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I let the smoke out !

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rulle7

rulle7

Jedi Knight
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Turned my lights on last night ( Midget 1500 ), after a minute or so the interior lights went out and then...drum roll...smoke through the defroster vents.
Pulled over in a hurry, turned off the lights and engine and listened. The sound of frying bacon accompanied by the smell of burning harness.
Not good. Worried and in a frightful hurry I get a screwdriver from the glovebox and pry the light switch out of the dash, and unplug the wires.
Sizzle stops.
Limp on home and and take a look from under the dash. Nothing obviously fried, but then again, can't see all that much from my limited vantage point.
Want to hear/see a spark or sound to locate the offending wire, so I briefly touch the brown to one of the other two wires, headlights come on, no fizzle. So I hold them together for a few seconds and all is well.
OK, so I do the same with the 'twin' wires and interior lights/parking lights come on, no smoke, no frying bacon.
I'm stumped. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Hook up the wires to a simple on/off toggle switch to make life easier ( original switch detroyed during my violent extraction ), turn it on, listening intently for any sign of trouble and ready to 'pull the plug'. Interior lights, parking lights and head lights all come on as they should.
Keep them on longer and longer, nothing amiss.
Retreat for a smoke and to ponder this little issue.
Get back to the car, turn on the lights and FIZZLE/SMOKE !
Pull wires and dive under the dash to locate the source.
No luck.
Unhooked the battery and went to bed, and that's where things stand at the moment.
Any ideas where to start?
Secondarary question; is the dashboard bolted in, can it be removed for easy access to wiring behind it?
Thanks in advance. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
You have one of the extreme rarities on a Spridget, a short circuit.
Unfortunately, the only way to find this is to manually trace every wire. Hopefully you will find it sooner rather then later.
What I am guessing happened, is that the insulation on a wire was rubbed away and is grounding the circuit.

Good Luck
 
Well, that's what I was afraid of.
Everyone needs a project and I just got myself one! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 
Just got home from work, had a quick look under the dash before I have to leave again. I can't seem to see any bolts attaching the dashboard.
Am I correct in assuming it doesn't come out?
Would just make life a whole lot easier if one could access the wiring by removing the dash.
It seems to be the interior/parking light wires that are touching something sometimes. Any obvious place to look?
Thanks again.
 
Hi Rulle,
if i had to hazzard a guess, i would start with the front running lites. The wires run up inside the fender and into the engine bay. Lots of possble chaff points there. as far as the dash goes it will come out, but it can be a pita. there are 4 or 5 bolts across the very top and require the flexibility of a gymnast to remove. good Luck

mark
 
rulle7, Sorry about the wiring problem and the frizzle is not a good sign. Look for a split in the covering over the harness, or try to feel it with your hand. My bet it's a green wire and if I had to guess I would start at the Hazzard Switch. Wayne
 
Mark, Wayne and Mike,
Thanks for good pointers.
Good to know the dash will come out, even if it's unwillingly. Reason I ask is that as bad timing would have it, my back is momentarily shot.
Already did a somewhat thorough check of the wires in the fenders to the running/parking lights, nothing amiss as far as I could find. Sound ( snap, crackle and pop ) come from under the dash, so that's where I'd like to have a good look. Will check the hazard switch.
Could the rheostat be a possible culprit?
Busy days these days, so I might not get to it for a few days.
Thanks for wishing me good luck, I'll need it!
Cheers. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
first remove the seats. put a nice thick foam pad down and laydown upside down and get comfortable. take a good light with you, small floresent and a flash light. the 4 or 5 bolts are at the top across the front of the dash. get a good book with pictures or just go to the Moss site. It has a diagram. you will have to remove some plugs from the ignition switch and headlight harness plug to get a look see at the bolts. they are all 7/16 use a 1/4 drive sith long extentions and universal. you can use a flexible shaft tool if you have one. if you can remove the steering wheel you will not need a chiropractor later. if not be prepared to camp out. when you get all the bolts out gently pull the dash forward and look down through the wind sheild and notice the postion of all the wires. mark them one at at time and disconnect them with a home made wiring diagram and sketch pad. you will need this later. you will find the same kinds of connections for dash lights and some unique ones for the tach and speedo. you will have to disconnect the speedo cable. oh did you take out the console and the shifter. if you are really in a R&R mood you could pull the windsheild off first. this makes reassembly a breeze. after the dash is out, examine all connections and fix it. reassmble with dialectric grease in all connections to prevent corrosion. And look at this as a learning experience and the time to make your car fun and safe. I did. Boy did I have fun. Can't wait for the pain in my back and fingers to go away. Well that was last summer. good luck
 
Sockeyedsushi, have had my fair share of sushi, never the sockeyed variety, though.
Thanks a bunch for great advice!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
Will get to it with gusto as soon as I can find the time.
These things only happen when you're already buckling under a hectic workload, don't they? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif
 
Good previous advise. Be aware, wiring issues are fickel and not to be delt with a swift sword. Only the patient shall prevail. Hopefully this is not your only mode of transportation.

There is no need to remove the windscreen. This will only add to your frustration.

I feel for the back. Work slow if you can and have those nice gils walk on your back every evening after fitting yourself under the dash.

Best wishes. And the kerosene should be for heating and fast R/C planes not for drinking, stick with the british ales.

Kompai
 
Kampai! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
Found the offending wire by feeling ( read scraping knuckles raw ) up behind the dash. Eventually found what felt like an exposed wire above the spedometer.
Got the speedo out and had a grand view of a wire pinched between the speedo and the back of the dash.
Replaced the damaged bit with new happy wire.
It was the dash-light wiring, as I thought.
Since I destroyed the original light switch, I hooked up the interior/parking lights and the headlights to two separate toggle switches by sharing the same brown wire between the two. All works well and I'm now the only thing smoking in the car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
Thanks again for great advice and support. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
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