Burnin' down the house....

[Joe Yakubik <75363.2524@CompuServe.COM>]

After hopping into my car on a rainy evening and flicking the rear wiper handle
to clear off the rain, I noticed it had gone up one time, but didn't come back
down.   

"Hmmm," thinks I, "must be a blown fuse.  Can't go driving off not knowing what
else might have failed.  I'll check the trusty owners manual.  Oh, yeah, the
rear wiper is off by itself on fuse 18.  I'll check it when I get home.  It's
kind of funny that the rear pump works though."

Driving along, no other electrical failures, feeling smug in the knowledge that
I checked the owners manual to avoid any embarassing lights out driving, or no
turn signals, etc.  

"Hmmmm, what's that smell?  It smells like cigarette smoke.  What are the
farmers up to now?  At least it's not as bad as the fresh manure they dumped
earlier today. Oh, well.  It seems to be going away."

Drive a little further.

"Whew!  It's back.  Yech, I hope it doesn't smell this bad at home.  I'll never
sleep."

Arriving safely home, opening the door, enjoying the fresh evening air.  "Hmmm,
no smell.  That's a bit odd.  Well, time to check the fuse."

The fuse was good.  "Damn, it's never easy, is it?  Uh oh, what's that little
glowing light down in the fuse box.  It looks kind of like a glowing electric
heater.  It even fades away like one after it's turned off.  Shit!  One of my
electric mods has come loose and is wreaking havoc down there."

A few turns of the screw driver, remove the back seat -- "I ain't no dummy;
there's live electricity doing bad things.  I'm disconnecting the battery.  Hmmm
smells worse back here.  This is serious."

Pry open the fuse box -- nothing but nice, clean, connected wires.  No charring,
no funny smell.  "Hmmm, let's look at that rear wiper, shall we?"  

"Ouch!  That thing's hot!"

The rear wiper motor was jammed and attempting to burn itself out.  In a valiant
effort to clear my rear window of raindrops, the 15 amp fuse refused to die.
The fuse holder was glowing dull amber down inside the block a few minutes after
the car was turned off.  That baby was HOT.  So was the motor, for that matter.

Moral of the story:  If you have any electrical problem, no matter how simple,
and smell something burning; STOP THE CAR AND FIND THE CAUSE.

Joe Yakubik
'91 200tqw minus a rear wiper motor