Electrical gremlins keep eating my computer - Third Generation F-Body Message Boards

transamrob86 · 11-12-2009, 04:58 PM

So way back when in 2006 when I finally got the car on the road (1986 firebird, 2.8), on the first trip the motor overheated and caused a knock. Well I brought somebody over to listen to it and it started once and ran for a bit, but would shut off on its own. I tried to start it once to move it around the lot, but it kept cutting off after 5 seconds. I tried starting it 4 or 5 times and then one time I went to start it and I heard a loud pop come through the speakers. Well I got fed up with it and left it alone for a year or four. Got another 2.8, dropped it in and no fire. Replaced all the electronic parts on the motor, still no fire. The guy helping me suddenly has a revelation and we discover that my computer is fried. For kicks I called autozone. Not only did they have one in stock, it was only 80 bucks. I plug it in and hook up the battery. Try to start, no dice. Try to start again with a little help from some starter fluid, no dice. I look over at the computer and smoke is pouring out of it. Fried that one. We checked for anything not reconnected under the hood but found nothing.

So my guess is a mouse got under the dash? Or is this something else?

My next plan of attack was to tear the dash out and maybe just replace the harness under the dash and not mess with tracing the bad wires.

Any thoughts?