[T3] oo-oo that smell

[Chris Sheridan]

We were driving Clementine home from In-And-Out last night on the highway.
After we were cruising at speed, we suddenly smelled a strong odor of
burning electrical wires. We opened the vents and hoped it wasn't our car
but I had my kid looking for smoke in the back and I continued our drive to
the next reasonable stopping place a couple miles off the next exit. I
parked the car and turn off the key and took it out, but we could still
hear a high pitched screaming from the rear of the car. I popped the rear
compartment and opened the hatch but could see nothing amiss, the loud
wailing continued and seemed to be either from the starter or generator. I
turned the car back on and off again, and the wailing continued. I turned
the car on and off again a third time and the wailing stopped. The smell of
burnt electrics pervaded the cabin but no smoke noticeable. The car would
no longer start, only one click and the dim glow of the idiot lights. I
jacked up the right rear wheel, put a stand in and lay under and examined
the wiring around the starter, nothing looked out of place; 2 big wires to
the solenoid, two little ones to each of the male spades above. I shorted
the screwdriver across the B plus and the spade above and found a weak
orange sparking was emitted and no response from the starter. The generator
felt hot to the touch, and the generator belt even looser than usual. I put
the battery on the charger and found it to be well below fully charged. I
don't see any burnt wires under the rear seat or in the engine compartment.
I examined the wire travelling to the shift and ignition and it seems ok,
I'm about to hunt for the source of the burning. it's a 70 automatic
fastback. Any ideas on the root causes? I suspect that the generator
stopped charging the batter because something went bad in it, but I don't
see anything bad on it or in it. The B wire connection on the generator has
a bit of green discoloration but is otherwise making a good connection.
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