Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting What the f***

ok, i had a post a few days ago aboyt a clicking noise from my engine and a battery light...so here is an update with some questions.
well the dude from the shop called me this morning and told me that the wire from the positive battery terminal to the alternator had burned (melted). and that the clicking sound was coming from the exhaus manifold near the firewall.
so I go to the shop, and i look at the car on the lift, and...damn. i can't believe it. the cable, melted, burned, torn so bad. but that's not all. the egr tube is cut in half. there is almost an inch of a hole in the tube, right where the cable touched, and melted. how easy could I have cought electrical fire...i got lucky coz i parked the car 15sec after i heard the boom from underneath the car....so my point is, make sure all of you have a fire extinguisher in your cars!!!

so here are my questions.
1)any tips for changing the egr tube and whre to get a new one from??
2) this cable, is it all one peace, or not? goes from battery, to starter and then to alternator. where can i get one cheap? is a used cable from a junk yard a good idea? what you think?? ohh and how hard is it to change that cable/section of the cable...

sorry for the long post again...i am confused

If it is at the shop and up on a lift, might as well get them to change both of them.

If not, then I would be hesitant to get the cables from a junkyard. I would go with Bill Jenkins (Teamford) or Steve (at Tousley Ford).
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=v6maint&Number=958650&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=31&fpart=1

thanks tony. i spoke with steve and he gave me a good deal. but he said that if i find a good cable in a good condition, i could use it. i went to the junkyard, got the egr pipe for free, but no luck with the wires. however, i saw that this is actually the same wire that goes from the alternator to the mega fuse and then to the battery. and then it all became clear to me.
the guys that fixed my megafuse 5-6 months ago zip tied the cable to the coil pack. those ties broke, and the whole cable got loose. it fell down to the egr tube and burned. the guys said that the car is likely to burn if driven, but they don't want to take any responsibility of their prior work. they will check it again, and let me know if they will fix their mess...

This post just boosted my confidence that my battery light actually is being caused by my frayed wire at the positive battery terminal.