Help! Smoke! WTF?!

Okay... Story time:

On the way down to K-Falls a couple weeks ago, I got stuck in rush-hour traffic in Portland. Me an my buddy Shaun are pretty much stuck at a stand-still on the freeway, and I keep seeing these tiny wisps of smoke around the steering-wheel/steering column area. At first, I thought I was just trippin', then I thought maybe I dropped a cigarette or something... Shaun couldn't see them for a while, then he saw the smoke. It was so hot out, and I had cool air blowing on my legs, I thought maybe it was steam or something from my sweat. I couldn't smell anything burning...

Then, on the way back from K-Falls, my tach started freaking out. I never actually saw it happen, just out of the corner of my eye, I'd look over, and the needle would jump from zero up to where it was supposed to be at the very instant that I looked at it. Again, I thought I was just trippin' out.

Today, on my way to work, the tach jumped again, I saw it happen this time and I was like WTF?! Then, when I pulled into my parking space, I saw smoke coming out of the steering column (through the hole for the headlight control arm), and I could smell something burning... deffinitely electrical.

Anywho, I shut the car off and it stopped smoking. I sat there for a good ten minutes just to be sure. I took a quick look at the fuse panel and stuff, but I didn't see anything wrong...

What the hell is going on?!

I figure I'll pull my guage cluster tomorrow, and check the tach wiring or something...

smoke anywhere but especially from the steering column could be serious? Does it do it in the hot temp. only? Is your temp gauge reading normal?

Chad

My car does the tach shit when i am idling for a while, it will slowly inch down to zero, then go back up to normal, but as far as the smoke goes I dunno.

Originally posted by bc4g
smoke anywhere but especially from the steering column could be serious? Does it do it in the hot temp. only? Is your temp gauge reading normal?

Chad

Temp guage is completely normal, first thing I checked...

I'm thinking it's most likely a short in some of the wiring to the tach (or something on the same circuit)... the other guages don't seem to be affected by it.

Don't know if it is related to "hot" weather, I've only noticed it a few times, but it has been hot when I've noticed...

I had the smoke thing happen to me this summer, only mine was related to my blower(fan) switch - sometimes it worked and other times it wouldn't (I had to have the key in a "certain" position for it to work).
Any way, I replaced the ignition switch (AutoZone ~$50) and everything is back to normal. I also found a small "ball" of solder laying in the fuse panel cover when I removed it. Hope this helps.

I had this happen to me, and this was a while ago on the DX, and when i finally pulled over to check it out, somehow a wire from my foglights burnt up... i was like ??? but i replaced that wire and all was good again! :) So, sorry, can't help ya, but check for any burnt wires!

Where do you have your tach wires run? could they be burning up and causing the smoke?



gunnmen01

Originally posted by gunnmen01
Where do you have your tach wires run? could they be burning up and causing the smoke?


I dunno, I've never looked...

oh, and BTW, it's the stock tach, not an aftermarket one... :bloated:

mmmm stock tach, anything else wired into guage cluster?
indiglos or anything?




gunnmen01

Originally posted by gunnmen01
mmmm stock tach, anything else wired into guage cluster?
indiglos or anything?


Negative.

i asked jer. he has some trouble shooting questions. the first...is your car running rough or running right?

we can whore up the thread and play post tag or you can hit me up by e-mail...either way, you can pick his brain and this is right up his alley :)

you really need to download aim :D

I don't think I can use AIM at work (firewalls suck).

Anywho, the car runs fine, as far as I can tell, and I usually notice any small change in the way it runs. The only symptoms I've got so far are the smoke and the tach turning off and on...

I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find it, I just need to get in there and look. Like I said, it happened on the way into work, so I won't get a chance to do it until tomorrow.

Is there a fuse for the guage cluster? I was thinking about disconnecting the power to the guages so that I can drive the 15 miles home, and hopefully not worry about my shit catching fire.

Originally posted by ci5ic
I don't think I can use AIM at work (firewalls suck).

that does suck.

he says the only thing you can do is pull the panel at the top of your dash...and pull the plug on the left. i've heard you talk about pulling apart the dash and cluster...so i'm sure you know what i'm talking about

I figured it out.

I pulled apart my guage cluster, completely unplugged it etc. problem still occurred. Pulled apart the steering column, and noticed that the ignition is fried. One of the solder joints on the back of the ignition got hot enough to reflow the solder, and it bridged to an adjacent solder joint. I'm not sure what the part is called, but it's a round switch looking thing, and about 7 or 8 wires from under the dash are soldered to it. It is held to the ignition by 2 brass screws, and there's a tiny hole in the center of it that part of the ignition goes into. I'll post a pic in an hour or two...

Thanks for the help everyone!

Honda calls it a SWITCH COMP., STEERING part # 83845 ~$42 from Majestic Honda.
I paid~$50.00 from AutoZone and it is called an ignition starter switch, mfg: Wells, part # LS883.
Hope this helps!!!

Cool, thanks!

Here's the pic I snapped of it. You can see where the solder bridged between the two connections with the red-arrows:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/327782ignition2.jpg

similar problem i guess..

but i checked the ignition and it looks fine...
here's what happens. When i bring it down to an idle, like before i turn the car off, after a drive. I can smell something burning, almost like plastic..

yes i did install a '89 Si cluster, and the smell began soon after i did so..
so i'm planning on replacing the standard cluster to see if the smell still happens..

anyways.. is there anything else that could be making a stink like this?

i drive an '89 hatch dx.

the smell is definetely coming through the vents... and you can sometimes smell the burning while standing outside the car...

Originally posted by ci5ic
Cool, thanks!

Here's the pic I snapped of it. You can see where the solder bridged between the two connections with the red-arrows:

http://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/327782ignition2.jpg

That is the same place that mine overheated, only my solder fell into the fuse cover.
The top arrow in your photo is the wire that looked burnt on my wire harness.

haha smoke comin through the steering wheel?? thats crazy sounds like a comedy :) glad you got ur problem fixed

Originally posted by tbk49
haha smoke comin through the steering wheel?? thats crazy sounds like a comedy :) glad you got ur problem fixed

Yeah, it's just like a comedy, except it wasn't funny, and nobody was laughin'... hehehe

But my problem isn't fixed. See my thread titled "help again!" for more info.

:D i have a friend that had the same prob. when the smoke would come out of her steering wheel and the tac would jump. well what happens is carbonizing of the ignition switch. the car would actualy like turn off for a second but go back on, this would cause your tac to jump. and the smoke comes from the heat and the sparking of the switch. u can either clean it or buy a new one.

:) my friend had the same prob. jumpin tach and the smoke. it the ignition switch. it carbonizes and causes prob with the car starting and smoke.