[Jeffsg605]

I went to start my 93 vs1400 the other day and it was dead. I took out the battery to find the negative terminal was melted and battery was at around .2 volts.

I did some diagnosis and found a short between the negative battery cable and the positive post on the starter. I replaced the starter but I'm still getting continuity between the negative battery terminal and the positive post on the starter. I know the cable from the solenoid to the starter is not shorting.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Jeffsg605]

The starter motor will look like nearly a short from its positive connection to its negative connection

Interesting. I did not know this. So its normal to have continuity between the negative cable and the positive of the starter?

You could have a load on the battery outside the starter motor

There were no blown fuses. I can't seem to find a short although there was sparking when I connected the negative battery cable to the battery that seemed excessive.

There wasn't a lot of dirt/etc. between the negative cable and the battery but I can't think of what else it could be. This is the wiring diagram.

I'll make sure the negative battery cable that attaches to the frame is clean as well. Otherwise is it possible that the battery could have been bad? Everything else seems to check out okay.

 

[Jeffsg605]

Here is a quick run down of what happened.

Earlier this summer I replaced the battery. It was old and not holding a charge. I rode the bike maybe 2 or 3 times in the next few weeks. On the last ride, it started misfiring past half throttle on the way home. I parked the bike and didn't touch it for a few weeks. I went to start it again and it was dead. This is when I found the battery with the melted terminal. So i got a couple rides with it between changing the battery and the battery somehow draining.

To answer your questions:

Was the sparking with the damaged battery, or new?

Brand new.

And, was the key on or off?

Key off

Did you have the battery dropped out of the battery box before you attached the negative cable, or was it in its normal location?

Yes, I dropped the battery box. Really the only way to change the battery on these bikes.

I'm concerned that the positive cable has damage, and can short to the frame.

I pulled out the DMM. There is no continuity between positive battery terminal and frame. Nor is there between battery side of the solenoid and the frame. When I disconnect the hot cable from the starter, there is no continuity between the starter side of the solenoid and the frame. No fuses are blown. This is why I'm wondering if it was the battery that is defective. I assumed it was a short too but I can't seem to find anything indicating that. That's why I'm thinking it was a defective battery.

I'll thoroughly check the positive and negative cables again. Maybe even remove them and clean the terminals. Every google search I'm reading seems to point the cause of a melted terminal to dirty connections. I'm not convinced that's what caused mine but I'll give it a shot.

Any other ideas? I appreciate the help so far!

 

[Jeffsg605]

I see what you mean about the cables now. Yeah, I guess they must have been extended. I'll look them over again. The battery does sit very snugly but I'll look into that as well. Thank you so much! I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Jeffsg605]

Well I removed the positive and negative cables and the insulation wasn't broken or anything like that. I took a wire wheel to the ring connectors crimped on the ends. Then reinstalled them and had zero spark with the negative battery terminal. Looks like that was the fix, thanks a lot!