Electrical problems, car dead, desperate...

[IndyBlk5.0]

Well when i got home 3 days ago I turn off my car, and hear a POOF and smoke comes out of the hood. It was by my battery/coil/starter solenoid area. I lost everything inside the car, nothing works. I still get a ding ding when i put the key in the ignition but no go on anything. Doesnt even try to do anything. So i figured the starter seleniod was fried, fixed that, figured out where a possible shorting place was a fixed that too. Still same thing, nothing at all no power anywhere. The car is really dead. Where to start?! I noticed a few days before hand that my wiring under my dash was getting very hot ( i have the bottom part of my dash off right now and have been driving it like this for quite some time.) Why were they so hot? Where to start! Help! Desperate!
Thanks,
Jason

 

[HO93LX302]

Could be a bad ignition switch on the column, and maybe thats way the wires under the dash were warm.. back in the day there was a recall on the switches

 

[The Shape]

Also if you are getting no power at all, have you checked all of your grounds out?

 

[HISSIN50]

Jason, i would start at the source - the solenoid and its fusible links. check each one and replace them as you go. depending upon which one is burned, that might tell you what else to check. goin the other way could be a real pain.

good luck (BTW, i think your other thread had Michael's idea about getting a six pack to lure a friend to help. it can be nice to have another set of eyes and hands to test stuff.). sounded good to me.