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Hi there y'all, my name is Joe and I'm a recent owner of a very electrically butchered 1985 Trans Am. It's a 305/5speed car and I love it, but underneath the dash erupted in smoke the other day. I read up on here and pulled the dash and found a wire that goes to the steering column to be partially melted, perhaps chewed from a mouse, hence the mouse droppings. It is brown with a white stripe and it goes to a connector on the top of the steering column. I did a quick search and couldn't find anything that answered what it was, how to fix it, or anything else related to a plan of action to get my baby back on the road. I am very much a newbie at wiring (I wired up a tach, and that's about it). Thank you very much, I appreciate your help.
The object on top of the steering column is the ignition switch.
Not sure what that particular wire does. There's a few possibilities depending on which engine etc. the car has.
If the reason for the smoke / burning was that bare part touching the chassis, I'd suggest taping it up real good and otherwise leaving it alone. If the smoking continues, then the problem with that wire is the symptom of something else, which of course then needs to be identified and fixed. One thing at a time though.
The object on top of the steering column is the ignition switch.
Not sure what that particular wire does. There's a few possibilities depending on which engine etc. the car has.
If the reason for the smoke / burning was that bare part touching the chassis, I'd suggest taping it up real good and otherwise leaving it alone. If the smoking continues, then the problem with that wire is the symptom of something else, which of course then needs to be identified and fixed. One thing at a time though.
I did in fact tape it up and then start it up and it got so hot it melted the electrical tape. I then removed the connector from the steering column. It starts fine without it? I'm really not sure what it goes to but there's no way it was shorting out to chassis unless there was another section that was bad, but that's all that I saw.
Additionally right before it started smoking one of the flasher relays or something from the convenience panel started making an electrical buzzing sound. I removed the relay thinking it would open the circuit and prevent any more smoke but it was not the case.
Last edited by JoeMonte; Jun 26, 2016 at 11:24 AM.
If you have the LG4 motor (base 305 4-bbl) that might be the electric choke feed.
The ign sw has several poles. You might find that with that section disconnected, the radio, wipers, windows, or various other things, don't work; even though the section that works the actual "ignition" is still intact (motor will still start and run).
Check the electric choke wiring under the hood. Look in particular for the wire to have come off the carb and is laying on top of the intake or some such.
If you have the LG4 motor (base 305 4-bbl) that might be the electric choke feed.
The ign sw has several poles. You might find that with that section disconnected, the radio, wipers, windows, or various other things, don't work; even though the section that works the actual "ignition" is still intact (motor will still start and run).
Check the electric choke wiring under the hood. Look in particular for the wire to have come off the carb and is laying on top of the intake or some such.
Thank you, I do have the lg4 engine code, I'll check my choke as soon as I get back home. IIRC the plastic connector to the choke is broken and the wire is zip tied on there. What would the solution be? Replace the connector to the choke? I don't know how it would cause the wire to short out and get wicked hot though, but I'm no electrician.
Thank you, I do have the lg4 engine code, I'll check my choke as soon as I get back home. IIRC the plastic connector to the choke is broken and the wire is zip tied on there. What would the solution be? Replace the connector to the choke? I don't know how it would cause the wire to short out and get wicked hot though, but I'm no electrician.
I do have an aftermarket tach wired in to the fuse box, could that be the issue?
Edit: choke heater relay was the one making noise
Last edited by JoeMonte; Jun 26, 2016 at 01:00 PM.
Prolly not the tach, since it doesn't (shouldn't) wire to any of those circuits, and doesn't (shouldn't) draw enough current to burn up wires. In any case, if it did, its own wires would be smoking too. If they're not, ... use logic.
Yeah I kinda figured the buzzing was the choke heater, as that's the only thing that commonly buzzes up under there.
Yes definitely repair whatever is known to be wrong with whatever it is wrong with. In this case, if you know the choke wiring is fornicated, FIX IT. You can use one of the wide type of slide terminal for it. You can see it in this pic of my carb, right at the left edge.
It's not impossible that the choke itself is farkled. In which case, the problem will go away if you disconnect the wire at the choke housing.
Prolly not the tach, since it doesn't (shouldn't) wire to any of those circuits, and doesn't (shouldn't) draw enough current to burn up wires. In any case, if it did, its own wires would be smoking too. If they're not, ... use logic.
Yeah I kinda figured the buzzing was the choke heater, as that's the only thing that commonly buzzes up under there.
Yes definitely repair whatever is known to be wrong with whatever it is wrong with. In this case, if you know the choke wiring is fornicated, FIX IT. You can use one of the wide type of slide terminal for it. You can see it in this pic of my carb, right at the left edge.
It's not impossible that the choke itself is farkled. In which case, the problem will go away if you disconnect the wire at the choke housing.
Okay so I disconnected it at the carb and reconnected it at the steering column, and as I revved my engine up I could watch the wire smoke where it was exposed. Does that mean that the ign switch is bad or something? I ordered a new choke heater relay but it smokes regardless. What part should I replace, because it's not the choke, and it's (maybe?) not the relay?
Should I just pull the entire wire from the loom and replace it? It goes into some block looking thing back at the firewall above the clutch and to the left. Then it comes out in different wires at the firewall engine side and runs through the engine harness to the carb.
OK, now that sounds like the alt charging current is all going that way instead of how it's supposed to go. Which is a possibility: instead of the alt charging the batt through the main rectifier, it's doing so through the diode trio and the choke heater wiring.
Is the big fat red wire hooked up from the alt output post to the batt? Good connections at both ends, no sign of damage, .... ??
OK, now that sounds like the alt charging current is all going that way instead of how it's supposed to go. Which is a possibility: instead of the alt charging the batt through the main rectifier, it's doing so through the diode trio and the choke heater wiring.
Is the big fat red wire hooked up from the alt output post to the batt? Good connections at both ends, no sign of damage, .... ??
Yeah it is but I had an issue with the alternator arcing to ground on the valve covers, fixed a loose ground and it seemed to rectify itself. The issue seemed to happen immediately afterwards now that you mention it. The post on the back of the alternator is loose for some reason, doesn't feel like it can tighten anymore but it's wiggly. The wires look old but not particularly bad.
Perhaps the issue is the wire screw caps not being conductive enough for the current?
As you can see there is the correct red(ish?) wire running from alt to positive battery terminal.
I know the caps are a bit roadkill but I had replaced the plug to the alt to ensure that it wasn't the issue that I had a while back with charging.
I normally wouldn't use screw caps but my friend and I had solder and screw caps and we couldn't get the solder to bind so screw caps it was. Maybe crimping would be better?
Wire nuts are meant for environments where there's no moisture, no contamination, well protected from the ambient, no foreign matter, no heat, no water splashing about here and there... whaddya think? Does that describe that place?
I can't think of any connection method that's worse under the hood, than those; except maybe wires just twisted together.
Even butt splices would be less ... heinous ... than that. For that matter, on the red wire, it's probably long enough that you can just put a ring terminal on that new plug pigtail, and do away with the other connection altogether.
Fix the loose post; that's probably The Actual Problem to your symptoms. (take the alt apart and tighten up the hardware on the inside or replace the part that's bad) But get rid of the wire nuts and DO IT RIGHT.
Wire nuts are meant for environments where there's no moisture, no contamination, well protected from the ambient, no foreign matter, no heat, no water splashing about here and there... whaddya think? Does that describe that place?
I can't think of any connection method that's worse under the hood, than those; except maybe wires just twisted together.
Even butt splices would be less ... heinous ... than that. For that matter, on the red wire, it's probably long enough that you can just put a ring terminal on that new plug pigtail, and do away with the other connection altogether.
Fix the loose post; that's probably The Actual Problem to your symptoms. (take the alt apart and tighten up the hardware on the inside or replace the part that's bad) But get rid of the wire nuts and DO IT RIGHT.
The alternator is brand new, is there any reason why it would get loose?
Should I replace the brown/white wire or just tape it up?
Last edited by JoeMonte; Jun 26, 2016 at 07:12 PM.
Make a better connection, then tape it up. Solder it if you can, otherwise use a butt splice.
Sandoval, that depends on the nature of your problem.
Okay so I got a new alternator, hooked it up, rewired the hacked stuff, and now that wire isn't smoking anymore, and it doesn't get hot either. Next step is to replace the bad bits and put the dash back together.
Sorry guys I'm new here,84 camaro z28 problem is running lights only come on with switch fully open to turn headlights on, also dash lights don't work but if I put a hot wire on the dash illumination fuse the dash lights come on. Trying to figure it all out cause at times at night a when lights are on they will turn on and off
