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Hot Wire Ignition Caught Fire

Mason

Mason

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Hi all,

I am working on a 1970 Dodge Coronet. I had it at sitting at a shop for a couple years where I had a different torque converter put in with a high stall. Anyways, it was running like a champ at that time. I just recently got it back and have no spark coming from the coil or plugs. I thought it would be pretty straight forward doing the old hot wiring trick of the coil straight to the batt, but when I did I had a billow of smoke come out from the dash and fill the interior of the car, something was glowing red by the glove compartment. As I ran over to unhook the batt I shocked my leg bad on the chrome bumper which I know has something to do with the ignition.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what the next step should be, I have cleaned those terminals and connections beforehand and made sure I had good ground, but now I think I fried something. Should I be looking at a new wiring harness? Any help is appreciated.
 
Which terminal on the coil did you go to from the battery? Sounds like a ground circuit received positive voltage somehow.
 
How bad are the wires,Hows the bulkhead look any pics?
 
I would pull the gauge cluster and look at all the wires.
 
Beekeeper said:
Which terminal on the coil did you go to from the battery? Sounds like a ground circuit received positive voltage somehow.
Click to expand...
I did both positive and negative terminals. There's nothing wrong with that, right?
 
davek said:
How bad are the wires,Hows the bulkhead look any pics?
Click to expand...
No smoke came from the bulkhead and everything seems to be in order. All the smoke was coming from the coil and out through a hole in the firewall right next to the coil. Saw glowing red through the hole inside the glovebox and had to pour water on it. The only other time I had wires glow like that was when I had tried salvaging the sketchy voltmeter in the gauge cluster.
 
davek said:
I would pull the gauge cluster and look at all the wires.
Click to expand...
I'll probably do that next week. I just don't understand how a perfectly wired and running car would crap out like this. Everything is new in the engine bay, right down to the 360 I rebuilt.
 
Hell I would sit down about 20 feet from the car and have a beer!!
 
Had the alternator wire find ground on my 66 some years back and it blew out the fusible link before much damage could occur......luckily.
 
Looks like I hot boxed the thing.
Cranky said:
Had the alternator wire find ground on my 66 some years back and it blew out the fusible link before much damage could occur......luckily.
Click to expand...
Man I wish I had the same luck. All my fuses are still intact which is interesting to me. I thought for sure something would have caused those to blow.
 
I couldn’t tell you I’m not a Biologist.
All jokes aside, you should only hook the battery to the hot side of the coil and crossover the starter relay with a screwdriver. That way you’re under the hood to disconnect in a hurry if need be. And be sure ignition is in run position. Should fire right up. No pun intended.
 
Charles Cook said:
I couldn’t tell you I’m not a Biologist.
All jokes aside, you should only hook the battery to the hot side of the coil and crossover the starter relay with a screwdriver. That way you’re under the hood to disconnect in a hurry if need be. And be sure ignition is in run position. Should fire right up. No pun intended.
Click to expand...

I'll keep it noted. Initially I only put positive wire to coil and left ground alone. However, it just kept giving no spark which didn't make sense to me, therefore I hooked both up thinking that would make a difference. I guess it was a worse difference lol
 
Mason said:
I'll keep it noted. Initially I only put positive wire to coil and left ground alone. However, it just kept giving no spark which didn't make sense to me, therefore I hooked both up thinking that would make a difference. I guess it was a worse difference lol
Click to expand...
The neg on the coil is the "switch" from the distributor , to give spark.
 
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