hey guys, not sure why but this morning when i went out to crank my car, i put the key in the ignition and turned it. a slight grinding sound, from somewhere behind the steering column, was heard just before the car cranked. and then a puff of smoke came out from the crack of the dash where the steering column goes in. ANY IDEA WHAT THAT COULD BE? kinda scary, ya know?

 

what did it smell like? was it an electrical smell, like a short?

 

yeah pretty much smelled like wires burning and the smoke was more a grayish color, if that means anything.

 

do you have an aftermarket stereo? i've seen lots of cars (around here anyways) that catch fire from a poorly installed head unit.

does everything work still? lights? wipers? no srs light on in the dash?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sillylilcivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do you have an aftermarket stereo? i've seen lots of cars (around here anyways) that catch fire from a poorly installed head unit.

does everything work still? lights? wipers? no srs light on in the dash? </TD></TR></TABLE>

yes to stereo, lights, wipers. not sure about srs light, never even seen it light up. can you tell me what i need to check, if anything, in the dash?

is there a possiblility it could the ignition switch?

thanks again!

 

did the car start up?

Fuel pump turn on?

I've had a main relay do the same **** and almost catch the car on fire

 

yeah, car still started and i'm pretty sure i heard the hum of the fuel pump...

i tried starting it like 2-3 times after that with same sound and same smoke. just don't know where it could be coming from.

 

Definitely a wire short. that happened in my Evo - scared the crap out of me. Happened while I was driving, and I thought my engine caught fire. Almost had a heart attack. It turned out to be a really **** poor wiring job of a boost gauge. If you've added any electronics look at the wires - you should find one with all the insulation burned off and that would be your problem.

 

ok, i just went out and took all the easy-to-remove stuff off the dash so as to expose as many wires as possible. no wires showed any burnings or shorts. so, i look around in there while i turned the ignition to try and pinpoint where its coming from, best i can tell is right above the fuse panel somewhere. no more smoke that i can see, but the grinding sound is still there right before the car fires up.

also, i popped the hood while the key was turned to on, and a slight humming sound, almost like a mosquito or something, was coming from somewhere around the passenger side very front corner. right behind the headlight where the air intake is. could not really pinpoint where is coming from either...

Can someone please help me?!

 

bump

 

please help me!! i need to get my car back together before dark, lol!

 

bump again!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by scottybfh &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">bump again!</TD></TR></TABLE><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by scottybfh &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">bump again!</TD></TR></TABLE><TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by scottybfh &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">bump again!</TD></TR></TABLE>

im sorry but bumping it isnt really gonna help. we arent there to help you look.

just keep looking and you will eventually find it.

did you take the trim off the steering column and look at the ignition wires?

 

If you don't see any more smoke it's pretty likely that all the insulation has burnt off the wire. Other than that, I couldn't tell you. It's definitely one of those things you're going to have to just search for.

 

alright, well i just went ahead and put the car back together because i just could not find anything in the whole dash. the only thing i didnt check was the ignition switchand wires, which are just really hard to get to if i remember correctly. i have replaced it once and it was a pain in the butt, especially with all that airbag junk.

but thanks to all who helped!

 

unless of course someone has an easier way of checking the ignition besides taking off the steering wheel and airbag and all that...