Hey all,

1978 Chevy van three quarter ton small block 400 with an RV mounted on it. I started it up to move it and smelled burnt plastic. I realized that the black tape I had on at least one wire on the new ignition had installed slid down and likely short it out. I turned it off immediately when I tried to start it back up I got nothing zip no dash lights no attempt to start just quietness when I turn the key.

it was too late in the day to work this problem, so I tabled it for another day. Hours later, I heard the heater fan come on when I wasn't sitting in the driver's seat. realizing that clearly something is shorting because the ignition is off I'm not even anywhere near sitting in the driver's seat and the heater fan is come on so I immediately pull the chassis battery out and disconnect it.

I fixed the short. Still nothing when trying to start it. Can anyone offer tips on where I should look first for this problem.. clearly something else is melted or shorted. I already checked all the fuses they're good so it isn't a standard fuse.

If the hot wire in ignition got shorted to ground where would I look first ? Any and all help, tips, questions, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

When you fixed the short did you see evidence of burnt insulation that would have caused the smell. Any smoke from under the dash when this happened? After the fix does anything else electrical work - dash lights, head lights, interior lights, radio etc?
Why did you install a new ignition, and was it working for a while after the install?

 

@Rednucleus No smoke... just that lovely pungent smell of burning plastic in your old rod that tells you, oh crap, something bad just happened!

problem is I can't seem to find where any of the ignition pigtail wires are melted it looks good.

I had to replace the ignition because the keys got stolen.... and the locksmith that I hired to make me a new key couldn't get me a key for a week and I needed to move the RV ASAP I couldn't wait a week for a key... so I relieved the locksmith of any liability and begged him to drill that ignition so it could be hot wired because it had to be moved then. the locksmith complied and I moved it about half a mile away and parked it unbeknownst to me, I was told later, that the locksmith should have drilled it perpendicular to the ignition rather than parallel straight into keyhole ultimately it caused the starter to being an on-position all night long and it burned it up and the fusible link to it .... that was a year ago...

I wasn't in the greatest of health so I hired a backyard mechanic to take a look at it and he tried to hotwire it pulled all the wires out the dash, disconnected everything despite me telling him that the RV ran great started fine no problems before the keys were but he was convinced the problem was in the dash and wanted to cut wires and hotwire when that didn't workTHEN HE discovered the starter was burned up....(GRRR puff puff)... but hey what can you do?!

So ultimately the jalopy went into storage for a bit while I dealt with some things I got the necessary funds for a rather expensive starter, battery, fusible link,.... one of the bolts to the starter was missing lost by the old other lost by the other mechanic but ultimately I replaced and installed the new starter, and fusible Link.

Little did I know the ignition was bad out of the box from O'Reilly...(I need to stop thinking about it or or or my brains are going to steam out my ears... I'm not very happy with them about that because it gave me so much headache)

Anyway I was left with the RV with a brand new starter brand new fusible link all good fuses in the fuse block wires look good, new ignition, new ignition pigtail... unfortunately everything that that's still discuberated and disconnected in the dash because of the mechanic who was long gone by now.. but hey when you're only moving the RV a short distance you don't need speedometer and gas gauge and all that instrument cluster stuff.

But I was still not understanding why she won't start why I would get nothing when I turned the new ignition key. This led to me buying a brand new battery...still nothin!!

Then an angel appeared. a timber faller/Tree Trimmer by trade, but he was able to diagnose, in 20 minutes, that my brand new indash ignition was bad! and again at this point needing to move the RV ASAP, we black-taped and crimped a solution. yes yes yes I know I should have fixed the temporary fix with shrink tubing.. but there, well, I don't move the RV much and I was more interested in barbecuing and picking the sand out from between my toes! Okay yeah I'm a procrastinator I admit it!

but after that I could start her up when I wanted to start right up run great no problems! in the course of the last year I probably moved her four or five times no problems..... until....

Which leads me to the other day when I got in it to move it and started her right up...She fired right up as usual! You got to pump that gas pedal and get that engine going and warmed up a bit but then she runs like a champ! ....and we'll, then came that pesky smell...sigh. so I shut her off I didn't have time to deal with it right then so I turned off the key went about my day.

Four or five hours later.... I'm relaxing watching a movie, polishing off the last of the bbq and suddenly the chassis heater blower fan comes on. Holy crap! There shouldn't be any power to that ...the ignition is turned off! and there's not even anyone sitting in the driver seat!

Crap! Crap! Crap! The heater blower fan is always on when the engine is running... These old rods only had low medium and high for a switch as you all probably know so the fan can't be completely turned off ...mbecause it doesn't have an off it has low medium and high. So if that fan comes on that means there's power to it just like when the engine is running or the key is what? in the on position. Thos is very very bad especially when there's nobody in the driver seat and the key is off!!! In fact the key isn't even in the ignition!

So I have to jump up and put on my outdoor skivvies and get a wrench and a light and get that battery disconnected ASAP all in the dark!! This is not good, not good at all!!

I do not want to take the starter out and have it tested!! Nope, not really! Now when I turn the key on and try to start it when the battery has been reinstalled a course...there is nothing no dash lights no headlights no horn no blinkers no heater blower fan, no starter clicks zip! Like I didn't even turn the key! just like it was when the starter was burned up before and that fusible link was expended! oh my gosh I do not want to replace that starter again and the fusible link again no no no too expensive!! I don't have time I need to move the RV now! Sigh!! it's my own fault for not finishing up the connections from the new ignition pigtail to the existing wiring ..

I think what originally appened is the black tape around the crimped connector got a little warm & heated up and slid down the wire a bit, causing the bare wires and crimped connector to be exposed which then shorted out out against steering column.... a little more each time I pump the gas and the RV rocks a little with the engine roaring to life.

I think it was likely the pink wire that shorted... but I've noticed inconsistencies in the color code in this rig the pink wire just might be pink should be orange or something purple... I'll trace it back tomorrow. anyway wires look good nothing's melted.

Perhaps I should have just asked the basic question rather than going into so much detail LOL but that's not my nature I suppose.

The basic question is what fuses and or fusible links are between the dash ignition and the battery?

I'm thinking the pink wire was grounded on the steering column for a bit which caused hi current flow situation and the smell was probably a fusible link. Dang I hope my new starter isn't burned up! But man, I'll crawl under tomorrow and take a peek... but I couldn't tell the last one was burned up by looking at it.... I had to take it off and have it tested. I don't want to do that oh my gosh! Sigh... the metal housing on the starter...it's like holding on to an ice cube!

I checked every single fuse in the fuse block under the dash near the driver's feet they're all good so it's not a standard fuse in the fuse block.

Someone else suggested that it was the fusible link that is to the right of the motor just before the starter under the doghouse... the one I replaced already when the starter melted. Ugh! I do not want to take that dog house off and crawl under this jalopy!... it is freezing cold ...it was snow-hailing today in Pukeland lol!

It'd be so much easier just to change like a 30 amp fuse in the fuse block, or around canister type fuse under the hood or better yet an easily accessible, top of the engine fusible link replacement... yeah that'd be even better! That's what I'm hoping for I guess $15 and half hours work..... I sure hope everyone here can arrange that for me LOL!

Cheap quick fix!! I got to move this RV now! and my funds are always short in December!

Thanks for reading my sorry tale of woe and y'all have a great evening!