QuestionQUESTION: Hi, and thanks, I have a 94 Concorde that sometimes smoke comes from the
center hole on the dash, smells like wire burning. When it happens and you
turn off the engine the battery is graveyard dead when you try to start it
again. Charge battery it might be OK for a month and it will do it again. This
time, the guages go on and off, the radio wont come on but again it starts
and runs fine. Have you ever heard of anything like this?? Let me thank you
now for your help.
ANSWER: Hi Dwayne,
No, not specifically heard of this. But it smells like you have a short circuit in one of the power supply wires to a device located in the "center hole" of the dash by which I presume that you mean where the radio and AC/heater controls are located. Because it is intermittent it will be more difficult to locate the short. Because you say that the radio won't work when this happens I would suspect it is in the power wire to the radio which is red/white and is supplied by fuse #2. You might try removing that fuse and then see if the problem appears to be resolved by driving it that way, if you can survive without the radio for a while. You just have to remove the cap on the left end of the dash (open the door to get at it) to find the fuse box. The gauges going on and off at the time may be due to the fact of the short because the part of the ignition switch that powers the radio fuse also powers the dash gauges. A short would probably drop the voltage to gauges so low that they would go on and off.
Other than removing the radio and the other panels in the center hole to look for the signs of burned wire insulation that is my best suggestion. You really have to see where it occurs to identify the short, or look for the aftermath, or remove the possible power sources to see if that stops it in the future. Look for similar clues to the radio that go along at the time of the smoke as that will often give us a lead.
But start by pulling fuse #2 if that is no problem. To remove the devices you simply have to gently pry off the bezel that surrounds the "hole" and then you will see that each is held in place by some screws.
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks somuch for the reply Roland,I should have been more clear. The
center whole is the one between the windshied defrost vents.There is black
soot on the windshield. Do you know if a 94 has a body control module??I
read that a bad connection or ground on this could cause a problem. I looked
under the right kick panel and found nothing. Still scratching my head, I will
try what you suggested.I do very much appreiceate you time and expertise. A
problem of this nature is really fustrating, now the interior lights quit and the
door locks.
Dwayne
AnswerHi Dwayne,
Yes there is a body computer but it is over on the passenger side inner cowl (kick panel) BEHIND the trim cloth/panel.
The loss of the lights and doorlocks is a sign that your ignition off draw fuse is blown as that is needed to power those circuits when the car is shut off. Look in the fuse box for an "M1" or #13 or IOD lableled fuse near the right end of that middle row of fuses. If you have an ohmmeter check to see how much resistance it is showing to ground on the contact that doesn't have 12V on it, when you have all the doors closed. If it is reading close to 0 ohms it will blow again and that means that circuit is probably the source of the smoke. We'll have to trace everything that is on that fuse to find out whose wire is shorted to ground.
Roland
