negative battery cables, but the same thing kept happening. I took it to a shop specializing in electrical problems, and they told me they put in a relay "with a piggyback" (i dont know what that means) at the starter, and that solved all the problems.

if anyone has suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.

 

CHECK ALL THE WIREING FOR TEARS, MAYBE SOME WERE YOUR WIRES ARE CROSSING WERE THERE NOT SUPPOSSED TO BE CROSSED OR TOUCHING? CAUSING A SHORT?

iS YOUR COIL OEM?

 

My guess is that your positive battery cable was chafing against a metal part and was grounding out, causing the terminal to melt. Double check that your new cable is well clear of any sharp areas. If you need to protect it, you can slice a section of 5/8" heater hose length wise and work it over the battery cable. Tape or cable-tie it to the battery cable and it will be protected from chafing. The power surge might have caused the fusible link or large fuses to blow, causing your current problems.

There is "fusible link" wire between the battery and the under-hood fuse block. This is a piece of wire that is smaller in diameter then the rest of the wiring and has a special flame proof insulation. The purpose is to melt this piece during a major short in order to save the fuse block and wiring into the cab and to prevent a fire. The wire inside the link burns up but the special insulation won't catch on fire. It will bubble and look distorted so that is the next thing to check. The wire that goes directly from the battery to the fuse block has the link. take the cover off the under-hood fuse block and check for voltage between the "dome" fuse (center row of small fuses, engine side 15 A fuse) and the negative battery terminal. If you have 12v here you know the link is Ok. If not, peel back the sheathing over the wire and see if the insulation anywhere along the wire looks melted. You can buy new fusible link to splice in from Auto Zone, Checker, etc., but you definitely don't want to use regular wire. While you're in the fuse block, take a look at the 80A Alt fuse, and the 40A and 30A AM-1&2 fuses. If you find a burned out fuse the block will have to be unbolted and removed to get to the inside. The big fuses are held in with small bolts and can't be just pulled out.

Hopefully you'll find your problem here. Good luck,
Bugs