Smoke from steering column

[Sixtyeight]

Hi,

I have an interesting issue with my 69 Charger.

Every once and while I get a puff of white/grey smoke coming from the steering column. Usually after a very long drive and then idling for a while...
Any one ever experienced this?

I took out the turn signal switch but saw no burning marks there. I did notice a possible contact issue with the horn ring in the steering wheel. I filled that up with some resin...
Really thought that was the fix, but turned out it's not...

Anyone some ideas?

Tnx

Jeroen.

[green69rt]

There's only one thing in the column that could be smoking/burning.  The wiring for the turn signal switch.  Oops, forgot about the little light for the gear position indicator if you have one.  The connections to the turn signal switch are on the switch, there aren't any plugs inside the column.  So the places to look are pretty slim.  There is a cover on the bottom side of the column that covers the turn signal wires.  Held on with four little screws. 

Just so you know, the power to your tail lights go thru the turn signal switch assembly, so a short at a tail light might overload the switch.

Are you absolutely sure it's coming out of the column,  there's a lot of wiring inside the dash that is really close to the column.  Smoke could be coming from someplace else and traveling around the column (thru that wire cover) to where you see it.  Places to check are the bulkhead connector, the back side of the amp meter.  Look really careful as they are hard to see.

[MaximRecoil]

Any one ever experienced this?

Yes. It used to happen with my '69 (column shift automatic), exactly as you described. It hasn't happened in about 8 years though, and I don't know if anything I did fixed it or if it "fixed itself." All I ever did to try to fix it was remove the steering wheel and make sure no wires were being pinched as the steering wheel was turned. I remember that a short section of one wire was flattened out like it had been pinched for a long time, but its insulation was still intact. I repositioned it to make sure it wasn't being pinched anymore, so maybe that fixed it.