Engine died/white smoke/major short
09-26-2005, 04:05 PM
#1
Track Day
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: San Diego
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Engine died/white smoke/major short
Hello Gentlemen,
First off, as you may have noticed, I'm a newbie here, so I must thank you all for all the insights and experience I've been absorbing for the last year.
As a first time P-car owner, I'm still learning a lot, so my contributions are limited.
Unfortunately, I need your help. Last week after giving my car some love, I took it out for a spin to go to a friends house and within 1/4 mile had a major malfunction.
As I was accelerating through the gears the engine died and I stopped on the median with white smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. The smoke was coming from the inside the fan and had a funky smell to it. Upon closer inspection, I have found the culprit, see link.
This is a shot from the top, with the cover behind the fan housing removed, looking towards the right.
http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/...ousing-med.JPG
Am I correct to assume this is the hot lead coming off the alternator? See zoomed image:
http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/..._short-med.jpg
So, the question is, what happened? Obviously I had a major short, but what could have caused it? Could the regulator do this? Could the alternator short out and do this? After I stopped the car, the battery light and gear light were on, and the battery died within hours. It has since been disconnected.
As far as symptoms leading up to this, hindsight is 20/20. I replaced the old battery a few months ago with a red top (optima), but I would still see the battery light come on at times. Mind you, I drive this car once or twice a week. It was never dead, but a little perflexing with a new battery. I'm wondering if this was a sign of things to come.
Now I need to get it fixed, and well, I've never had to take the car anywhere, so I'm thinking of Black Forest in San Diego. I'm mechanically inclined, but I think electrical is better for the pros. Right?
What do you guys think?
Thanks
, Eric
PS - a little background
1990 3x Black Cabriolet
50K miles
Had it for 2 1/2 years
My mods:
Aero Mirrors
993 Cup Wheels
New Door Speakers
Future mods:
Lower
Clear corners
First off, as you may have noticed, I'm a newbie here, so I must thank you all for all the insights and experience I've been absorbing for the last year.
As a first time P-car owner, I'm still learning a lot, so my contributions are limited.
Unfortunately, I need your help. Last week after giving my car some love, I took it out for a spin to go to a friends house and within 1/4 mile had a major malfunction.
As I was accelerating through the gears the engine died and I stopped on the median with white smoke billowing out of the engine compartment. The smoke was coming from the inside the fan and had a funky smell to it. Upon closer inspection, I have found the culprit, see link.
This is a shot from the top, with the cover behind the fan housing removed, looking towards the right.
http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/...ousing-med.JPG
Am I correct to assume this is the hot lead coming off the alternator? See zoomed image:
http://www.allcoastsportfishing.com/..._short-med.jpg
So, the question is, what happened? Obviously I had a major short, but what could have caused it? Could the regulator do this? Could the alternator short out and do this? After I stopped the car, the battery light and gear light were on, and the battery died within hours. It has since been disconnected.
As far as symptoms leading up to this, hindsight is 20/20. I replaced the old battery a few months ago with a red top (optima), but I would still see the battery light come on at times. Mind you, I drive this car once or twice a week. It was never dead, but a little perflexing with a new battery. I'm wondering if this was a sign of things to come.
Now I need to get it fixed, and well, I've never had to take the car anywhere, so I'm thinking of Black Forest in San Diego. I'm mechanically inclined, but I think electrical is better for the pros. Right?
What do you guys think?
Thanks
, EricPS - a little background
1990 3x Black Cabriolet
50K miles
Had it for 2 1/2 years
My mods:
Aero Mirrors
993 Cup Wheels
New Door Speakers
Future mods:
Lower
Clear corners
09-26-2005, 05:01 PM
#2
Drifting
Well Mr E, let me begin by saying welcome, and I'm a real fan of your band........(anyone else know of the eels?)
You are correct thats the alternator hot wire....
I would guess at a minimum its the regulator, but it could be worse. You may have also taken the battery out as well, I would take it to someone whom you could trust electrically and get a full run down, hopefully alternator and batter are all thats gone awol.
kevin.
You are correct thats the alternator hot wire....
I would guess at a minimum its the regulator, but it could be worse. You may have also taken the battery out as well, I would take it to someone whom you could trust electrically and get a full run down, hopefully alternator and batter are all thats gone awol.
kevin.
09-27-2005, 12:43 PM
#3
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Good luck getting that fixed. You are lucky you did not have an engine bay fire.
That is probably not a short. It looks like a failed connector. If you had a short, the wire would be crispy, and the connector would be less crispy. Healthy connectors have less electrical resistance than wire, and are bigger. Therefore, healthy connectors run cooler and tolerate overloading better than the wire.
Crimp-on connectors loosen with age and heat cycles. There is increased resistance as the clamping force on the wire decreases. After reaching a certain resistance, the connector experiences a phenomenon called "thermal runaway", where heat causes resistance increase, which causes more heat..... Thermal runaway can happen at or below rated current. A short is not necessary.
If I install or repair a crimp-on connector, I solder the wire to the connector. Soldered connectors can also fail, but they are a lot more reliable than crimp connectors.
Having said all that, the heat could be coming from a failed voltage regulator inside the alternator. The heat damage would certainly have taken out the regulator, so you will never know which came first - the regulator failure or the connector failure. You did not have a short, because the wire is not crispy. I expect your new battery will be fine after recharging.
Make sure you get a new wire with a properly made-up connector. Many mechanics use cheap crimp connectors and don't know any better. They don't last, especially in high-current applications.
That is probably not a short. It looks like a failed connector. If you had a short, the wire would be crispy, and the connector would be less crispy. Healthy connectors have less electrical resistance than wire, and are bigger. Therefore, healthy connectors run cooler and tolerate overloading better than the wire.
Crimp-on connectors loosen with age and heat cycles. There is increased resistance as the clamping force on the wire decreases. After reaching a certain resistance, the connector experiences a phenomenon called "thermal runaway", where heat causes resistance increase, which causes more heat..... Thermal runaway can happen at or below rated current. A short is not necessary.
If I install or repair a crimp-on connector, I solder the wire to the connector. Soldered connectors can also fail, but they are a lot more reliable than crimp connectors.
Having said all that, the heat could be coming from a failed voltage regulator inside the alternator. The heat damage would certainly have taken out the regulator, so you will never know which came first - the regulator failure or the connector failure. You did not have a short, because the wire is not crispy. I expect your new battery will be fine after recharging.
Make sure you get a new wire with a properly made-up connector. Many mechanics use cheap crimp connectors and don't know any better. They don't last, especially in high-current applications.
