Smoking steering colum, worried, and headunit?

[Britman]

My dad started my car up today(mk3 gti 16v) when i wasnt there and smoked rose from steering colum he switchedof igntion immediately but it was worrying, it wasnt started up just first two clicks, im stumped as to what it was i did take my head unit out the other day and i found it hard to get out again maybe it was  pinched wire can this cause it? as it came out easily before but was jammed when treying to remove it there nothing behind my headunit and allt he wires look ok and lots of room, i doont know much boutr car electrics but must be to do with it, ive had the ignition cover off and looked around cant see and dodgy wires, i dont know why the burning smoke rose up through that part and if its the head unit or something else but its not doing it now the headunit been out and reconnected im worried about pushing it back in the hole where it sit in now incase it starts again, it nowhere near the ignition maybe its connected further down somwhere and a pinched wire caused a surge? i dont know

also my headunit work without the keys in ignition so i dont see how it can be linked to it anyway, i dont want it to catch fire or anything

does anyone have any ideas or had similar issues im very worried about shortin everything or a fire as ive not figured out what it was hopefully it was to do with the headunit,

also today my glove box handle snaped off and locked my face plate in it, and had to force it of, bet i will have to buy a new handle and lock now too, grr

hope nothing else happens

[monkeyalan]

best of asking in the mk3 forum about the smoke. mine did it once but was fine. if i remember correctly , it's usually a sign that one of the stalks is about to pack up.

the glove box handles are a common fault. they're about £8 for ECP and are easy to change.

[boneybradley]

My old golf did this burning thing too....new indicator stalk sorted that tho..and glove box handle as alan says common fault and you only need the handle part

[Britman]

thanks for your replies, also thanks for that digram you sent too

it may be the wipers as we though it had a mind of its own and was working on the off position by its self then it was ok, strange maybe it that the wiper stalk, any more replies would be much appreciated

it seams a coinsidence the wipers were going a bit crazy and you two mentioning may be that, maybe its intermitent and turning of ignition and re doing it stops it smoking, my dad said there was quite a bit and smelt a lot

[Britman]

also with the glove box handle do i need the full mecanism, the lock seamed ok it was the acual handle that snapped the plastic and the sping came off, do i just buy the hole thing andd use the key that came with the new lock, handle etc

[fragglerocks]

same here my mfa stalk broke and when u turned the car on smoke came out, soon as i replaced it, the smoke was gone

[monkeyalan]

i seem to remember the handle comes without a lock and you fit the old one to it.

[Britman]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Volkswagen-VW-Golf-Mk3-Wiper-Stalk_W0QQitemZ280130156998QQihZ018QQcategoryZ9889QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

is this the right part for wiper or is that just the stalk do i need anything else or just that part? dont look lik eits th eright on eanyway cant see th eextra switche son it that gti oneshave

where can i buy them from used or new, also same question to a new glove box handle and mecanism

[houston]

vw, id check them for prices first, if its a part that is a common failure then the prices arent so high as usual.

[tobz.]

My steering column does that fairly regularly when starting the engine. It freaked me out the first time it happened but I'm fairly blase about it now and just blow the smoke out of the way. You watch now I've said that I'll go up in a blaze of glory tonight!!!

Anyway I put it down to the fact that the ignition switch used to be a bit awkward so I sprayed a bit of WD40 in it. I suspect that has built up on the contacts and it burns a bit off occasionally when drawing a lot of current through the contacts.