Matthew - This is just a shot in the dark, but did you remember to attach all of the grounds for the engine when you put it back in? If the ground straps weren't there, the electricity is going to do what it can to find a way through. Perhaps it found the shift cable and tried to use it as a ground path? A poor ground pathway would have a relatively high resistance, which would lead to high heat in the presence of the kind of amperage that you'd have during the starting phase. Can you identify where the cable is hanging up during the attempted removals? Based on the above theory, I'm going to guess that the outer jacket is melted and fused to some piece of the frame that became the electrical contact point. You'll probably need a replacement shift cable (101363). Toby Peterson VIN 2248 "Winged1" DeLorean Parts Northwest, LLC www.delorean-parts.com --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Matt Spittle" <supermatty@xxxx> wrote: > Yes, that's right folks. Remember the other day I was talking about all that smoke I saw when I was trying to start my car with a > wrench? It turns out that it was the shift cable melting. I found this out when I tried to wiggle the shift lever and it wouldn't budge. So, I take a look underneath my car, and the black part of the manual transmission shift cable is all bubbled up and melted. What the HELL just happened here????? BTW, I'm still trying to remove the shift cable, as it's not coming out easily. To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/