Starter Solenoid Melted Wire?

[MarshMarlowe]

1997 Yamaha C90 TLRV

I got some time today to do a project I've been putting off for while. I moved the starting battery from the aft starboard compartment to the console. I had some long 2GA starter cables fabbed and connected the + cable to the starter solenoid and the - cable to the ground common to the starter. I then connected the cables to the battery, and smelled that sickening electrical burning smell near the engine. Pulled the cowl, and found this wire had melted-



I'm not sure why this happened? I carefully connected all the terminals in the same way they were mounted, but I did omit a nut from the terminal stack-up to make room for the thicker terminal on my new starter cable. I can't see how that would have caused this though... any ideas? Is the solenoid toast now? I haven't tested it since I found this. Thanks

[DennisG01]

That little black wire is a ground? That should not have shorted to the block as it did (small burn mark on the bare metal). Maybe you connected the jumper wrong at the battery? Or something was touching the wrong thing when you put the test jumper together at those connectors?

[MarshMarlowe]

Thanks. The only cables I connected to the battery were the starter cables. The engine wiring harness had not yet been connected

[MarshMarlowe]

I think you're right. Now that I'm looking closer, that nut I removed was separating the starting cable terminal from making contact with that little nut on the ground cable. The starting cable shorted to ground

[DennisG01]

And it makes sense with where that little ground wire melted - right at a tight bend. In addition to (obviously) too much amperage going through it, to some extent wire is like water pipes - when there's a bend, it starts to restrict flow. So that became the "hot spot".