Please help Distro block over heating.

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

A bad ground will not make a positive distro block overheat and melt. If anything, a bad ground will limit current, reducing heat.

That much heat means you obviously have a poor connection. And your comment about seeing sparks is another dead give away that you have a poor contact back there. Sparks will not occurr if you have a good, clean, solid contact. So, obviously you dont. Fix it.

Id stay away from those types of connectors. Just get the plain old every day set-screw type.

 

[multimaster 10+ year member]

Ok...so you're saying it's most likely just a shitty connection AT the distro block and not a short somewhere? If it's such a shitty connectino wouldn't I be able to just pull the wire out of the distro block without much force?

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Ok...so you're saying it's most likely just a shitty connection AT the distro block and not a short somewhere? If it's such a shitty connection wouldn't I be able to just pull the wire out of the distro block without much force?

I am saying its at the block, yes. A poor connection causes excess resistance, even sometimes arc'ing (sparks). Excess resistance is realistically the only way you are getting that much heat that localized to the distro block itself.
Depending on the connection type, and Im not familiar with that brand's connection type, it could still be holding the wire fast while not making good metallic contact between the block and the copper. It could be holding onto the wire partially by the wire's outer jacket, for example.

 

[multimaster 10+ year member]

ok so....\What can I do to make it better. (besides buying a new block) Should i try trimming up some more wire and really tightening that screw down?

 

[audioholic 5,000+ posts]

Well the block already looks... melted. Id say replace it.

 

[multimaster 10+ year member]

Oh I'm sorry....that picture was a prior block. not the current one. The current one has only just began melting....just barely It should be salvageable.

 

[kovemaster559 5,000+ posts]

ive noticed that too with those conncetors . thats y i run 0 guage from batts straight to 2 amps. i only use those blocks for amps and other stuff

 

[multimaster 10+ year member]

ive noticed that too with those conncetors . thats y i run 0 guage from batts straight to 2 amps. i only use those blocks for amps and other stuff

So are you sayign I may be better off just running another 0 gauge off the battery instead of splitting it?