epbrown01

About 50 miles into an 800-mile road trip, I pulled over to fill up and discovered smoke coming from the driver's side front wheel well. Looking under the car, I saw flames in the fender behind the wheel, underneath where the antenna is mounted. Borrowing a fire extinguisher, I put out the flames and (nervously) drove the car back home. No more flames or smoke, but oddly the car radio wouldn't turn off. Previously, the radio stayed on until the key was removed - now it stays powered up no matter what. Fiddling with it, I discovered that the radio is a removable model and I pulled it out to disconnect the power. I'm thinking the PO got a poor radio install, but any thoughts on what to do now?

Emanuel

Yabo

Wow. something too close to your exhaust? your brakes overheating? or i guess it could just be a lit cigarette on the ground got bounced up in there or something. What exactly burnt? can you tell? my radio always stays powered up. i can turn it off but it still does the display and stays all lit up that it would udo if you had it off while you were driving.
hope you figure it out.. do you know how to wire a radio yourself? maybe the fire melted two wires together down there or something. I dont know.... thats the besti can think of. try disconnecting the antenna maybe thats causing it.

RedlineMan

Ummm...


You might note whether your antenna previously went up and down when the radio was turned off, and if it does anymore? If that is the case, and it mysteriously doesn't, then guess what burned up?!

SoCal Driver

Antenna fire. First one I've heard of. Get a reasonable priced after market one and rewire the entire radio/antenna circuit.

Turbo_Ed

Since it stays on with the key removed the main 12V for the radio (when it turns on) might be shorted to the 12V constant (power for memory or clock when the car is off. This sounds like a poor install. Can you see what started the fire? Maybe the radio wires shorted out?

SoCal Driver

The electric antennas have a constant 12 volts to them. This is so they retarct after you either turn off the radio or remove the key.

the problem is the unit uses a thermal over load relay to switch off the motor. If this fails/sticks then the motor will run constantly. This is possibly what happened here but in the UP direction.

I've had mine fail in the down direction. Drained the battery over night. Found the antenna power had been connected to the wrong side of the fuse.

epbrown01

Hey all, thanks for the ideas but is the antenna electric on all 83s? I've been raising and lowering it manually, and I've never heard a peep from it or seen it respond to turning the radio on and off - heck, I'd just pulled it up before starting the trip as reception in some parts of IN and KY isn't great. Hmm.

I'll probe around more when it stops snowing. Great if it's that simple, as I've got a Hirschmann antenna here in the apt. I was going to use for my 911.

Emanuel

iloveporsches

I think automatic antenna would have been an option on the 83's, but I'm not sure.

I had a really wierd short from the radio wiring last summer. The engine would continue to run even with the keys out of the ignition!

tomc_85.5_944

Yeah, my radio, which resembles pics I have seen of factory radios (don't know if it is or not) is not connected to the ignition. I can turn it on and off with just the ****, and the car being on or off has no bearing. Another thing on my list to look into...

tod84944

Hey guys, what about the vapor can. It is mounted in front of where the power ant. is located. I don't know if a 83 had the power option or not. But it sounds to me that the vapor can went bad.

epbrown01

Just a follow-up, in case people were wondering - it was leaves. The PO kept the car outside and some had worked there way down the windshield into engine bay. A few were on the manifold and caught when it got hot. Why this happened now, rather than during the 800-mile drive home with the car, I'll never know.

The problems with the radio and wiring appear to be unrelated. And increasing.

Emanuel