Ok all you electricians and backyard huhas. What would make my iginition swithc smoke when I turn on the key? I The motor turns but I get smoke wether it is cranking or not
If you have just worked on the starter and may have wired it wrong, that would be the 1st place I would look......may have damaged the switch by now, though.
over 3700 flying hours and no mishaps. This is not an airplane and ZI hate electricity. But thanks for the shots and the help. Its ok I have thick skin. Mike
If it isn't fix'ed yet look your wiring over, if it isn't built right you can only break it. Smok'en electricity is like starting without oil maybe it'll all live we'll see.
ELECTRICAL THEORY OF SMOKE...BY JOSEPH LUCAS Positive ground depends upon proper circuit functioning, the transmission of negative ions by retention of the visible spectral manifestation known as "smoke". Smoke is the thing that makes electrical circuits work; we know this to be true because every time one lets the smoke out of the electrical system, it stops working. This can be verified repeatedly through empirical testing. When, for example, the smoke escapes from an electrical component (i.e., say, a Lucas voltage regulator), it will be observed that the component stops working. The function of the wire harness is to carry the smoke from one device to another; when the wire harness "springs a leak", and lets all the smoke out of the system, nothing works afterwards. Starter motors were frowned upon in British Automobiles for some time, largely because they consume large quantities of smoke, requiring very large wires. It has been noted that Lucas components are possibly more prone to electrical leakage than Bosch or generic Japanese electrics. Experts point out that this is because Lucas is British and all things British leak. British engines leak oil, shock absorbers, hydraulic forks and disk brakes leak fluid, British tires leak air and the British defense establishment leaks secrets...so, naturally, British electronics leak smoke.
I swaped the ignition and low and behold it stoed smoking. I am just checking to make sure it was internal failure and not something outside that caused it. Thanks everybody.
The Theory of Smoke Explained through Discussion. When wires smoke, how come the smoke is not the same color as the wire? This is not completely true. When the smoke is in the wire, it is under pressure (called voltage). The pressure difference causes the color to change from the normal color we are used to. Not unlike the blood in our veins and arteries changing color due to the oxygen content. When the smoke escapes the wire and is exposed to air, the pressure is released, and the color reverts back to what we commonly recognize as smoke. The wire then changes to the color of the smoke that escaped. I hope this helps you understand. I would only question the last sentence of that description. It has been my experience that the wire turns a color directly opposite of the smoke. Not always true, I think it must depend on the composition of the smoke in question. I should have made it a little clearer; the color the wire becomes, is directly proportional to the escape velocity of the smoke. Higher velocities generate higher heat. This heat tends to burn the wire and affect the coloring. The statement was meant to be a generalization, indicating the fact that the color of the wire does in fact change. Sorry for the miscommunication. I was speaking of electrical smoke which is generally white. The spent smoke casing generally assumes a color somewhat near black after the smoke leaves. I can't stand it anymore! If, as you say, light bulbs suck up darkness and convert it to smoke which is transmitted (via wire) to a power source for recycling...why do car batteries go dead when lights are left on? Do car batteries (and flashlight batteries for that matter) have a limited amount of storage capability? Is it like a hard drive that gets so full that you have to double-space and then lose all data? Now you're getting it....... I thought you guys were smarter than this. Of course the battery stores the smoke. In fact it can store so much smoke that if you open the top and light a match, the resulting explosion can do serious damage. I'm sure you are aware that usually where there's smoke there's fire. If you connect the battery to a charger, the smoke is then returned to the wire (Remember, a light bulb wont work unless it is connected to a wire system) for the utility companies to use. Your hard drive analogy is a very good example. Our hardware guys might be onto something in their quest for superior wiring. I have noticed the unique method of of series/parallel wiring the power strips on our systems seems to prevent the smoke from getting out of the wires. A "Smoke Loop" of sorts. In the case of the "smoked" workstation recently, you should notice that this was a conventional single power strip installation. Since color is percieved by the cone shaped receptors in our eyes, and cones require more light that their rod shaped counterparts. Is the sky blue at night? At night the process including contraction of the pupil is visual purple by which the eye adapts to conditions of increased illumination when facing 300 candle power redeflecting devices. Since there is a spectrum of light that we as humans cannot see, I support the theory that everything is going up in smoke, we just can't see it. This may explain why the neighbors dog barks for no apparant reason. I think your basic understanding of smoke systems is remarkable. However I find a flaw with your theory. The battery is a reusable storage device for smoke. therefore, one would assume that some sort of one way valve (we can call it a diode) should be needed to prevent pressure flooding back into the system while at rest. Unlike the A/C system, the smoke system is collecting darkness at the headlights and converting it to smoke. This causes the system to fill up. The battery can contain much higher pressures and volumes than the wires. If this pressure exceeds the capacity of the wire, it will cause a rupture as you described. The rupture can be controlled by a sacraficial device known as a fuse. But this still doesn't eliminate the problem. Perhaps a two way valve (zener diode) is used to allow a small amount of pressure to return to the system, and partially equalize. I find this theory unlikely though, due to the increase in the force required to start the pump (which is now under pressure) working again... The smoke continues circulating through the system, due to the pressure differential in the battery (smoke pressure/vacuum reservoir). When the reservoir becomes depleted, the pressure simply equalizes everywhere in the system (similar to an A/C system when it's turned off) and stuff just wont work. Notice the relations: Work (W) = Force (F) x Distance (D); Force (F) = total difference in pressure (Dp) x Area (A). Therefore, the work done in a pressure system is: Dp x A x D. If the pressure differential (Dp) is reduced to zero then W = 0 x A x D = 0. The smoke only escapes the wires when a path is created between the pressure differential areas (@ either the reservoir or the pump) that has too little restriction. When this happens, the smoke travels through the wires so fast that the friction between the smoke and the outer walls of the wiring heats the wires until they rupture. The smoke continues to escape until its pressure is equalized with the atmosphere, or until the conduit that provides the path between pressure areas is severed. When this happens, the sudden drop in pressure allows the wires to "collapse" slightly and, being soo hot, as the edges of the ruptures and severed ends touch, the material becomes fused, sealing the system and retaining the remaining smoke. Don't forget, when the system is at rest, all the valves, (switches and relays) are closed, keeping the pressure areas separated. When restarting the pump, as long as everything is OK, the smoke pressure is equal on both sides of the pump and there is no net force on the pump when it begins operating again. Also, within the pump there are pressure/volume actuated one-way valves with restrictors built in, arranged in such a way that they keep excess smoke volume recirculating through an integral smoke loop, which maintains the pressure within manageable limits. The excess smoke, created by the light/smoke converters (headlights and other darkness absorbing devices), is changed back to darkness and dissipated in small unit concentrations so its dark effect is not locally observed. The smoke pump impeller (stator), converts smoke into magnetic flux which does work on the engine. Some of the excess work energy is dissipated through the cooling system and exhaust in the form of heat, while the remaining work energy is converted back to smoke and distributed evenly in small concentrations as you drive. This maintains the total quantity of smoke in the system at an average that does not change over time.
are you using a relay or direct to the solenoid?, maybe your switch can't handle the load,apparently causing a smoke leak!
My son changed my transmision. It a 71 chevy truck with a 350 350 combo. When he unhooked the starter he did not label the wires. The truck has an accel HEI. I know the purple goes to start. The yellow the other post. There was a blue wire that had been capped. It was cranking over but not starting I had no spark. Then the battery died then I charged the battery and the switch would smoke when I turned the key on. I changed the switch and no more smoke. Now when I hit the switch all I get is a click. Ya think the solenoid went or the starter. The bat is showing 13.5 volts static. I am just tired of it. Mike
Your screwed... You let the smoke out!!!! Its a real bitch to get it all back in. Once all the smoke leaks out of your wires they never work the same.
Allright now...If you can work on the flying pig that is an A-10, A chevy pick up should not be that rough- unless you have headers, in which case I apologize in advance. couple things to look for. #1-grab a mirror and a flashlight, and make sure that you dont have the positive battery cable touching anything it ain't supposed to. (In my experience, that is probably what is going on-at least you didn't weld your watch band to the header.) #2-I typically run the wire from the hei to the ignition switch...but if it was working before, don't let me screw you up. #3- keep this in mind- it might look good down at the starter, but are the wires going to the starter good? pinched between the bellhousing? rubbing against sheetmetal? The Lucas definition is pretty good about the "hole in the wire" explination.and if your son let the starter "dangle" from the fusible links down at the starter, he might have broken one. #4- it has to be something simple. don't go over thinking it. and if you get truly frustrated, walk away for 10 minutes. (but seeing this post makes me realize you probably already know that one... )
The headers comment made me think. I went out and looked at the positive wire and under the PROTECTIVE sleeve that the guy I bought it from the headers had melted the coating off. I was not hardley getting anything to the solenoid
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