smoke out dash

[flashback87]

hey guys, so me and the wife took the car out today and just a little down the road smoke started coming out of the dash vents, mostly out of the defrost vents. i pulled my car into a drive, turned around and went home. on the way home it stopped smoking. this is the first time it has ever done this. the smoke was a greyish color.

does anyone no what this could be? i put in an oil separator this weekend but i don't know if that would b related. also, after doing some research online it seems like a bad heater core can cause this but my heat has never worked since i bought the car.

any help will be greatly apreciated.

thanks

 

[giddyup306]

also, after doing some research online it seems like a bad heater core can cause this but my heat has never worked since i bought the car.

Check your coolant level.

 

[wythors]

Heater core.

 

[giddyup306]

Heater core.

You should sell me that magic crystal ball of yours so that I don't have to waste any more money on diagnostic equipment.

The smoke he describes could very easily be electrical smoke from an improperly installed device such as a CD player...

 

[wythors]

You should sell me that magic crystal ball of yours so that I don't have to waste any more money on diagnostic equipment.

The smoke he describes could very easily be electrical smoke from an improperly installed device such as a CD player...

You should not be a dick and admit that on a 20+ year old Fox Mustang with heater problems and "smoke" coming out the vents, that the problem is more than likely a bad heater core.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Was the smoke sweet smelling and left a residue on the windshield?

 

[flashback87]

thanks for the replies. coolant level is good. also the only aftermarket electical products that were on was my taurs fan and temp guage. i had the face of my cd player out so that was not on.

so, can smoke be cause by the heater core it the heat was not on?

thanks again for all the help.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Yes, since coolant still circulates there.

Pop the hood and look in the engine bay on the passenger side. You'll see two rubber hoses going through the firewall. this is the heater core. Now, about 1 foot below them, you'll see a drain coming through the firewall. Looks like a small 1/2" OD hose with some foam caulking around it. It's down near the header, so you might have to look around a bit.

Do you see coolant dripping out of this?

 

[Kdubslugga]

How can an ASE certified technician not immediatley think heater core? Im with Wythors, 9 times out of 10 it's the heater core. COULD it be somethin else? Sure,but we're diagnosing online.

 

[mob]

You should sell me that magic crystal ball of yours so that I don't have to waste any more money on diagnostic equipment.

The smoke he describes could very easily be electrical smoke from an improperly installed device such as a CD player...

Bypass the heater core with a 5 dollar hose from a parts store and see if the smoke stops. Simple.

 

[flashback87]

thanks for all the replies. i am pretty sure i found the issue. it happened again yesterday so i took my hood off and noticed the wire that goes to my toggle switch for my taurus fan was fried.

i guess i need a thicker wire.

thanks again for all the replies.

 

[jrichker]

thanks for all the replies. i am pretty sure i found the issue. it happened again yesterday so i took my hood off and noticed the wire that goes to my toggle switch for my taurus fan was fried.

i guess i need a thicker wire.

If you don't have a high current alternator, you can forget about using the fan. The stock 65 amp alternator isn't big enough to run the fan and the rest of the car.

Switching a fan on and off manually is a bad idea. Too many guys have been distracted (hot girl kissing on their neck, too much to drink, dog tired and not thinking clearly) and cooked things because they forgot to flip the switch. An equal number have forgotten to turn the switch off for the same reasons and run down their battery.

Do not use a simple on/off switch without using a relay. The current load can burn up the typical cheap automotive switch very quickly. The fan draws 30+amps and you need to use #10 wire on the fan power and ground wiring.

The best fan controller available today is a DC Control unit. Welcome to Delta Current Control. Cost is about $145. Be prepared to wait 4 weeks or more to receive your controller once you have sent in your payment. The controllers are custom made in small lots and lead times can stretch out.

Next best is a SPAL controller - $70-$90 See http://www.spalusa.com/fans/automated/accessories/fanpwm.html. eBay will have the controllers for the $70: do a Google search and see what you find.

At the bottom are the Hayden or Imperial controllers available through Advance Discount Auto Parts and AutoZone. The non adjustable one is about $30 ( Hayden 226206) and the adjustable one is about $60 (Hayden 226204). I recommend you do a Google search on Hayden and the part number for more info.

If you are an experienced electronics tech or electrical engineer, email me and I will send you the prototype drawings of a fan controller that is similar in function to the DC Control unit. It is a build it, troubleshoot it yourself item. I will not build or troubleshoot units, so it is not suitable for anyone who isn't really good with electronics.

 

[flashback87]

If you don't have a high current alternator, you can forget about using the fan. The stock 65 amp alternator isn't big enough to run the fan and the rest of the car.

Switching a fan on and off manually is a bad idea. Too many guys have been distracted (hot girl kissing on their neck, too much to drink, dog tired and not thinking clearly) and cooked things because they forgot to flip the switch. An equal number have forgotten to turn the switch off for the same reasons and run down their battery.

Do not use a simple on/off switch without using a relay. The current load can burn up the typical cheap automotive switch very quickly. The fan draws 30+amps and you need to use #10 wire on the fan power and ground wiring.

The best fan controller available today is a DC Control unit. Welcome to Delta Current Control. Cost is about $145. Be prepared to wait 4 weeks or more to receive your controller once you have sent in your payment. The controllers are custom made in small lots and lead times can stretch out.

Next best is a SPAL controller - $70-$90 See http://www.spalusa.com/fans/automated/accessories/fanpwm.html. eBay will have the controllers for the $70: do a Google search and see what you find.

At the bottom are the Hayden or Imperial controllers available through Advance Discount Auto Parts and AutoZone. The non adjustable one is about $30 ( Hayden 226206) and the adjustable one is about $60 (Hayden 226204). I recommend you do a Google search on Hayden and the part number for more info.

If you are an experienced electronics tech or electrical engineer, email me and I will send you the prototype drawings of a fan controller that is similar in function to the DC Control unit. It is a build it, troubleshoot it yourself item. I will not build or troubleshoot units, so it is not suitable for anyone who isn't really good with electronics.

Thanks, i have a relay and the tauras fan is hooked up to it and the toggle switch is grounded to it. I had the power line on the toggle switch going straight to the battery. Is this incorrect? should i have the power line from the toggle switch hooked up to the relay?

if this is the case what wire should i hook it up to on the relay. i apologize, i am sure this is an obvious and easy question but i am still pretty new to this.

thanks again for all the help, it is greatly apreciated.

 

[TenorPlayinGuy]

The switch should only be activating the relay. Power can be from any Keyed circuit (meaning no power unless the car is in the "run" position) for safety reasons, and the power for the fan comes from the battery, to a fuse, then to the relay. Finally from the relay power is send to the fan. This is true for almost anything you wish to have that uses a high current (anything above 10amps) and uses a switch of some sort to turn on. Lights, Fans, Pumps, even your good ol' air compressors, and horns. Good Luck. If you need any sort of diagrams just let us know.

 

[flashback87]

The switch should only be activating the relay. Power can be from any Keyed circuit (meaning no power unless the car is in the "run" position) for safety reasons, and the power for the fan comes from the battery, to a fuse, then to the relay. Finally from the relay power is send to the fan. This is true for almost anything you wish to have that uses a high current (anything above 10amps) and uses a switch of some sort to turn on. Lights, Fans, Pumps, even your good ol' air compressors, and horns. Good Luck. If you need any sort of diagrams just let us know.

Thanks, for clarification please tell me if this is correct.

i have the fan power wire going into the relay. then i have the relay hooked straight up to the battery, then i have my ground wire for the toggle switch going to the relay. last, i have the relay grounded.

then i had the power wire for the toggle switch hooked straight up to the battery as well and this is the one that caught on fire.

is the way i had it ok?

thanks again

 

[Mustang5L5]

That is right, but I'd suggest a fuse on the wire running from battery to switch. Get a small mini fuse holder from a parts store and use a 2-5A fuse. Not much current is needed to activate the relay.

For it to smoke the wore...something had to be wrong. What size/type of wire are you using?

 

[flashback87]

That is right, but I'd suggest a fuse on the wire running from battery to switch. Get a small mini fuse holder from a parts store and use a 2-5A fuse. Not much current is needed to activate the relay.

For it to smoke the wore...something had to be wrong. What size/type of wire are you using?

sweet thanks, the wire was pretty thin, maybe 18 guage. what guage do you think i should use?

also, i have one of those mini fuse holders laying around. so i should use a 5 amp fuse?

thanks again

 

[Mustang5L5]

18g should have easily handled it.

Whats the rating on the switch? Usually they are 5a, and you typically want the fuse to have the lowest rating. 5a should be plenty. I doubt the coil in the relay draws any more than 1-2 amps.

Make sure you carry spare fuses with you if it ever pops while driving.

 

[flashback87]

18g should have easily handled it.

Whats the rating on the switch? Usually they are 5a, and you typically want the fuse to have the lowest rating. 5a should be plenty. I doubt the coil in the relay draws any more than 1-2 amps.

Make sure you carry spare fuses with you if it ever pops while driving.

awesome, thanks for answering my questions. i don't remember what the rating on the switch was. it was pretty cheap.

i'll toss in the mini amp holder for insurance. it's weird, that wire held up for about a year.

 

[flashback87]

ok so i put the mini fuse holder in with a 5amp fuse. i went to a party today and the fan was working on the way. then when i left my car was getting hotter than i liked so i pulled over and the fuse was blown.

luckily i pulled over right by an advance auto and got a 20 amp fuse instead but that one blew before i even left. so i then bought a 14 guage wire for toggle switch and put the 20 amp fuse in and it was working when i left but my car was getting a little hot, about 215 degress when i got home. so i checked and the fan was not working and fuse blown again.

so i am really confused here. the fan worked fine for a bout a year with the toggle switch hooked up straight to the battery and grounded through the relay. the fan is hooked up to the relay and the relay is hooked up to the battery and grounded to the chasis.

what could the problem be that my toggle switch is blowing fuses and frying lines like its it job?

Please help, cause the weather is getting nice and im pretty excited to take the ttops off and cruise.

thanks