Neg Battery Cable Is Getting HOT...........

[JamLazyAss]

Wanted to post it here as I figured there are more folks looking in this section.

History:

1984 Shovelhead.
93 Inch Motor.

Never was a good starting motor, as it turned over very slow and hard.
Below are the items completed to date.

The bike has been completely rewired front to rear.
Starter motor was changed (checked good prior to installing).
New battery.
New solenoid.
Extra heavy gage battery cables. I forgot the gage, but they're heavier than stock.

The engine will start, but the negetive cable keeps getting hot, very quickly.
All grounds seem good.

Any ideas on what I may be overlooking?

[still_on2_wheels]

It's getting hot because of resistance (or too close to your pipes).

So,

1. Ensure case is grounded properly to frame. Not just sitting on fresh paint or powdercoat. Run some good (not cheap) jumper cables from batt ground to case as a test for a better ground.
2. Pull the plugs, crank the bike. If it still gets hot fast, your starter is drawing too many amps.
3. Whats your compression ratio?
4. Does the ground cable stay hot after a startup?

Jeff

[chengdave2003]

I had a 79 FXS that had the same thing happen.  Turned out my timing was off (advanced?).  Reset the timing and it turned over just fine and negative cable stayed cool.  Mine was a stock engine though.....

Dave

[HarleyCharley]

As far as the neg. term getting hot, could be normal from being under load. Again, it could be a high resistive connection. Check both ends for corrosion and tightness. Hope this helps.

Charley