Drache

I want to give an update on the problems I posted about in early September ( http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zero...postid=1179996 ). Events shortly thereafter took my time and attention, as they did to many of us. But, I didn't want to leave out the possible solutions for the benefit of others at my level :confused: that might have the same kind of problems.

I figure the big knock or rapping sound turned out to be a stuck lifter or valve. I swear it was so loud I thought something was going to punch through the block. Two bottles of CD-2 engine detergent and about 10 minutes made it go away completely!

The puffs of smoke from the key cylinder area and under the steering column have not reappeared since I found a homemade wire jumper between the driver's side courtesy lamp wire and some other wire. The jumper was losing its insulating tape and intermittently shorting to ground. I have no idea what the purpose of the jumper was, or what the other wire it was connected to is, but I removed the jumper and nothing stopped working. There was no other charred or bare wire under the dash (including to the ignition switch) or on the engine side of the firewall that I could find. It hasn't smoked since then, but I don't understand how anything connected to the courtesy lamp could smoke just when the starter was cranked. We'll see... I keep a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.

Thanks again for all the assistance. Now, on to the next problems on the list! :smash: ...one at a time, I hope.