electrical problem
 

i have a 81 280zx that wont run but every time i turn the key the engine will crank but it wont start all the way up....and smoke pours out of a diffenent place every time....from something electrical...does anyone know what is going on?

wheres the smoke coming from??? the dash or is it coming from the engine bay or under the car? and what does the smoke smell like... does it smell like fuel? or does it smell really bad like melted plastic??

it is a smell like when you blow a fuse...it is a white smoke coming from under the dash near the steering ccolumn....

sounds like youve got a major short going on... theres a set of wires for your ignition switch under your steering column and you might have the short there.. the car prolly wont start because of that.. when you put your key in the "ON" posistion does is smoke? or is it when your cranking the engine???

it happens when i crank the engine

you either have a short in your ignition switch or somewhere between your switch and starter.. but i have a feeling its your ignition switch... does your dash light up when you put the key in the "on" posistion?

first the smoke came from the fusible link box in the engine compartment...then it came from the steering column....then it came from the right front of the engine bay.... any ideas?

what happens when you put the ignition to the on posistion?

i have a correction...when i put the key in the on postition i get smoke from a wire in the area of the mass air unit....it is one wire that is coming out of the frame on the far left side of the front....that is the source of my latest smoke