Okay, doing something simple tonight, stuck jumper wire into diagnos (gnd and f/p) to prime fuel system to check for leaks. So, stuck in jumper wire, ground on battery, then positive, and then instantly I get a quick spark followed by an electrical sound of something getting zapped, and smoke under the throttle body somewhere or in that area. Took off elbow, didn't see anythign on the connectors all around there that I could see.

Maybe my grounds are in the wrong spots, could that cause it? Once the harness was in place, I just placed the grounds where the wires went easiest. I believe if I remember where all the grounds are around ther, I put one of the coil pack harness where it bolts into the block, one on the tranny and then there is on the front iron, but thats pretty far away from the problem.

I took the jumper out and tried hooking up just the battery, same thing....I think it's coming from the coil packs.

I've had the battery hooked up before and never had a problem, everything turned on in the car, lights, etc. But as soon as I stuck the jumper in, and I hit the right spots as I double checked to be sure, now i have this problem....

This is so damn frustrating.....

 

Took UIM off, still can't find anything. All wires and connectors seem to be okay.

Did I cook the coil pack somehow?

 

I'm going to just unhook all connections going to the battery harness, and hook the battery back up. I've been thinking that it was the harness that was cooking at not any grounds or other connections. That way if it is the harness, I'll be able to tell without damaging anything else.

Anyone ever had their harness do that before, if that is indeed my current problem?

The harness is a little crispy so I wouldn't be surprised if that is the problem. if so, fritz flynn to the rescue.

 

This is actually kind of funny, atleast to me....

Took the main battery harness out of the car, and while disconnecting the starter I smelled that same metal/rubber burning smell from last night when I hooked the battery up. Took off starter, big ole burn mark on the top of the starter solenoid where the positive hookup goes along top of it to the post.

The damn rubber boot had a hole in it, maybe from a small break in the boot of from years of rubbing on the starter, but it jumped through this hole in the boot and arched onto the starter solenoid, thus explaining why I was smelling both a metal and rubber burning smell.


This damn car is going to shave years off my life with things like this.

 

yep... that's life with an Rx7... mine has just basically drained my finances, and still pisses me off regularly with weird little gremlins that pop up intermittently.