mgmuscari

I've noticed while driving that my center console gets VERY hot... I hear this is somewhat normal with a 5.0 and t-5 tranny, especially when you push it hard... I also have 3" mac cat back exhaust with no cats on it, so that contributes some heat...

My question is this - is it possible that using the cigarette lighter for an ipod charger might be drawing a lot of current and heating up the wiring? Resistance in a wire increases as it heats up... so I'm wondering how much heat is due to the drivetrain and how much is due to this wire.

I'm thinking about this because my alternator seems to have blown - yesterday the pulley came to pieces. The alternator still turns by hand but I'm wondering if there was a lot of load on it that caused the pulley to fail (increased load = increased B field on the rotor = increased torque required to spin it)

Should I avoid using the cigarette lighter for charging devices? Should I try to rewire it with much thicker gauge wiring?

86 5.0L

there is no wiring under most of the center console, its all heat from the exhaust and drivetrain, might be an exhaust leak too, and while you should be fine charging things, aslong as the wire isnt nicked or has exposed wires.

projectresto83

If you have the cigarette lighter charger for the ipod it will be fine. The hot console is normal. Think about it, the wind that comes into the bay has to go back some how, so the tunnel is perfect for it. Alot of hot air.

mjr46

if your console area is excessively hot, I'd inspect it to see if someone didn't put back all the shifter boot seals and so forth

mgmuscari

It does have a Ford Racing pro shifter on it... how would I check this?

Most of the heat seems to be coming from behind the shifter... coming up through where the ashtray/cigarette lighter are.

Tony71502

Make sure the upper dust boot is bolted to the floor. It is a large rubber piece surrounded by metal. It is directly below the shift boot. The lower dust boot is on the shifter itself. If the boots are torn or not seated properly they could be letting hot air/exhaust in. If you had an exhaust leak getting in I'm sure you would notice the effects on the human body before noticing the radiant heat.

The only part of my car's interior that gets hot is the shifter itself and because the shifter is hot the shift boot gets a bit warm. This is expected considering the transmission transfers heat as does almost all metal.

mgmuscari

You're just full of great advice - I'm glad I found this forum; I'd be lost without it.

mgmuscari

i can't see any obvious way to get to the shift boot or remove the center console? how do i do this?

SonicBlueFiveSlow

To get to the dust boot, pry up on each of the 4 corners of the shift boot/top plate with a flat head screwdriver, unscrew the shift **** and slide the boot/plate off.

This thread has pictures:
https://mustangforums.com/forum/5-0-...l.html#4248114

mjr46

to remove the center console you'll need to remove the trim around the climate control I believe to access some screws as well as the corner screws by the gas door release behind glove box door and if you have an arm rest the two bolts on the side need to come out to remove that ect ect...