Message text written by "Andrew Taylor"
<snip>All had been well until yesterday when I turned the lights on
(without turning the
>ignition switch) to figure out which parking light bulb needed replacing.
Smoke and
>the smell of burning rubber came pouring out of the dash. This time the
short seems
>to be in a different place than the last one. Only the wire from the
lights was singed,
>whereas last time the ground and the wires below it were singed. <snip>
It could be a short in one of the lamp assemblies or it could be one of the
metal retaining straps that secure the harness to the car has cut through
the bundle and the insulation to this wire causing the short. a visual
inspection may reveal where the burn stops abruptly at a strap. Carefully
ispect this point. There should be a black plastic sleeve over these
straps but these so frequently get lost. Follow the singed wire to the
source of the short.
Also consider that the plastic insulation of a 35 year old wire harness is
brittle and cracks can expose the wire underneath and if it touches the
chassis anywhere the smoke escapes. In a perfect world you would replace
the harness with a fresh one. However a new harness is a couple hundred
bucks and takes the better part of a Saturday.
Dave
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