As we all know, electrical troubleshooting can be a PITA!

Since most of us have small camera's like the GoPro. Do you think it's possible to mount a camera or two under the panel and some clear LED lights?

Obviously, start off with an extended ground test?

I do have a gopro. The lighting could be challenging. Tim and I talked about the firewall mounted battery. I'm wondering why the battery ever ended up where it is anyway, that's a lot of moment, extra wiring, and risk. I will probably do the firewall mount and get one of those lightweight exploding batteries to go with my now unreliable flying machine.

I guess without plastering all the details of tomfoolery, Ive heard putting cheap duct tape on your oil cooler fills the cockpit up nicely with what seems like an electrical fire.

The duct tape comment reminded me: I have a buddy (and no, it really wasn't me) who forgot to take out the fitted cowl plugs, and on a night flight was suddenly faced with smoke in the cockpit. Of course he landed ASAP, and there was barely any "cowl plug remains", just enough, to tell him what the problem had been.

Cary

I've been working like a rented mule, but last night I brought it home. I have a baggy with a diode that had been melted in half from the battery compartment. They wouldn't have found it if it hadn't been for inquiring about a firewall mounted battery. Officially it's a diode, but looks like a 14 gauge insulated wire with an eyelet on each end. My flight got dark and as I glanced at the egt's, I noticed a glow coming intermittently from under the panel, like the wall of a welding shop. I was preparing to panic when I noticed the consistent cadence of the flashing, bzzt-bzzzt, one potato, bzzt, bzzzt. Leaning over between the seats soas to block the strobe light reflection coming through the back window solved the problem nicely.

Sounds like a "fuse link"--I'm not a mechanic, but I've seen those in Ford trucks, and they blow the same way, with a puff of smoke and stink.

Cary