I'm really bummed. I drained/flushed/refilled my cooling system and
replaced the thermostat (actually, I found that there wasn't one there, so
I put one in), and when I started the car, smoke came up from the steering
column and out the facia vents. It starts again if I put the ignition in
the "start" position without starting the engine. Seems to be a brown wire
in the main harness that got hot, but others looked bad too.
I have a feeling I'm looking at replacing the main and dash harnesses at a
minimum. There was a lot of water flowing out of the cooling system, so
I'm guessing either the alternator or starter would be the problem, but I'm
thinking those only because they manage the electricity and they're low
enough to have gotten wet when the water ran out of the filler plug holes
during the flush.
What makes it worse is that I then had to push the car back into its
parking space, where it will sit while I'm out of town for a couple of days.
Can anyone either tell me what I did wrong and how to make sure it doesn't
happen when I replace the wiring, or tell me about a good brewpub in
Toronto so I can at least get my mind off the smell of melting insulation.
Thanks.
--Steve (1980 MGB)
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