Date: 17 Apr 2006 21:10:32 -0700 From: "markcnospam.com" <markcnospam.com> Subject: Wiring Smoked From Inside Dashboard. Here's what Happened..
Because of what I think was bad gas or a clogged fuel filter I was having problems with the engine stalling and dying (I just bought the car so I don't know the history of it but it had been sitting for at least a year or more). It would start and idle (sometimes it would not idle. very erratic) but then die if I tried to drive it (especially up hills). What happened was a that I panicked and kept on trying to start it (so I could get it home just a few blocks away) but then it overheated the wiring to the starter (what else could it be?). I was getting smoke coming from inside the dash and fortunately the car didn't start on fire. What I need to know is where to look for the section of wiring where it most likely overheated. I was out taking the dash apart today but I'll have to get a steering wheel puller. From what I can see so far when looking inside the dash from the top & underneath I can find no obvious melted wiring sections. While I was trying to start my car, someone from a nearby house said that they saw small flames underneath my car so I'm thinking that too much gas was getting down into the system (maybe the fuel pressure regulator is bad?). At this point I want to first figure out & replace the burned wiring before I troubleshoot the starting problem. Any help with this is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mark