Electrical issue?

Cougar Community Classic Cougar Maintenance Restoration and Repair
1

I’ve got a 1970 351c.

I hadn’t started it in a few weeks and went to pull it out of the garage.

I had the hood up, and when I went to start it, I heard a poping sound and saw a quick whisp of white smoke near the battery. The car Immediately lost all power and I had to let it sit for a few hours before power seemed to come back.

When I heard the initial poping sound, I was in the process of turning off the heat fan which I had left on previously.

I checked the battery terminals, the voltage regulator, the wiring to the regulator, and the wiring to the alternator for damage. I didn’t see anything obvious.

The wiring from the regulator is pretty beat up, so I’m sure it needs replacing.

The starter, alternator, and ignition coil are all after market. Ive read that this could cause issues with amperage.

The car has power again and did start today without any smoke from that area.

Anyone have any idea what the issue could be? I have no experience with electrical work.

1 Like
2

Hi !
It’s sounds like a starter solenoid.They are prone to this especially the replacement one.
Good luck !

3

Interesting, I’ll take a look and see if there is any indication with it for what’s going on. My next step is to start checking everything with a multimeter.

Thanks for the input, it was definitely not something I was expecting.

4

I would remove the battery cables and clean them and the battery posts with a wire brush post cleaner, and then closely inspect your fusible link to see if there is any evidence of overheating. It is the heavy black wire that connects the main wiring harness to the battery post of the starter solenoid.