Seeing sparks on the 455!

Went to start the Pontiac today, hood open, and started seeing sparks under the hood near the heat shield carrying the red battery lead to the starter. This has always been problematic, as the red starter and solenoid control wires run very close to some very hot surface enroute to the starter as you know. I have not had a chance to pull it down just yet, so unsure what I'll find in the heat shield. (I did disconnect the battery.) I am suspect it is melted, but did not want to push my luck any further.

Can't seem to find any help in the shop manual other than routing behind a thin plate, or even a good color picture on the internet.

How did you route your starter wire in the 1971 Pontiac Bonneville 455? I think I am going to route it along the wheel well and then across to the starter.

Thoughts? Pictures?

Thanks...
 

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till one gets in there you just don't know I have seen the bake o lite brake on the solenoid. the cables burn or rub threw. what is surprising is how they run like that.
 
I would be extremely concerned about how this power steering hose is routed. Never seen on double back like that before...

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Agreed on the hose, but it works! The first one failed:(

It's the battery cable that is driving me crazy, and the fact that there are no really good color pictures of these engines in their original state on the web. My shop manual is a repro, and in poor black and white quality.
 
Terry, do you have room to run a custom made cable down from the battery down under then up to the starter. In the trans-am we rerouted the cable and used a custom made bar (flat stock on the vise) with a few bends then coated it with the rubber dip and added a stud down on the end away from the starter and didn't have any more problems. We lugged to cable to the bar and got it away from the heat.
 
Kenn - New starter arrives this evening, hope to get it on this weekend as you suggested, running along the fender well then to the starter. These 455's are very hot under the hood as the TransAm folks can attest. I hear it is much worse with performance headers.
 
with out seeing the car just looking at the pictures it looks to me like you need to start over. whole lot of stuff added and routed were GM did not put it. the left side starter cable should be bent at the eye let to a right angle with a tab that caught the nut to keep it from twisting. then rout over the solenoid to the fire wall and around there over to of the inner fender to the battery. people replace the cable and get a shorter one to save bucks. it takes a vary long cable to do it. as I was working in a repair place in 67 I don't remember these cars full size ponchos or Oldsmobile's being a problem when new. check the fire wall engine block and frame for a empty eye were the cable should be routed. put it back factory and you can stop worring about it.
 
here is a picture of the lock on the starter cable on the 69 caddy. if the pon is anything like the olds it looks the same except it has the right angle bend so it can go to the back. the lock is what keep it in position
 

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Back on the road...

New Summit Racing hi-torque starter, cable secured with additional diode for the three to two wire conversion, re-secured main ground, new fuel filter, and I'm back on the road. Also added a universal flex wheel cover since I never like having that free turning plate exposed on Louisiana roads. Not necessarily OEM spec, but it works like a champ. Dropped 10 pounds in the process since the new starter is only 9 pounds.

Cable path in the shop manual shows it back through the triangular engine mount frame bracket, which explains why the harness has it strapped as such. We'll see. I used DEI heat shield wrap again.

Also found loose bolts on the oil pan perhaps the source of an oil leak that I saw while under the car.

Heading to the paint barn next week....
 

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