So the other night my GF rushed to get me because while she was sitting in the car and it was just idling, it started to make a weird static noise, and from the center console area it started smoking. Unfortunately I wasn't in the car so cant tell exactly where it came from... When I finally got in the car, all I could smell was burnt plastic. The radio, screen, and HVAC controls no longer function and it is stuck on heat! I figured maybe I had a wire/ground issue

Now to gain access to the wires for the radio I had to remove some panels and drop the glovebox out. All the wires for the radio are on the sides of it, I have access to these and can't seem to see any problem areas.
To get the radio completely out I have a lot more to remove and because I can see the wires on the side is there really anything to gain by doing so?

I'm not even sure where to go with this at this point.... I'm posting here and on G8 forums now too try and find some help.

Any suggestions guys???? Car is Pontiac G8

Here's what the side of the radio looks like. Not my picture but gives you the idea. I have mine apart like the picture and can provide close ups of anything necessary

I was right.

Read thread title, " Electrical Problem" and immediately knew you drove a GM.


Assuming you disconnected the radio and pull out the fuse?

GL dude.

This post was edited by said_aouita on May 7 2016 04:07am

I'm sure what i'm about to tell you is going to get me flamed but whatever. Not everyone has a week to fuck around with a multi meter in a rats nest of wires like that...

Step 1-- Check all fuses, replace any that are burnt out.
Step 2 -- Bring car into garage, close door and turn off lights.
Step 3 -- Power everything on and wiggle shit around until you can hear / see sparks.

Will take you less than 10 mins to do all of that and isolate the problem area. Or, you can spend all day with a multimeter / test light and chase wires.

All fuses were checked and are fully working. No burnt out fuse and no luck creating a spark.

Fuck my life I hate electrical problems

check the plugs on all you heater/ac knobs

i had similar thing happen to me it was the plug that turned my heat/vents off and on.. it got hot and melted it saw smoke pretty much everything you said.. mine also didnt blow a fuse either

So im assuming that you are getting a load at the source "the plugs into the dash"?

If so, than the dash is toast and you need to replace the individual components. Test every harness at the point of load to figure out what is getting power. If something isn't, than its a fuse, harness or ground problem. If it is getting power than its a component malfunction.

Also inspect all of the prongs on the connection pieces and make sure none of them look burnt. If they do, think about replacing the harness.

And gl.

E: Don8

This post was edited by ozzyarmy3 on May 9 2016 08:25pm