I need help quick! i just went out to get some lunch and looked down and it looked like my dash was on fire! there was smoke everywhere. i finaly got it home and took what i could of the dash apart. (cd player hvac controls ) and turn the ignition on,... about 15 seconds later TONS of smoke. what is going on??? 40,000 miles. i need help bad!

 

dealer time? Seriously

Have you done any modifications electrically?

 

not really
nothing that would cause this.

just like underglows and little stuff. i do all the wiring the right way. with fuses and the right connectors.

 

Were the underglows on?

Does it smell electrical?

What where the environmental controls set at? Was the smoke coming from the vents or not?

 

no, not the vents. the underglows have been onthe car forever now. it did smell electrical. well, like burning plastic. i could hardly take the smell. with all the center controls out, the smoke is coming from the top of that opening, like right above the cd player. but below the vents..

 

Check you're underglow's control box. If you shortcircuited any of your underglows it would cause the FETs in the control box to fry like that

 

the controls are in the trunk, wired directly to the battery with fuses. nothing up front but a toggle. and the toggle is down by the e-brake.

 

Well if you're confident it's nothing you did, call GM Roadside and have it towed to the dealer...

 

im going to freakin cry,..... i think i remember someone talking about there cobalt burning to the ground in a post a while back. i cant find the post tho

 

By "on" I meant electically turned on, not physically installed in the car.

Electrical smoke troubleshooting is actually pretty easy. Based on what you describe, you should be able to clearly see whatever was burning by the damage already done. If not, pull all of your breakers, turn the car on, then reinstall them one at a time until you find it.

 

The same thing happened to me a few years back to my VW. It turned out to be my heater core. Let me tell you, I hope that it's not the case for you because it was very expensive to fix

 

I work for a dealer, my buddy. who is a tech is coming over in a little while. we are going to take it apart and look it over, anything and everyhting that has been done to this car he helped with. he said he thinks he rememebers wiring the cd player in with the hvac. but i disconected the hvac controls and cd player comletely from the system and it is still doing it.

 

Disconect the battery so it won't burn to the ground and have it towed to the dealer.

 

no the underglowes were not on. i am just going nuts waiting on him to get here.

ya, its disconected. but it only smokes when the car is in acc. or on. so whatever it is needs the ignition.

 

Leave it off, have it towed, beter safe then carless.

 

I know. I Have learned my lesson about careless more than once. However i Have to use the car tomorow so we are takeing the dash apart tonight. like i said my buddy is a tech at the dealership it would go to anyway.

-My lungs actualy hurt from breathing the smoke. THIS SUX so bad.....

 

CARless not careless as in no car!

Never thought you were careless.

 

haha,...thats funny reading back on it,... LOL. sorry

 

damn I read it as carEless too...funny what your eyes do

 

What was the outcome?

 

I know sometimes...keep in mind i don't know how much smoke, but if it's hot out and your are running your air conditioning very cold, and mist will come out of the vents that look like smoke...but it's only b/c it's so freakin cold...like your breath in the winter..

 

well. i found out what it was. whoever owned the car before me ran a signal wire (remote wire) to his amp from a hot hvac wire for some reason. i just used the remote wire when i got the vehicle and didint think anyhting of it. well. he also ran in through a bunch of metal and it finaly wore through. melted the wires and some of the carpet. not the smartest thing i have seen.... its all good now.

 

I say burnt it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man, if only mine owuld just catch up in smoke on a weekend or something.

 

ummm ok steve.... problems?

 

Backyard electricians. Go find the guy that did that and beat him over the head with a fuse while yelling "Never touch wire again you dipshit!"