I have a 92 ford f 150 that throws a big spark off the negative terminal on the battery after I get it started and try any electrical then dies immediately

Asked by autodunsky Apr 02, 2015 at 01:40 AM about the 1992 Ford F-150

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Is it bad grounding or a dead short? The
fuses are not blown. Please help

3 Answers

23,920

Excessive resistance, disassemble the connections and get them shiny clean then reassembled, and tight. a cable may need to be replaced, or its end replaced.

74,270

Dannyl is correct. The spark you see is the result of a bad connection on negative terminal of the battery and the ground wire attached to it. The current is arcing trying to find a source to ground. After clean the battery connections follow the ground wire to it's ground connection point on engine or frame. Conduct the same suggested cleaning operation at that point also and make sure the connection is tight.

23,920

I have literally seen it jump 2-3 inches. Cutting the crusted poorly designed end off it, dipping the cable in baking soda and water, watching it react, can show you what a battery that sweats around its posts can do to a cable. A fits all end is like $2.50, noco pads are like $1.50 and the car drives away in 30 min. A battery service is a normal menu item at many repair garages. I think we did 'em every few oil changes, maybe longer. to make them last we coated them with the protective spray or brushed a dielectric on them.

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