Ok well not quite, but there was quite a bit of smoke.

Here's the story:

I was waiting in line at the local fast food place and it was after work so the line was really long. Well...I idled for a little while, then realized the line wasn't moving so I shut my car off. Waited a little while then the line moved a bit, so I started my car, moved up, then shut it back down. I probably did this 3 times (drive thru's are hell). So anyway, by the time I got to the menu, I noticed a faint burning smell. Since I first noticed it when I rolled down my window to place my order, I figured it was just from the restaurant. So I make it through the line and get my stuff and I'm still smelling this burning smell. So I drove down the road a little ways with my window still rolled down (it felt good outside) and I'm still smelling it, so I thought maybe a house had caught on fire around there somewhere. Then I looked down, holy crap! I'm on fire!

I see smoke coming out from under the dash in the footwell kind of towards the left. I was just passing a gas station so I pulled into there since it was lit up and I tried to find the source of the smoke, but by the time I got to the station, it had seemed to have stopped. So I open the hood and everything seems ok under there, go back into the car and my temp gauges aren't showing anything funny, everything seems to still work. I sniffed around a little bit and it seems to have came from somewhere above the brake pedal.

Since it had seemed to stop, I drove home and it didn't have any problems the rest of the way.

So, my question is: Any ideas what that was? What could have caused it? Idled a long time and overheated something (even though the gauges didn't show anything?), starting and stopping the engine too frequently?

The A/C wasn't on so it wasn't running any of that and the heater wasn't on so it didn't heat anything up.


One good thing about tonight though was that the cute girl that brought my burger out to me said "You have a really nice car"

OK now! one or the other, burning car or burger girl? Coulda been a window relay frying? pull the cover off, the one that covers the steering column.

Nothing major by the sound of it mate, just check all your fuses and make sure nothing blew, cause if a fuse blew, that would stop the burning.

My 94 does the same thing when the wipers are on intermitent for a while, the lower the speed the quicker it starts to smoke. Its done it for a while, i havent been able to find anything abnormal in there, and everything still works.

I cant think of what might be down there that would get hot enough to smoulder on an LHD car, mine is RHD and alot of the stuff is in very different locations to original.
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Window relay wont be in the steering column!!

First thing that comes to mind for me is possibly the brake light switch on the pedal. Do your brake lights work? Dont ignor it. Smoke means something is shorting & next time it can really be a full fledged fire. Check it out or have it checked out if you cant do it yourself.

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Not in the column, on the right hand side of the column, under the cover. There are four relays.

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That was the first thing i thought of too mate yeah, however itll more than likely blow a fuse before itll set anything alight, as long as it has the correct size fuse in there.

Better just check if you havent allready, make sure all the fuses are correct sized.

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On which model? Cause i just checked mine and there is nothing there.

Don't overlook the possibility of a Plastic bag blowing around landed on your Cat or other exhaust components.

Mine Smoked up on my like this and it turned out to be one of the Plug wires fell down onto the exhaust mani

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll try to get it apart when I get home from work. I think I'll take the Firebird to work today lol

Let's hope for the plastic bag theory - good luck!

You weren't smoking anything were you?

Also check around the pedal assy. for bare or crimped wires. I had that happen once in another car. Somehow, a wire fell down and was crimped in the brake pedal assy. SHorted that mother out every time I depressed the pedal

wow... this is wack...

I like the electrical failure. That much smoke will = that much damage... something is burned, and something isn't working... it's just finding it.

Before you go about the fix, you will need to get the Helm Factory Service Manual. www.helminc.com or ebay.

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1996 LT-1 L.H. side of steering column, under the carpeted panel cover under the dash. I don't know what the heck they are for, but there are about four relays plugged together? I figure if one of them burned the smoke might roll out under the panel and around the pedals?? I thought they might be for the windows, cause when I bangeed on them my windows statted working great??? If you figure it out let me know?

They are not there on my 94, there are relays and modules there, but not that.

If he had the window down allready i wouldnt expect to see a smoking relay after it was down, unless he was moving it up and down. The drive window doesnt have "express down" in a 92

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My thoughts exactly. It'll be something evident, it's just a matter of finding it. Don't ignore it or write it off as a "fluke."

Well...took half the dash out looking for any burnt or smoked wires and everything looked like it should. Checked the fuses and they were all ok (correct size too)

So I started the car and waited a bit to see if it would do it again. After a couple of minutes I started to smell it again, but this time I was outside of the car. So I got under the car and found a nice melted plastic bag.

Well, at least it wasn't anything major. :silent:

Thats lucky mate, but i bet you wish you looked under the car first eh?

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Oh yeah, especially after I got the dash buttoned back up then realized my hood latch lever wasn't in the hole so I couldn't open it. Had to take the bottom part off again :doh:

Oh well, you got there in the end mate, thats the main thing

ok its my turn to reply .... i know this answer!!! check n make sure ain no fuggan plastic melted to anything :thumbleft:

ida been with 81 on the brake light switch.. ive seen n had em melt from standin on brake in long lines...but do take fuses when melt...but check my 1st tip ...i think im right :tongue:

Mine did it yesterday yes.

Pappy, i sent you a PM mate.