Hi
I ran out of fuel on my cruiser. (135hp saber diesel) Just put fuel in and was struggling to start, didn't seem to be getting much oomph and there was some rattling. I then subsequently noticed smoke coming from connection on the battery and a shredded connector lead.
What potential damage could this have done and will replacing the connector rectify this?
Cheers
My take on this is the following:
- You ran the starter after refueling and Your description indicates the starter didn´t come up in sufficient rotating speed, and I also read into it that You ran the starter excessive period of time
- You notice smoke from battery pole connection and also "shredded connector lead" (I assume on the same battery pole connector)
The above description totally adds up and You already recieved sound advice to check Your battery cables and grounds .
Most likely You have a bad connection at the "smoking pole". A bad connection means high electrical (ohmic) resistance and when running the starter this resistance will lead to a significant voltage drop in Your starter motor supply line, which makes the starter run slower and there will eventually be heat generated in the area of the bad connection.
Most likely You can solve Your immidiate issue by replacing the bad battery pole and shortening the cable slightly (cutting the shredded part of the cable) but my advice is to overlook all cables in Your starter circuit and to renew those who look corroded. At minimum You should renew the one subject to this thread.
Marine environment is extremely hostile to electrical wires, epecially in closed environments in lower part of the hull (where most engines are placed in sailing vessels, especially those of age). I have a 52 year old sailboat and recently renewed all cables in starter and charging circuits. Some of them looked really bad.
You really want these things to work when You need them.