overheating-smoke from ignition?

[capnjack]

I launched yesterday and everything seemed ok but after I left the harbor the engine temperature spiked. I limped back to the harbor and grabbed a mooring. At this time there were wisps of smoke coming from the ignition key and the key was hot. There was lots of steam and sporadic water coming from the exhaust. I let it cool down and pulled the thermostat, it was wide open. Thru hull seemed to have good flow. My engine has always run cool and today I will be checking for blockage, water pump issues, etc. The thing that got me was the smoke from the key and now the temp gauge (as of yesterday) is stuck at 160. Thanks for any help.

[knitchie]

overheating-smoke from ignition?

Won't hurt to check the cooling system, but this sounds more like an electrical issue. You should check your ignition and sender unit wiring too.
Ken - Obsession
C30 TRBS - #0973
Lake Champlain, VT

[capnjack]

Found a small wirenut lodged in the intake to the pump along with seaweed etc. How it got there I have no idea. Would the engine overheating cause the ignition wiring to do the same? P.S. Ignition/engine worked after everything cooled down. I am in the middle of reinstalling cover then will fire it up with unobstructed intake.

[ndutton]

I believe the two symptoms are unrelated. The only conditions that result in smoking electrical components are component failure, high resistance connections (loose or corroded) or excessive amperage. With the symptom you described (smoking panel) you should be able to see where the problem occurred. Give your ignition switch a sniff, if it smells like a fish fry I'd replace it for peace of mind.

Neil