Smoke from dash and speedometer/odometer don't work anymore!!!! HELP!!!!!!!
06-07-2002, 03:37 AM
#16
Official Bay Area Patriot
Fuse 24 Assassin
Rennlist Member
Fuse 24 Assassin
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Greg if thats happened would that mean the whole wiring is shot that leads to the speedometer? Or could it be the wire got so hot that the connection got fried hence stopping the speedometer and odometer?
By the way, the scent of the smoke and yes it was very noticeable because it clouded up the gauge panel slightly smelt like plastic and rubber.
By the way, the scent of the smoke and yes it was very noticeable because it clouded up the gauge panel slightly smelt like plastic and rubber.
06-07-2002, 04:12 AM
#17
There really are a few different possibilities. It could be the wiring leading to the speedometer/odometer and the insulation on it burning up. Some wiring may have gotten hot enough to melt a plastic connector causing a connection problem. The flexible circuit board on the back of the instrument cluster is plastic. The conductor in it may have melted, and the plastic along with it. The actual gauge may have burned. It could also be something not mentioned yet. There's really no way of knowing until it's taken apart and looked at.
If a burned up wire is found, make sure that they take a very good look at other wires in the area. The heat from the problem wire may have melted the insulation off of other wires that it touched as well. The stuff that those wires operates may still work, but there could be an exposed section in that wiring that will cause problems later on. Before I bought it, someone screwed something up in my car that melted a wire behind the fuse box. That wire had been repaired, but several other wires that it touched had spots where the insulation got melted off, and those were not repaired. The result was that my radiator fans would have intermittent running problems. That went on for over a year before I figured out what was going on and correctly repaired everything.
If a burned up wire is found, make sure that they take a very good look at other wires in the area. The heat from the problem wire may have melted the insulation off of other wires that it touched as well. The stuff that those wires operates may still work, but there could be an exposed section in that wiring that will cause problems later on. Before I bought it, someone screwed something up in my car that melted a wire behind the fuse box. That wire had been repaired, but several other wires that it touched had spots where the insulation got melted off, and those were not repaired. The result was that my radiator fans would have intermittent running problems. That went on for over a year before I figured out what was going on and correctly repaired everything.
06-07-2002, 08:52 AM
#18
Three Wheelin'
Euro,
Really depends on the gauge of the wire and the load it took. If the wire got hot but did not fail, the cover burns until the load is gone (some other part inline fails), then it cools and you have an intact but bare and brittle wire. Or, the wire can become a fuse and heat cherry red until the wire itself fails. Also, (this is the fun part) The source of the problem and the point of failure may not be near each other. When a unprotected circuit takes a short or overload the weakest link fails. It may not be near the source of the short or overload. You short a wire at point A, the wire handles the load like a fuse until something at point B fails, maybe nowhere near point A but inline.
I have a 4 wheeler which had a ignition switch harness meltdown. I never noticed it and the ignition switch worked fine. One day, I had the switch out doing some other work, and was suprized to see 2 wires completely bare for about 18" in the harness. Stripping back to clean copper to splice into was difficult. Brittle, burned wire needs to be replaced. The source of the failure was not the switch, it could have been a shorted taillight wire. The switch harness was the weakest link.
With that in mind, did you pull the spare tire and check the condition of the small connector for the speedo? It's in the tire well. Make sure it is not crushed, pinched to the body or someone did not tap it for speaker ground (?)
The bottom line is that you should get the pod out and visually inspect the wiring and the circuit board. But I don't think the foil on the board can cause that much smoke. Look for signs of burn, smell for burned wires and components. That burnt plastic leaves a lingering smell on the wiring and components. Check connectors by removing them. Look into female ends. Use a flashlight. Remember, something can get cherry-red, and if not disturbed, can cool and it can be hard to see the damage unless the wire covering is gone. Feel for brittle wires. A harness should be somewhat supple and flexible. If you move a harness or wire, you may notice that it is brittle or that covering flakes off. Check the fuse panel and harness connectors below it. There was a recent post about someone's passenger causing a small fire by pushing the panel with their feet. Just make sure everything there were no bad taps added by the steroe installer and that everything is "tight and right" in there.
One thing may be for sure. Although you have an isolated gauge failure now, there may be more failures or intermitant operations of other electricals in the car if you don't find and replace any and all burnt wiring/connectors.
Good luck,
Greg
Really depends on the gauge of the wire and the load it took. If the wire got hot but did not fail, the cover burns until the load is gone (some other part inline fails), then it cools and you have an intact but bare and brittle wire. Or, the wire can become a fuse and heat cherry red until the wire itself fails. Also, (this is the fun part) The source of the problem and the point of failure may not be near each other. When a unprotected circuit takes a short or overload the weakest link fails. It may not be near the source of the short or overload. You short a wire at point A, the wire handles the load like a fuse until something at point B fails, maybe nowhere near point A but inline.
I have a 4 wheeler which had a ignition switch harness meltdown. I never noticed it and the ignition switch worked fine. One day, I had the switch out doing some other work, and was suprized to see 2 wires completely bare for about 18" in the harness. Stripping back to clean copper to splice into was difficult. Brittle, burned wire needs to be replaced. The source of the failure was not the switch, it could have been a shorted taillight wire. The switch harness was the weakest link.
With that in mind, did you pull the spare tire and check the condition of the small connector for the speedo? It's in the tire well. Make sure it is not crushed, pinched to the body or someone did not tap it for speaker ground (?)
The bottom line is that you should get the pod out and visually inspect the wiring and the circuit board. But I don't think the foil on the board can cause that much smoke. Look for signs of burn, smell for burned wires and components. That burnt plastic leaves a lingering smell on the wiring and components. Check connectors by removing them. Look into female ends. Use a flashlight. Remember, something can get cherry-red, and if not disturbed, can cool and it can be hard to see the damage unless the wire covering is gone. Feel for brittle wires. A harness should be somewhat supple and flexible. If you move a harness or wire, you may notice that it is brittle or that covering flakes off. Check the fuse panel and harness connectors below it. There was a recent post about someone's passenger causing a small fire by pushing the panel with their feet. Just make sure everything there were no bad taps added by the steroe installer and that everything is "tight and right" in there.
One thing may be for sure. Although you have an isolated gauge failure now, there may be more failures or intermitant operations of other electricals in the car if you don't find and replace any and all burnt wiring/connectors.
Good luck,
Greg
06-07-2002, 01:00 PM
#19
Burning Brakes
I would like to add that if it turns out to be a wiring burn issue, you will need to check the resistance of that wiring. Even though the wiring may look somewhat "intact", the resistance in the copper may have gone way up due to the heat, thereby preventing full current flow. This could turn out to be a compound problem that may have effects on other electronics. Don't want to scare you but better to know the worst case and be pleasantly surprised then the other way around. If it turns out that Circuit City was the cause of all this, I would make them liable for a complete wiring test on anything they tapped into from a respected "authorized" Porsche repair center.
06-07-2002, 01:19 PM
#20
Official Bay Area Patriot
Fuse 24 Assassin
Rennlist Member
Fuse 24 Assassin
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
UPDATE!
Today on the way to work, my father called me up while I was still stuck in bed and said the the speedometer and odometer are now WORKING again. Yesterday they didn't work and the day before they got smoked....but today they work fine!!!!
what the hell???
Today on the way to work, my father called me up while I was still stuck in bed and said the the speedometer and odometer are now WORKING again. Yesterday they didn't work and the day before they got smoked....but today they work fine!!!!
what the hell???
06-07-2002, 01:24 PM
#21
Three Wheelin'
Common failure of the speedo is that connector in the spare tire housing. All I had to do to resore my speedometer was to seperate, clean and reconnect that connector.
