<VV> Fried Brake Cable - Lessons Learned

[Doug Foust]

Time to close the loop on this. . .   64 vert 110 that was melting hand 
brake cable, arcing where it leaves tunnel at rear.  Happened concurrent 
with starter failure, which in the end was probably unrelated.
1.  PO eliminated all 3 engine to chassis grounding straps!  Only remaining 
ground was wire from negative stud on body near battery to generator, and it 
has a crimp-on lug that I can wiggle and feel the play in it - poor 
crimping.  I assume grounding was intermittent as a result.  An easy fix 
once I get straps - I'm gonna ground the heck out of that baby.
2.  Seems POSSIBlE that solenoid could have failed prematurely due to excess 
draw resulting from bad grounding.  Performing electrical checks in shop 
manual might have revealed the problem if done while the starter was still 
functional and on the car.
3.  Brian Blackwell, Smitty, Matt, Harry Yarnell and Gary Funkhouser all 
provided good advice, thanks guys.  Things that are obvious to you who do it 
daily with multiple vairs are new lessons to a one-vair shade-tree mechanic.
4.  Bottom line suggestion to the other amateurs out there like me, if you 
haven't verified that your grounds - battery to chassis, engine to chassis - 
are in good order, save yourself some trouble with a quick inspection.  I 
burned two brake cables needlessly.
As a side note, the scary admonishments I got about the hazards of tunnel 
fires did cause me to do an exhaustive and overdue inspection of the hiring 
harnesses in my search for ignition and other wire shorts to the cable.  
Found one small break in the process and will now sleep better as well.
Doug Foust
64  110  PG   Vert

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