- This topic has 5 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by
.
- Topic
Howdy, again.
Went to start my truck this morning before work, and nothing happened. No lights, buzzers, clicks/click. Figured it was a dead battery. I knew it needed a new battery, as the old battery previously tested low on the Cold Crank test, and I had been driving it like that for several months putting it off.
Brought home new battery, and began to hook it up. Positive side first, then when I touched the negative connector to the negative terminal on the battery, smoke arose from some wiring on the Drivers side engine compartment by the firewall, as well as one or two embers seemed to have fallen from the same area from something burning off cables I believe. The cable I suspect it came from, runs from the starter through the firewall and up the steering column (which I suspect to be the Ignition switch connection).
The Plunger to activate the headlights, when pulled, lights up the headlights, so there is juice in the system, but anything requiring the key to be turned on to work, does not come on and work. (Radio, Starter)
My concern: If I replace the ignition switch, how likely is it I have this same issue after reconnecting the battery again? The smoke arising from the engine compartment side of the firewall has me confused, as I believe a symptom of a failing ignition switch was smoke rising in the passenger compartment from the steering column area. I checked the one connector where the wires appeared to have smoked from, and there is no evidence of burns on or at the connector. (They both looked fine, if a little dirty.)
The cable appears to have been spliced at some point at almost the same place as the connector checked above, and is wrapped in electrical tape, though I have not tracked down what is spliced into it. It’s been running fine since March last year, up until this morning, so I never felt a need to check it out.
So, need any more info? Got a place for me to start? I called my mechanic friend up and he wants me to have it towed over to him so he can diagnose it at his shop. Best plan, or try and solve at home?
Edit: Last time the truck was driven, was Monday of last week, and everything seemed fine. Since then, it has rained three times, and been cool. (Bought a new car and been driving that for a week…. Wanted to get back and drive the truck today, but that didnt work too well, obviously.)
- Replies
Start with any splices or bad looking areas. Does the main harness enter on
the drivers side? you may need to hook the battery up to see what smoked or
give it to the mechanic to work on.Update: I took it into the shop, and within a few minutes, he found where the issue was ocurring at. There is a power connection (One end runs off to the starter) right next to where the smoke was coming from, and a fuseable wire/link attached to it. The fuseable link is what was smoking and burned up on the backside facing the firewall, which is why I could not see any burns.
He pulled on the connector, and the wire snapped where it had burned up in the sleeve. He touched the two wires together, and it sparked. He said there was a live ground somewhere in the loop. His plan is to pull the block where all the wires attach to go to the fuses in the interior from the engine compartment, and recheck the wires together, and if it doesnt spark anymore, then he said he will need to go into the cab and search inside for the wires, where as if it still sparks after the block is removed, that the live ground connection would be in the engine compartment, and (relatively) easier to find. ( I did check the fuses before taking it in, and they all appeared fine, although I didnt pull out each individually to check.)
The main harness does enter on the drivers side. I’ll keep this thread updated as I learn more from him – I love my Mechanic. He does great work. This may be a good topic to cover in a video at some point, if it hasnt been already. I know I checked the No Start/ No Crank Diagnostics before finally throwing the towel in, and couldn’t find anything about a live ground wire when the ignition is off, or even how to diagnose it really. I’ll look around again before making the suggestion.
Update/Fixed!
So, it turned out to be this: The shop I had redo the valve cover gaskets (the time I did them, I had a defect gasket that leaked), accidentally pinched a wire between the head and the gasket, and it slowly wore the insulation down until it grounded out. Shop took responsibility without any issue, apologized for the inconvenience and did the work to replace wire, fuse-able link, and gasket at no charge. 😀I love happy endings.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.