Re: Neg Battery cable smoking along with the starter!
yep firemedic, like has been said already, a short circuit is your problem. if you're opening the starter back up, pull the armature out(the inner shaft part with drive teeth on it), and you can use jumper cables to test for a problem in the field coils. clamp black to case, red to post. should not get a spark (make sure the brushes are not touching anything). also look really closely at the 'cylinder' inside for a shiny/rubbed spot, which would mean your new fields are touching the armature and shorting out. good luck. and look for burnt spots(small 1/8 spotweld type) inside & on armature. i've seen old armatures short between the bars (if you know what i mean). when rebuilding a starter, these gaps are usually scraped free of debris, as it is metal dust.<br />best of luck.
