!!! Smoke !!! from the steering column!

[gjm123]

:1zhelp: :confused:

My wife's early (1992) Mk3 Golf 1.8CL Automatic has a very unnerving problem - smoke sometimes appears from around the steering column!!! It comes from between the steering wheel and the fascia and only seems to occur once the engine is started and before any of the control stalks are operated; it may happen when the key is turned to position three without starting the engine but I can't confirm this. It happens when initially starting the engine, or while driving.

I've removed the column fascia, the steering wheel, and the control stalk assemblies. There's no sign of any deterioration to the insulation on any wires or burning to any of the plastic surfaces. There was some accumulated dust on the greased surfaces and I've cleaned this off. I've sniffed the components :Blush2: and don't think they've been burning or smouldering but the neighbour's barbecue wouldn't have helped much...

Reassembled and without any fascia parts or the steering wheel in place started the engine. There was the tiniest wisp of smoke from under the column - between the metal column and the plastic control stalk assembly - but subsequent disassembly revealed nothing - again. I've not seen any smoke when starting the engine without the stalk assembly in place.

Has anyone heard of this happening before? Or have some insight? Its obviously very worrying!

[baldmosher]

What does it smell like?

(I realise that you will have to use illustrative adjectives like Oz Clarke to answer this question.)

The smell of dust burning is very different from electrical sparking (which creates strong metallic-smelling ozone), or plastic, or a turd covered in burnt hair, for example.

[keith Gilmour]

Chaps.

I've got an old 1997 Golf GTI (8v) which has also recently picked up the smokey steering column with very similar symptoms.

If I was Oz Clark I would say I'm getting light fluffy tones of plastic.

It statred off as the odd whispy release of smoke but it is getting worse and more frequent.

Like GJM123 I fiind this quite a worry. (Perhaps it's time to trade it in but with only 60K miles on the clock its not as easy a decision).

Many thanks if anyone can help.:(

[baldmosher]

I should make clear that I'm no electrician, nor a mechanic, but I have a chemistry degree, so smells are my thing.

Assuming no sign of any wire sheaths melting together or burning (charred sheath or wire ends), and assuming it's only happening when about to or while starting the car, it could be the glue from an overheating ignition coil?

From CJM's description it sounds like the stalk assembly is faulty, I assume it's a sealed unit and therefore cheap & easy to replace?

[keith Gilmour]

Cheers for the promt reply mate and the help.

Just been looking at another VW forum and they note examples of indicator and or headlight switch problems which can be picked up from scrap yeards and easily fitted. :)

However they also cover ignition issues which is apparently an expensive fix . :(

I'll let you all know the outcome and what is cost me as it really needs fixed before something worse happens.

[gjm123]

I checked the wiring to all connectors all of which have several wires to them. There are two connectors per stalk on each side (4 connectors in total), and 1 (I think, from memory) to the underside of the ignition barrel. No sign of any shrinkage, damage or removal to the insulation.

The stalk assembly comes in two parts that fit together and are placed over the column - I'll take some pics over the weekend if it doesn't rain too much (I'm away from home at present).

The only significant thing I did find is that the 'brush' contact for the horn was filthy - lots of accumulated gunk. I've cleaned this.

There was also a small amount of local smoke-brown discoloration on the left side of the metal column that was only visible once the stalk controls were removed. This was easily removed and I'd describe it as being like some sort of lacquer - it was not a powdery or sticky residue. I thought this may have been the result of some plastic burning but the adjacent plastics show no sign of this.

Incidentally, the smoke we're seeing is white.

Mrs GJM is (obviously!) keeping a close eye on things...

[baldmosher]

Black (or grey) smoke = carbon particles

Chances are your white smoke is actually grey, since most readily-combustible materials in cars (plastic, hair, dust, etc.) are carbon-based. Not always though. Haynes manuals warn you about HF (hydrofluoric acid) found in the residue from some burnt plastics. Very nasty stuff indeed.

Smoke is simply large vapour particles appearing in high enough concentrations to be visible. You'll smell the smaller particles in smoke before you see the larger ones and they're all harmful to your mucous membranes. So probably best to try your troubleshooting with the doors open to minimise any risk :D

(*this warning is completely meaningless if you smoke cigarettes)

[hqp]

The same happened on my 1.4 golf. It was a burnt out contact on the washer/wiper switch assembly. Wipers wouldn't work on normal but Ok on intermittent. It is now replaced. no further wisps of smoke from behind the steering wheel

[wacovi]

yeap same thing happened to me with my mk3 8v GTI it was a rainny day so as i had gone to put my front wipers on smoke came out so i quickly switched to a faster speed. i have not experienced it again its been 5wks now. i'm convienced it's something to do with my wiper switch. when less busy i will strip it and have a look around the steering wheel area..

[sixpot]

I had this happen on my 1996 vr6 , removed the switch gear from the steering column and found that the plastic between the contacts on the wiper switch had started to disintegrate ,being a Sunday evening had to do a quick fix so put some plastic padding in between the contacts that was about 5 years ago,still going strong to this day.

[finfin1]

Hi. What is it with our Golf's ? I've a Golf Mk3 1996 that's got a similar problem. There was a smell of burning and smoke drifting up from under the steering column shrouding seeming to escape very close to the indicator/full beam stalk. Smelt like fired toy gun caps. I noticed that I'd accidentally left full beam on before this happened for approx five minutes/2 miles :( and it may be coincidental but when this was noticed and cancelled the smoke stopped. However, now we've no more dipped headlights, only very weak lights from both when switched to dipped position. So unless this is just a hideous coincidence it looks like the two are connected.

I tried to repeat the scenario by leaving switching to dipped headlights position on the switch, then selecting full beam but no smoke nor burning smell now, despite 15 mins with engine running. The only difference is the weak beam from h/lights on dipped. This is even, doesn't flicker.

The sidelights work okay (and are brighter than when switched to dipped). Full beam works fine and all other electrics work just fine with or without switch on dipped beam. I stripped all dash plastics and instrument cluster to take a good look at the wiring and can see no evidence at all of the burning encountered. Neither the fuse box nor the switch show any signs either. It's a mystery.

The key thing seems to be that some power is reaching lights when switched to dipped, although I wonder whether this is the sidelights with a drain from a suspected short causing the beam strength to weaken.

Does anyone know where the dim/dip resistor is? Would this have anything to do with the fault with the headlights.

I'm also wondering whether the full beam/indicator stalk has any direct bearing on the headlight switch. I mean to say, that if the indicator/full beam was faulty/burning out would it affect the dipped beam circuitry.

I note from the VOSA website that VW had two relevant safety recalls on Golfs in the mid to late 90s:

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/expand.asp?uniqueID=6195F1E1B4167EB780256BB9002693 19&freeText=Blank
http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/expand.asp?uniqueID=133C87CEF065922980256BB9002693 3F&freeText=Blank.

Given my own particular scenario, the above seems pretty convincing as a cause. The recall remedy involved fitting a corrugated sleeving and grommet to the affected wiring loom. Thing is, whereas the first recall affected something like 9500 cars for which chassis numbers are given the second must have affected so many cars, and randomly (somewhere else I've seen figure of 150,000 cars (Golfs, Jettas etc)) - VW not surprisingly didn't give chassis numbers, just the convenient word "Various"! This "Various" seems an easy way of VW saying, as they have in my case, that my vehicle wasn't part of this safety recall and that diagnostic costs and repair will have to be met by me and not them.

Like gjm123, I'm very worried the smoke happening at all, let alone again so it would be great to keep this thread going with any developments and input from anyone with an involvement, interest and most importantly: help.

As others have said, wiring faults in our Golf's seem to have various causes and I note that my headlights problem isn't mentioned in connection with this particular case so probably the recall scenario isn't involved here.

Best Wishes and thanks to everyone involved and following this thread. Thanks guys!
Fin

[finfin1]

Hi
Just a quick message to say that after several hours today I think, think, I may have cracked my problem with dipped beam headlight failure. I now have dipped beam back after finally tracing smoke to full beam armature on steering column. I got a replacement armature from a breakers today .

I had tried the number one suspect first and replaced the dash headlight switch but wasn't this.

Hope this may be of some help to those suffering smoke from steering column area/headlight gremlins.

Needs to be tested over a few days before I'll be counting any chickens......I'll let you know.

The armature was 12 GBP at the breakers. I can describe how I did the job if anyone's interested. Let me know.

The armature couples with the wiper stalk assembly but the two are separate. If investigating, don't forget to disconnect battery before working on the electrics. If you've an airbag, this is considered vital. Don't reconnect the batt until you've reconnected and replaced everything, including the airbag. Steering wheel nut torque is 36lbs 50nm

All the Best
Fin

[seasicksteve]

Just want to add my name to the list of those with smokey steering columns. Haven't taken the cowl off yet to look.

[gjm123]

Obviously this isn't an uncommon problem!

Here's (http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y261/gjm123/vr6/) a link to some pictures. The mint green car is our current Golf - "Gabby" :Blush: - who has served us fantastically well. Lowered slightly and fitted with 16" rims originally destined for a Renault Clio.

The other pics show a VR6 - "Gina" :Blush2: - we owned. 5 door automatic, full highline spec (and then some) but not a highline cos it's the wrong colour, and as rare as hen's teeth. There was no warning with this one, just a few wisps of smoke from the steering column while driving along (no use of any functions activated by column stalks) and then a car that was in flames on the side of the road. Fortunately no-one was hurt.

The VR6 may not have suffered the same problems we're discussing but it's not a chance I want to take!

[finfin1]

Hi

Sobering pics, gjm123. Sorry to see this is how things ended up for you. Relieved to hear nobody was hurt.

I note you say you didn't get any warning before the fire took hold. The message is clear to those of us who have had some warning signs.

VOSA told me that a car safety recall is in force for the lifetime of the car. If your MK3 fits into either of the two recalls linked to on page 2 of this thread it would seem a good idea to try to find out whether it has ever had the remedial work, or is still on the recall list. I guess, in theory, most cars should have already been picked up by VW for this work if not specifically then certainly as part of routine post-sales inspections/servicing. However, as we all know, practice doesn't always go hand-in-hand with theory!

Not all electrical malfunctions will be related to the safety recalls but this would be one thing checked off the list of possible causes.

If anyone manages to find out exactly where the "corrugated piping...and grommet" fitments (the remedial work) to the wiring loom is located please let me know! I for one will certainly do likewise. That way we'll all have a pretty good idea of where and what to look for and can do the check ourselves.

All things said....I guess it's important to keep in mind that MK3s are not the only cars to suffer from electrical faults and fires. A quick search on the net reveals that many manus and models have electrical faults. Evidentally there was a definite weakness in a specific section of the wiring in the MK3 build lasting from 1993 to 1997 but it would only be fair to add that the recall only refers to possible failure of headlights and headlight switch but this had come on the back of earlier, perhaps similar troubles.....

Just noticed another electrical related recall on 1991 - 1992 (Mk2 ?)Gti, 16v, VR6 and Passat

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/expand.asp?uniqueID=F222C7FC6E9E897880256BB9002690 C6&freeText=Blank

There was a possible failure of headlights recall on MK2 (?) 1991 -1992

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/expand.asp?uniqueID=DE1E3DC038B0248380256BB900268D 49&freeText=Blank

"One of several wiring looms located in the engine compartment may not be securely fixed. This could allow, over a long time period, the loom to chafe with the possibility of short circuiting and in extreme circumstances create a fire risk."

The recalls mention "headlamp switch". I had been going along under the assumption this meant the main light control switch, to the right of the steering wheel (RHD) but given my recent discovery I'm now wondering whether "switch" refers to the full beam/dipped beam switch on the indicator/hazard light armature.

Anyway, VW couldn't tell me whether my car had a dim/dip resistor something else one of the recalls mentions but VW did give me a part number:
191 927 841 . They said this was a relay but I haven't found that part number on any of the relays fitted to my MK3 fusebox. So either it isn't fitted to my car, or it's fitted somewhere else.

Fin