I have not run my Sunrunner (Tracker) for some time as I have been working on other things and the battery ran down. Weirdly the positive terminal on the battery got damaged as well so it is shot. I need to move the Sunrunner and figured I would just put in the battery from our Mazda, start it and move it where I need it, and then put the battery back in the Mazda.

I took out the old battery, got the other one and started to hook it up. Once I attached the negative cable, actually once it got close enough to spark, the 60 amp fuse under the hood blew. Thinking I had done something wrong I replaced the fuse (man that is a pain to do whoever decided to place it there was not thinking about having to replace it) and exactly the same thing happened.

I know this probably means there is something causing a high draw through that fuse. I'm guessing a short somewhere, but where? Any ideas where I can start looking?

I would be looking for some rodent damage, those little pests
love to chew on the insulation of the wires, I think rats are the
worst, but I have seen mice, ground squirrels and even rabbits
chew wires on a parked car, and just because it was in a garage
won't stop rats from nesting and chewing your car seats and wires

Wild

I believe your problem lies in the alternator wiring, but I can't find a Tracker diagram to confirm that - from memory the power goes from the battery through the 60A main fuse to the alternator and two more fuses a 40A and a 30A - the 40A feeds the ignition switched circuits and the 30A feeds the remainder.

If the problem was down stream from either the 40A or 30A fuses, those would go before the 60A one, so that leaves a short in the alternator or it's wiring as the cause.

All the wiring I can trace looks good, so the suggestion on the alternator might be on track. I guess I will have to pull it and see what I can see.

Have it tested I guess, that should let you know

I discovered the belt for the alt is/was broken. So I will have to get a new belt as well.

Broken or chewed? I still am holding out for rat damage 

Wild

It looked broken, not chewed, although chewed would be a possibility as we have lots of squirrels in the area. I can't see any wires with chew marks on them at this point though. Knowing the 60 amp is for the alt circuit (assuming it is) I can trace those wires first. I have to say though, they have put the alt in a most inaccessible location.

Brief update. I had a few minutes to look at things today and the alternator seems seized up. I tried to spin the pully by hand, and it does not move. I'm guessing that is as least part of where my problems are found. As for the belt, it looks like it just wore out. The break is very clean and straight, so unless the rat (squirrels around here) used a pair of sheers, it just wore out. I sprayed some penetrating oil on the bolts of the alt, but then ran out of time, so I will have to return to in another time. For now I guess I will have to get some help and push it out of the way.

Yep that's it, knife carrying squirrels 

Wild

Your belt probably snapped at it's weakest point when your alternator seized up. That would sastisfy both conditions, and explain your fuse blowing issue. I bet once you replace the alternator and belt ( if there's an idler pully involved I'd check that too ) you'll be back on the road.

I will have to try that. Man the bolts holding it on are rusted. I hope PB Blaster will get them to loosen. Any tricks on removing an alternator. I don't believe there is a tensioner for that belt, but I could be wrong.

The alternator is the tensioner, and it's got top and
pivot bolts, both can be a PITA to get off

Wild

Like my wife's Mazda. I will keep soaking it in PB Blaster.