Help! My SHO almost caught on fire last night!

[Jeanette]

Help! A while back I posted a question to everyone which mentioned that I felt my 1989 SHO was possessed. To refresh y'alls memory here how my problem started.

First my right headlight would only glow dim (not reg and not brights just dim). Then my headlights would go out by themselves and would not turn on manually nor auto (only sometimes) unless you played with the blinker switch. Also, if I ran my heater and radio after a while my radio would turn off by itself.

New development is last night my SHO smelled like somethin' was burning (saw smoke) was coming from under the hood but right up close to the dash but I couldn't see where.

What in the world is wrong with my baby? Could it be a lose ground?

HELP
Jeanette
Cary, NC
Cell phone number 919.274.3345

 

[BlackOnBlackATX]

i think a loose ground would more result in things not coming on at all rather than coming on and smoking. sounds like your multifunction (blinker) switch needs replacing. that would explain the headlights and such. the radio *could* be ground related, but if its a stock radio then its unlikely. as far as the smoke, have you tried identifying the burnt wires? i know its tough because there are so many wire runs in these cars. your first bet is to have the blinker switch tested and/or replaced i think. maybe someone else can help some more.

 

[rangerj]

Jeanette,

If you "smoked" a wire, then you have a short somewhere. A bad ground would be a lack of a complete circuit. Check your fuses first. Look for any blown fuse. Cleaning all your grounds, and your battery connections, is a very good idea though.

If you have a blown fuse, replace it and see what happens. If it blows again, then something it that circuit is a problem. The fuse panel will give you a list of what is on the circuit. This is a good starting point, but it it no substitute for the wiring diagrams.

Check the wiring diagrams for any fusable links in the circuits you are having problems with. The smoke you saw may have been a fusable link that "blew".

Before getting into continuity checks of the wires in the problem circuits, check all the connections for good clean, corrosion free, contact. They may not salt the roads down there, but the salt air can be just as corrosive if you are near the ocean.

Electrical malfunctions are a bear to track down. You need a good multimeter to test volts, ohms, continuity, and amps (including miliamps). Sears and Radio Shack sell a versitile one for under $50. You can get a decent one for under $30 .

Start at the part that uses the electricity. For example, the headlight uses battery voltage (12+ volts ). Check the light socket for battery voltage when the lights are on. If it is not battery voltage, you need to find out why. (Bad relay, fuse, switch, etc)

Go through this process with everything that is not working properly. A wiring diagram is a must. If you do not have one, your local library should have a service manual with the diagrams in it.

There is no easy way to solve your problems, and no shortcuts (no pun intended, well maybe a little one). thumbs_u LOL rangerj