Will This Burn My Truck Down?

[BigFishBobby]

Ok, so I cannot find a short in my truck. As a short term fix, I put a 75 amp toggle switch between my battery and the cab of the truck and ran the wires into the cab so I can turn it off and on there instead of disconnecting the battery. This will at least keep me from having to disconnect the battery in the rain everytime I park the truck. I did not alter the battery wire from the starter to the battery, only the one to the cab to eliminate the faulty accessory from draining the battery. Is this OK to do? Hopefully no fire hazard?

[2bits]

I did the same exact thing in my truck and my battery blew it's top like a radiator, and the 50amp toggle switch melted... It really heated up the electrical system. It may not be the same kind of short but it might be also... Mine was in my external voltage regulator. You can try to check that by just unplugging it and seeing if the little spark when you connect the battery cable goes away. You can also try removing all your fuses and seeing if the spark goes away, then put them back on one by one. Good luck.

[BigFishBobby]

Thanks 2bits. There are a few things I know the short is not coming from. They are the alternator (Ihave changed it and eliminated the regulator), the dome light, and the starter. That leaves a half million other possibilities I suppose. I put the switch in Saturday and drove the truck this morning and it was fine....so far. To be honest, I did the modification because for all I know there are many shorts in the truck. Thanks for the heads up on the regulator though I would not have guessed it to do that!

[dwaite72lnghrn]

Be sure the wires going through the firewall are in a good grommet to keep them from shorting to the sheet metal. The sell cutoff switches to do this which are rated at higher current. They have a removeable rotary lever so it can't be turned on by accident. I would think finding the hidden load would be the best solution as the load might get bigger 1 day while you are driving and torch the truck in front of you. jmho

[1969K10]

Originally Posted by dwaite72lnghrn

I would think finding the hidden load would be the best solution as the load might get bigger 1 day while you are driving and torch the truck in front of you. jmho

And that sucks! just sitting there on the side of the road waiting for the fire truck to show up... all because some POS previous owner used HVAC foil to replace the fuses in my fuse box...