help

[pbiggs]

i have an 89 L 5 speed carb motor,new dist about 2000 miles ago,just died last night,thought it was the coil tried a different one and it started,put the old one back in and it started too,but the main jumper wire was super hot,drove it anyway and when i got home 45 min. later the same wire was not hot,what would cause this and how hot is it supposed to be?

[Festy46]

If by "jumper wire" you mean the small wire that runs from the small post with a nut on the coil to the distributor, then check the wire where it enters the distributor. The wire makes a sharp bend there and after aging the insulation cracks on it. When you changed the coil, you probably pulled on the wire enough to eliminate the dead (car no run) short, but it still gets shorted out enough to make the wire hot.

[pbiggs]

actually i meant the fuse wire,the main one,there are three,next to the battery.sorry

[ejp2fast]

so it is the fuseable links... i don't know what gauge of wire is stock for those..

[pbiggs]

there is nothing wrong with the links they work,i guess my question is should the main one get hot?and how hot,mine you couldn't even touch,and then once i got home 45min. later it was just barely warm.short possibly or will a bad coil cause it? thanks.