rocketrotary

I was driving back to work from lunch, and I started smelling something burning. Then the interior started filling up with smoke. When I pulled over, my alternator was burning, and my ignition coil was smoking. I've been having a problem with my alt., so I assume that was the problem. What I want to know is, would driving with my alt burned out have been the cause of my coil smoking? The way I've figured, the coil trying to send a powerful enough spark to keep the engine running without the power to push the spark cause the coil to smoke? I figure the coil is still good, because the car didn't die. Any clues?

Vic, the proud owner of a viscious money pit!

AdderMk2

your alternator could have been pumping out too much voltage, which could have caused your coil to smoke out

Ninety5five0

That sucks. Maybe a bad ground somewhere, or bare wires ?

rocketrotary

Shouldn't the voltage regulator prevent that?

Vic

mattdel

yah, normally. but faulty regulators are kinda common in our stock alt's, for some reason.

shaners90lxhatch

"Thermal Event with Visual Effects"? (automaker term for fire)
You may have a bad ignition module. If it shorts to ground internally, the current flow through the coil will get out of hand and cook the coil. That's what your module does, but it does it extremely fast. Sometimes that transistor will melt together and stay grounded. It should pop a fuse as well. It would have to take a rather resisted short to ground to get the current high enough to generate that much heat but not high enough to pop the fuse. I've seen it happen though. You got some looking around to do - there is a good reason your coil let the smoke out

HACKGT350

that sucks man i wouldnt exactly say it was on fire now my car was on fire got a faulty carb from holley floats got stuck started spitting gas out everywhere and it was up in flames had my hood up while i was trying to start her i look up and the flames where coming out of my hood scoop the hood was white now its this

81TTOP

i had a S-10 one time bad chose kinda the only reason i got it casue i got it for free from my daddy then i was drinvin home from school one day and it went up in flames the carb was leakin gas the that was the end of tha POS!!!!!!!!!! never again will i own a chevy

rocketrotary

Okay, well, I pulled off the old alternator. The plug that goes into the top of the alt. was melted. Can anybody tell me how to replace it? I would just use wire connectors, but coming strait off the alt, I don't know if that would handle the currnet. Oh yeah, and where would I get the proper plug? (the long one, not the short one). I've pretty much decided to replace the ignition module, coil, alt, and voltage regulator. Plus that plug if I can find it.

Vic

boof1027

81TTOP

Punctuation is your friend. I am out of breath reading your post!
Never had one catch on fire, my carb backfired once while my dad was reving it by hand. It didn't hurt him but he was missing all kinds of hair from his arm.