I am having bad luck finding this one. I have taken off each positive cable off the acessory post, actually all the wires and there is still something grounding out the battery. when I try to hook up the ground on the battery, It still gets hot immediately. The only other wire hooked up to it I think goes to the starter.

If it is the starter, That is good because I want to do that upgrade anyway.(31xx swap with the next-gen. smaller, lighter unit).

Does anybody know why my car all the sudden is doing this? I have had a Batt. (red) light on my dash for a while and now this dead short. At least if I could narrow it down somehow.  That would be harsh if the starter fries and just shorts out the battery.

What would be REALLY harsh is your battery exploding from a short.  Don't hook your battery back up.  It could very well be the battery that is shorted.  If everything else is unhooked you have a short on the starter wire.  Might not be the starter itself, but somewhere along the wire.  They are like $10, get a new one.  Pull the starter AND battery, and have them checked at your local parts store.  Break there stuff, not yours.  :lol:

It may actually be that the wires from the battery are bad (too much resistance). This will cause a problem like your explaining. Check battery voltage to get a base number. Then disconect the wires from the positive cable one at a time (leave connected at the battery) and check the voltage at the end each wire.  If you have a voltage lower than battery voltage that will be your bad wire.

could be a bad alternator..or alternator wire. Mine looked like it was deep fryed at Churches Chicken.  :lol:

Turns out you guessed it, it was the alternator that fried like chicken, but it was the fusible link wires that rubbed on the starter from vibration  :shocked!: and shorted the alt. Plus, I didn't hookup the "e" wire on the battery isolator yet, and that took its toll on the alt. as well. Found out that the e wire communicates with the alt. and tells it what kind of output it needs or something, so it doesn't work too hard and burn up,basically. Then add more wire loom over everything
Good luck for me though.  8) I scored a '98 GP starter gear reduction style starter on a trade for a pizza.
And, If everything works out well tomorrow with the bracket clearance tomorrow I will be purchasing and installing a 105 amp idle charging 200 amp max alternator. Brand new technology same as in the new Corvette.
Thanks for all the help, everybody for sending me down the right path so  hopefully in a few days I will be posting how good these new hi-tech GM parts work.

Tell me more about this higher output starter!!!??  Part number, final cost, were to get, specs?? 8)

Jeff M

You mean alternator ?

Oh I was just talking about how basically my shit was outdated and I just realized it. and figured that it wouldn't be long before everyone else besides the few of us that know try to do the same.
Sorry I guess I am a little nervous right now because I don't really know if it is going to work for sure. One thing is for sure, and that is the case has to be modified by machining it. They have my alternator bracket and hopefully next week we will cram in the new black with clearcoat CS144 alt.

Nevermind, it is a cs 130D :oops: . The cs-144 is too big.