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Re: Weird electrical short burned throttle cable

To: Alex Avery <aavery@rica.net>,
Subject: Re: Weird electrical short burned throttle cable
From: RWM <RWM@rwmann.com>
Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 10:03:29 -0400
Sounds like wire bundle chafing, under the dash.  

If it's white-red to throttle or choke cable, it's a dead short.

- Bob Mann, '69 2000 Solex

Alex Avery wrote:
> 
> Ok, this may be the weirdest electrical problem I've run across.
> 
> I'm a Z guy, but my pops has a '69 2000.  Yesterday evening, he was out
> "enjoying the ride" when his throttle pedal started getting "soft" and the
> engine died down to idle.
> 
> He pulled over onto the grass by the side of the road and when he got out,
> he noticed smoke emerging from around the sides of the hood.  He popped the
> hood and saw what he thought were "wires" on fire!  He put them out with
> his hankerchief and walked home and gave me a call.  I drove over to tow
> the little bulldog (that's what I call it) home.
> 
> When I looked at the "wires" he told me about, I realized they weren't
> wires at all--they were his throttle cable and one of the choke cables.
> The main throttle cable's plastic sheathing melted right off along the
> whole length of the metal cable (from the linkage on the intake back to the
> pivot arm on the firewall).  I looks like the throttle cable is a
> replacement, as there is no metal sheathing on this cable as there is on
> the choke cables.
> 
> On the choke cable, it's metal with a plastic cover over that.  The plastic
> has boiled along the whole length of cable and this cable is now bonded to
> the other non-melted choke cable.
> 
> So, what is happening?  My hunch is that there is a huge short running
> through these cables and this is causing them to heat up, etc.  But where
> is the juice coming from?   Has this happened to anyone else?
> 
> Help, I'm terrible with electrical problems and my father relies on me to
> keep his little beast going.
> Alex Avery
> Churchville, VA

-- 
R.W. Mann & Company, Inc.  > Airline Industry Analysis and Consulting
Port Washington, NY  11050 > tel 516-944-0900, fax 516-944-7280
mailto:info@RWMann.com     > URL http://www.RWMann.com/

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