GMC Repair: Electrical, gage wire, wiring harnesses

Question
My friend has I belive a 97 GMC Sanoma. He was going down the road the other day and his radio cut off and then came back on then cut off again, then his truck started smokeing and he looked under the hood and the postive battery cable burened in half. So he replaces the cable and his truck is still dead it will not do any thing. We tried jumping the truck and we tried a deffernt battery and i think we checked all of the fuses. I could not find any of the fuses under the hood. So if you could help me out that would be great. Thanks

Answer
Does the vehicle have operative head lights, etc, etc. What DOES work on the truck ?.

OK, In most cases when this happens there is a cause and you MUST find the cause before you start replacing parts or you can damage the nEW parts and or cause additional problems.

Usually when this happens, If you look real close at either the battery POSITIVE post or at the opposite end of the POSITIVE battery cable you will see 2 or 3 rubber coated, as compared to plastic coated wires also attached to where the POSITIVE battery is attached. These rubber covered wires are called FUSIBLE LINKS and they may appear to look OK when viewed from the outside but in reality the aluminum wire under the rubber covering has MELTED thus causing no electrical current to pass thru the link(s).

These links act exactly like a fuse as they protect vital vehicle electronic electrical components from being damaged.

If you find via TESTING for electrical current at each end of these links which are usually about 4 to 6 inches long you will most likely find one or more that has melted internally.

You MUST find the cause of the link(s) faulure BEFORE you replace it with the EXACT same gage wire as is stamped on the rubber covering of each link.

NEVER, EVER replace these links with regular wire as you will MELT the entire wiring harnesses of the vehicle and DESTROY vital electronic components within the vehicle.

let me know.


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