yep it had melted the plastic cover on the battery cable...
and that is where the wire was touching
the bolt was ok till my hubby tried to tighten the nut and snapped the bolt <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/shiner.gif" alt="" /> ouch ....
the rest is all nice and pretty
but I cant get a picture cause my camera dont fit down in there... <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />
maybe someone can snag that piece off the back of an alternator in a junk yard?? <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/coolg.gif" alt="" />
I havent seen any kias in the yards here <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Oh, that's the cable end! I thought at first it was the terminal on the alternator. I would at least take the alternator out and look at the backside where the stud snapped off. And make sure the insulator is OK.

we did take that piece off(took it in to try to get a replacemet)...checked everything else out...

I just cant see buying a new alternator and handing over a perfectly good one just because we melted and broke a part that should be like $5 to fix <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Then when you get it back together maybe you could spray some of that ruber undercoating on the bare parts so nothing else can short it out.

Not sure you can use that stuff there but, Maybe ...

I'm thinking...insulated rubber elctrical tape made for 480 comercial stuff <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Suggestions:

Cut off the (probably burned) part of the large cable to the back of the alternator and splice a good section of same size cable in its place. Use solder, not a crimp butt splice, because the large current will just cause another meltdown at the crimp connection. To the end of this new section of cable, solder a ring connector that is the right size for the wire and the bolt it connects to. Insulate the soldered connections with heat shrink tubing. Forget using plastic tape because it's not made for the hostile environment under a car's hood.

Go to a REAL electronics supply house, maybe not Radio Shack, and get a plastic (preferably Teflon) shoulder washer and a matching flat washer to insulate the stud from the alternator housing. When you put everything back together, route the cable away from the exhaust manifold heat shield (I found a potential disaster when I saw the cable to my alternator rubbing the heat shield).

HTH

Don, y'all
.

the tape I'm gonna use is made special for taping off electrical wires for commercial pumps that run on 480
it's not plastic it's a thick insulating rubber tape
better then shrink wrap tubes
cant get this stuff at radio shack...heh...
my hubby got it from work

I'm familiar with electrical tape that is used for high line voltage applications, but what I had in mind was the high temperatures under the hood that the tape would feel.

Don, y'all
.