[Van B.]

The cable from the alternator to starter with the little jumper box is worse due to the heat. And the revised cable is really pretty inexpensive. I was able to fish mine through the right side of the engine (where the jumper end mounts) and I only had to remove the alternator. It took all my extensions and a swivel to get to the starter bolts, but all things considered, pretty painless. I was having battery drain issues and that was the culprit.

Connection to the stater is only visible from the top of the car. It’s top forward on the engine. Shine a light through there and you can see. I promise that cable is smoked based on what you posted. Pull the alternator and you can touch it. Be careful around the vacuum lines, they are easy to unplug and tough to get back in.

Heat, moisture, and age, rot the rubber insulation and then corrosion sets in on the exposed wire. Electric current doesn’t have to touch in order to generate a field… replace any and all cables with signs of internal corrosion. They are dead.