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Automotive/1992 Plymouth Acclaim

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Expert: - 8/30/2007


Question
I was just given this car.  I went to start it tonight and smoke came out from around the steering column.  The ignition switch was not quite in the right position. I started it about four or five times after that and it started fine, no smoke or nothing.  I was told this was the wiring. I want to know if it was because of the position of the ignition. Will this be costly to repair?  I am disabled and on a very limited income.  I haven't even got tags for it yet and I don't want to waste my money paying taxes and such if the repair on the car is too much.  Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated

Answer
Well, you definitely had an electrical fire, due to an apparent short-circuit type of fault, seemingly due to an out-of-position ignition switch causing a make-before-break problem with contacts that should NOT have simultaneously contacted.

The smoke would have come mainly from melting and burning insulation, plus from any greasy dust debris in the vicinity of the wiring.  The fact that the vehicle started properly thereafter and has done so since is lucky, as that indicates that the affected wires themselves did not arc open.  That part is good news.

The not-quite-so good news is that there is damaged insulation, and it is probably that some of it is open.  Open insulation can facilitate a short circuit again very easily, simply by the exposed wire falling into contact with another or with the vehicle chassis "grounding" system.  Damaged wire must be replaced to avoid this possibility, perhaps inevitability.

There are those who would charge you for a new steering column harness.  However, there are others who can make good judgement calls upon inspecting the wire, and who would not be averse to simply replacing bad runs of wire with new wire of the same wire gauge size, insulation rating and, ideally, colour for coding purposes, and would do so using proper soldering techniques and heat-shrinkable tubing.  (They could also effectively use in-line crimp-ons, but I personally have a bias in favour of the above.  Crimp-ons on stranded wire can absorb moisture over time and corrode from the inside out.)

You may have to pay for a new switch as well; however this caused the problem in the first place could happen again.

Find a friendly auto-electrical person!  With the right person, this should not be too bad.

Cheers and good luck ... EGK  

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Ernest (Ernie) Kenward

Expertise

The challenges I most enjoy are thoughtful technical questions of a trouble-shooting nature in both electrical, power electronic and mechanical systems, mainly automotive but also machine control and small-machine PLC applications. Please note, however, that I am NOT a walking shop manual! I DO, however, make it a point to have those manuals and other service literature for those vehicles I DO own, and highly recommend that anyone serious about maintenance or modification of their vehicles do the same; MOST of your answers WILL be found there. For that matter, I do NOT go out of my way to acquire shop manuals for any vehicle I do NOT own! That being the case, any general query to me along the lines of "What is the meaning of this code read from the ECU of my 2015 XYZ?" or "Where is the fuse for the windshield washer pump found?" (try your car's electrical distribution panel for a start!) will not go far. What I do offer is a pretty good collection of literature, insights and hands-on experience with 1950s to 1980's Ford products (plus a developing database of information and practice with the Mercedes diesel cars), along with an engineering perspective and the ability to design and implement custom control, electrical and mechanical subsystems for vehicles. For that reason, I am happy to make my thoughts and efforts available to those who are of like mind and/or are seriously making a point of learning about their vehicles. Use the Opportunity to Learn!

Experience

A key skill in my work and hobby pursuits both is STRATEGIC TROUBLESHOOTING. I am a senior instructor in Electrical Engineering Technology at a leading Canadian polytechnic, my areas being Electrical Power and Industrial Control, electrical and electronics design and manufacturing, and AutoCAD and related CAD/CAE software - plus equipment problem-solving and new equipment design and prototyping. Hobby-wise, I have 30-plus years of experience in auto restoration, mostly in electrical and mechanical systems. Ongoing projects include a 1959 Edsel Corsair, my 1978 Ford E250 class-B motorhome conversion, and the care and upkeep of my Mercedes 300CD. My vehicles become engineering test beds for electrical and mechanical upgrades as ideas present themselves. This includes the design and production of circuit boards to restore or enhance features for which no OEM replacement parts are obtainable, or where better specifications or reliability can be had via newer concepts. Regarding the E250 RV conversion, I designed and continue to revise a custom power distribution system, managed by a Programmable Controller (PLC); this has made most revisions as easy as uploading new firmware as I develop it. The "mini" PLC is a powerful device for custom automotive control systems. One good example (there are many) would be the Moeller "Easy Relay"; these offer a wealth of control, monitoring and variable-and-status display options for such projects. A good example project which has worked well is that one for my RV noted above, which has been on the job - revised in firmware only - for a decade now. It is a load management and charging control system to avoid the sulfation-induced early failure that often befalls deep-cycle batteries used in RV power applications. The battery installed in 2003 lasted long enough to more tnan pay for the PLC that contributed to its longer life ... and the PLC will be there for the next battery as well!

Organizations
IEEE - senior member ... past WCC Student Activities; SME - senior member ... past chair, greater Vancouver chapter chair 318; Edsel Owners' Club - have served in various capacities on chapter executive during seventies; have been Power and Driveline resource on the Edsel Owners' Club "E-team" for more than a decade.

Education/Credentials
Graduate of UBC

Awards and Honors
Certificates of appreciation from IEEE and SME for work in student and chapter activities

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