Hot connection…?!!? (1 Viewer)

[FJ Noob]

I was going through trying to figure out why Im not getting any voltage to my a/c compressor. While in the glovebox testing the a/c amplifier, I reached up to make sure all other connections in the area were solid. One of the harness connectors (disconnected and circled below) was HOT…like just somewhat touchable for more than a few seconds. The other two close to it were perfectly cool to the touch.

Any ideas why and/or what I need to dig into?

 

[thatcabledude]

What year 80 series?

 

[thatcabledude]

Does the truck run with it unplugged?

 

[FJ Noob]

What year 80 series?

Does the truck run with it unplugged?

It's a '95 and I don't know...didn't try yet. It's unplugged in the picture because I pulled it apart to see if I noticed anything unusual.

 

[jpoole]

Any signs of burning/melting that tell you which wire is heating up? That may help you trace down the circuit or device with issues, provided the connection isn't just loose and heating up for that reason.

 

[FJ Noob]

Any signs of burning/melting that tell you which wire is heating up? That may help you trace down the circuit or device with issues, provided the connection isn't just loose and heating up for that reason.

No, not that I could see. That's why I unplugged it, to look more closely at everything. The plastic still looks new and the wires look fine.

 

[Darne]

With it unplugged does the HVAC blower run? It looks like the HVAC Harness plug.

 

[smritte]

As @Darne said. Does the fan run with it unplugged.
If that's your fan control (and possibly HVAC) its not uncommon to run warm. It will be one or all of the large terminals. Ac fans draw around 12 amps on high. Most factory wiring is barely large enough to handle this power. As a fan gets older, it draws more. This is the most common cause for melted connectors and burned out fan controls.
Almost any vehicle you can run the can for a few min's, grab the power feed wiring and have them warm.

Your picture doesn't show discolored terminals (overheating) and a bad fan motor wont cause your compressor to not run. The worse it will do is not let the fan work.

 

[george_tlc]

If you can touch it for a few seconds, it isn't hot, it's only warm.

Connectors will often run warmer than wiring since the resistance of the connection point is higher than the wire. Heat is directly proportional to the resistance, double the resistance and you double the power loss at that point.

And has been stated above, the connectors look pristine as does the foam, so not hot.

cheers,
george.