Power wire fried...why?!?

[JDUB99 10+ year member]

Hey guys,

I've got a problem. I just had an exhaust shop repair a leak in my exhaust. The same day I drove back to school (3 hours) and I shut the truck off. As soon as I got out of the truck I noticed smoke coming from the vent in the back of the cab. When I opened the door it smelled like burnt rubber/plastic, which ended up being the power wire right next to my amp. I pulled the fuses from my amp and then disconnected the power wire from the battery to make sure it stopped. The wire looks fine all the way up to the back wall next to the amp. The red insullation on the wire is now black and brittle. I have the power wire running under the carpet and up through the back but I used grommets in every hole that the wire passed through. What I don't understand is nothing was wrong with the system during the 3 hour drive but as soon as I shut it off it started smoking. I wasn't pushing the amp or sub at all during the drive. BTW, I've installed this system about 7 or 8 months ago with no problems at all until now.

What are the possible sources of the melted wire?!? If someone welds on a vehicle without disconnected the battery, is there a good possibility that it could harm something electrical?! Thanks for any help in advance.

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[fatboyracing 10+ year member]

could they of cut the wire and grounded it out when the lifted it up

 

[JDUB99 10+ year member]

could they of cut the wire and grounded it out when the lifted it up

I don't think so. I mean they shouldn't have. The leak was just before my convertor. I have my ground going through the floor bolted to the frame on the driver side of the truck and they shouldn't have been near it at all.

 

[andrew2944r 10+ year member]

Replace the whole run if I was you

 

[oldschool4me 10+ year member]

yea replace it, sounds like either your wire is too small or it somehow got shorted. alot of times they dont use a gromet on the firewall and the wire vibrates and the metal cuts through the shielding on the wire.

 

[JDUB99 10+ year member]

yea replace it, sounds like either your wire is too small or it somehow got shorted. alot of times they dont use a gromet on the firewall and the wire vibrates and the metal cuts through the shielding on the wire.

Thanks for the advice, I planned on replacing it as soon as possible. BTW though, there is no "they". I installed everything myself with 2 AWG Kicker wire and used grommets on every hole the wire passes through. but I guess it's something to double check when I replace it. Thanks again.

 

[Cpyder 10+ year member]

Did you have an inline fuse?

 

[JDUB99 10+ year member]

Did you have an inline fuse?

Yeah, I believe it's an 80 amp inline fuse. I checked it and it's not blown, which really confuses me. It'd be my assumption that when using higher quality wire, they would inlcude an inline fuse that would snap if there was a short to the point the insulation of the wire was melting. And if it wasn't shorting, what else would possibly make the wire and grommet burn up?

 

[Einzee 10+ year member]

Did the shop use an electric welder or a torch to fix the leak. I don't know why but some shops still use fire to fix exhaust and if that is the case with your vehicle, it is quite possible that the technician may be the cause of your problem. It is very difficult to contain heat from a torch to a specific area and your wire just may have been at the wrong place at the wrong time.