I pulled the starter from my truck last night to tear down and rebuild. I noticed that the plastic dual connector from the battery to the starter is broken. Although each side bolts to the starter , it has been partially melted and distorted with part of the insulation peeling back to expose the copper wire.

I've been searching high and low for a replacement and am coming up dry. I'm wondering if this would be a dealer only item. I've considered trying to scrounge one up at a junkyard, but I'm afraid what I find may not be any better, plus junkyard vehicles are sometimes difficult to work on underneath.

 

Give it a bunch of coats with some liquid electrical tape and call it a day. Because you are right about it being a dealer or impossible to get to JY item.

 

Been searching around for a while and stumbled across a Dodge Daytona forum where someone had a similar issue. I'm thinking I might build a new cable with new lugs and heavy duty heat shrink tubing. Larger gauge wire certainly can't hurt.

 

I wouldn't go too crazy there bud! LOL If the starter was bad or a corroded connection is a factor, then that is most likely what was causing the extra heat.

 

That's something I almost always do if I have reason to change a lug or a cable at the starter end. Fatter primary cable makes it a lot easier to get the engine lit when the weather is wicked cold or blistering hot, and theoretically will allow the starter to last longer, too.

My last two truck-like vehicles had 4/0 starter and ground cables and 2/0 charging cables. Overkill and a half, but never a worry about starting or charging.