Maybe I'm just paranoid but here's my story...

I got my 83 Trans Am back from the shop a couple of weeks back after they replaced a bad coolant temp sensor, fixed a bad ground wire to the ECM and a vacuum leak. Since then, the car has idled fine (around 600-700 rpm). It has stopped surging and bucking and hasn't stalled again.

A couple of days ago, I did an oil change and put in 5 quarts of Mobil 1 and a Mobil 1 filter...

On my way home today, I was slowly driving through a crowded parking lot and the Check Engine light came on and stayed on the whole time I was driving through the lot (like a minute and a half) so I pulled over to the side and turned the engine off...waited for about a minute, started the car back up and drove home with no problems - no more check engine light.

As soon as I got home I tried pulling out a code using my trusty paperclip but smoke starts billowing out of the dash and AC vents...so I pull it right out fearing that I may permanently damage the ECM.

Should I be worried and take it back to the shop even when the car runs fine?

 

Which two pins did you jumper with the paper clip and was the engine on or off at the time you tried this?

 

I used the paper clip on the A and B slots. The engine was off when I jumped the pins and turned on the ignition after. The Check Engine light flashed 12 and that was when I noticed the smoke so I turned the ignition off and yanked the paper clip out.

I'm a noob at all this since its my very first Trans Am so bear with my noobness..

Thanx!

 

The smoke was coming from the vents correct? Those vents lead to the blower motor area and are pretty much sealed off from everything else. I doubt you're frying the ECM.

Did it smell like anything? Coolant? Electrical?

 

Yep, the smoke was coming from that tiny gap between the dashboard and the windshield and the AC vents. It definitely smelled like something electrical..kinda like a wire shorting out. I could also hear a faint buzz coming from behind the dash as soon as I turn the ignition on. I don't know if that's normal when jumping the A/B pins...

 

That's not normal at all. MAke sure the ALDL on your car wasn't somehow inverted. Pay close attention to the alignment tabs on the connector.

Another thing to remember is that in ALDL mode, the electric cooling fan should be running. If there is a problem with that wiring, the smoke may have been generated there.

Good diagram. Where did you find it?