Thread: Major ignition issue, battery drops to 9v, and ground off distributor gets very hot.

Here's my problem, on friday I was at the store and when I went to leave, the car cranked slow but fired up. I thought it was odd as I have recently replaced my battery. So on the way home the CEL comes on. I get home and pull the codes, ign coil, frnt o2, and cam position sensor. So I pop the hood and I see oil on the ground. I look below and there is a good amount of oil on the ground. So i start searching for that problem first and while I can see oil everywhere I can't find where it's coming from. I had my neighbor come crank the car while I'm looking and I find the oil line between the block an dist block is spewing oil. Weird that this happened to a braided line that's not that old.

Now while doing this we noticed the car was cranking very slow, almost like the battery was dying. So i was looking at my volt gauge and every time we cranked it the power would go from 12-11-10-9 and die. Then once you let off the key and back to ign, battery levels would go back to 12-13. Well while doing this one of us notices a puff of smoke in the engine bay. Low and behold the ign ground wire off the disi has burnt away it's coating and is very hot. Tried cranking again and we could feel it getting hot. So I pulled the ground wire out of the harness and reground the disi. This made no difference.

How can the two be related, well I just noticed that the oil line had a black mark in it, and while looking at the new line I noticed it could very easily touch the starter. Could I have grounded out the starter while cranking it and ruining it. Starter bad+ ign ground taking to much and burning up? So this was my thought and I went and bought a new starter. Installed new starter and boom, it burned away the fixed ign ground wire. GRRRRR

I've tested all ign coil wires and grounds, everything appears to be good. I've swapped out distributors, and that made no difference. I'm lost and am need of help.

Thanks
JP

That sounds about right. Very easily could have grounded the starter with the steel braided line. Have you checked the fuses and relays and wiring on the box by the batteries and driver side fender. Also check very closely the wiring around the starter and alternator.

Pretty much have checked all wiring and fuses. Did all continuity tests that the ESM said.

Codes are 1320, an 0340 ign coil, and camshaft postion sensor.

Did some more voltage testing and things appear fine. Had the wife come crank while looking at it and the wire went up in smoke within seconds of cranking. I don't have a clue WTF is wrong at this point.

With the ignition coil 15amp fuse pulled it still does it. Something has to be shorted, or something somewhere?

if the wiring is getting that hot, sounds like there is a problem in the disi

I have two dizzys and both do the same thing. With the way the starter is sucking power and the wire pretty much melting would that lead you to think a bad ground off the starter? The starter grounds by just bolting it to the block, so the block ground?

the block ground can always be better.

but the wires melting = real bad


disconnect the dizzy and try your cranking tests again, and if any wires are getting hot still

Block ground is stock, melting wires is bad. Already did that test, when cranking with dizzy connector off they do not get hot.

stock wiring doesnt automatically mean the connections are good.

I'd find another dizzy to try, if the two you have do the same thing, BUT since you said those caused the wiring to melt, before using another one, i'd open the harness make sure its good inside