Update on UrQ Fire Warning and Wiring Question

[William Elliott <William.Elliott@mail.mei.com>]

Thanks to everyone who responded to me privately and on the list concerning my 
previous post where the 16.0 battery cable in my 85 UrQ grounded against the 
oil cooler and braided lines, essentially burning the cable in half.

Upon further inspection, it appears there is no factory splice in this cable 
running back to the battery (as had been discussed in an earlier thread 
concerning RHD UrQ's).  The cable seems to follow the wiring loom directly to 
the battery.

I was able to find (at my local hardware "superstore") a splicing kit designed 
specifically for 2 AWG (equivalent to 16.0) cabling.  It consists of a 
brass/alloy tube with recessed set screws and about 6" of oil-resistant 
heat-shrink tubing.  All for about $6.  I decided to use this kit to splice the 
wire vice doing a complete replacement.  24" of 2 AWG battery cable with a 
factory-installed starter lug (designed for commercial vehicles) was available 
from my local auto parts store for about $10.  Started and idled the car; 
everything (charging system, etc.) appears to work normally.  Entire fix: $16 
and about 1 hour....

But wait... as I get in the car the next morning, there is a large puddle of 
oil under the engine.  Apparently, the token sacrifice was absolutely 
insufficient.  Upon further investigation, it appears that the majority of the 
current from the grounded wire went through one of the braided oil cooler lines 
to the grounded connection at the filter assembly, essentially destroying the 
integrity of the high pressure joint at the end of the  line.  So, line # 
035-117-123-D (list of $342) requires replacement after approximately 8k miles 
of service... bummer.

Bill Elliott
Lake Mills, WI
66 Corsa, 67 Dart T, 71 TR6, 85 UrQ (with new incontinence problem)