1999 Accord LX, 4 Door, 4cyl, 181,xxx miles

The other day while on the highway the speedometer needle jumped from the current speed to zero and then back to the current speed. It did this 2-3 times. The engine did not loose any power and the tachometer was not affected, but the Maintenance Required light flashed a couple of times. The Check Engine Light did not come on. Shortly after the speedometer issue small but visible amounts of smoke came out of the steering column.

I hooked the car up to my code reader and no codes were stored. No other warning lights have come on. i.e.: Battery or Airbag

The car continues to drive fine since the incident without any of the noted issues. Cruise, horn, turn signals, lights, speedo, tach, windows, locks, keyless entry, etc all work.

The ignition cylinder recalls were performed many years ago.

Anyone got any ideas? I found a previous thread discussing similar problems, but it is for a different generation Accord.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...smoke+steering

Recent maintenance by me a 1000 miles ago was spark plugs, oil change and air filter. The cabin filters were changed by me a couple of days prior to this.

What I am thinking of checking:
1. Check the alternator and battery volts. The battery is about 7 years old.
2. Checking what wiring I can see for damage on the column with the trim removed.
3. What else?

 

Check the output of your alternator, may be overcharging