Where there is smoke there's a problem, you must get into the loom under the column and inspect for damage, do this first and report back what you find.

Answered by mhpautos (expert)
26,898 answers provided

Exposed the entire area above and below the column including the metal harness above the fuse box and to my suprise did not smell or see evidence of a bare, broken or fryed wire. I did however find a detached/broken connector that is suppose to be attached to the the key ingnition. The wire is black with a pink stripe and when I tested it with a multimeter registered 12 plus volts. I manualy held it back in place to see if it was the culprit but did not work.

Response from Noe_M
1 question asked

Update: decided to go the "process of elimination" route. I was convinced the problem was either the ingition key or the ingition switch. So I bought both and replaced them one at a time to see if either was the problem. Neither fixed the problem (returned the parts for a refund), so because of the spark/smoke I was convinced the problem was a bad wire. I pulled out the multi meter again and started rechecking each fuse and wire leading from the ignition switch to the fuse panel. I then decided to check and replace the relays under the dash, it was when I checked the high current fuses under the hood that I cursed myself! A 50 amp (large) fuse marked IG (ignition) was blown. After relacing it I had to go out for a spin and celabrate!
Lesson Learned.

Response from Noe_M
1 question asked

Those are called Maxi-Fuses. Thanks for letting us know you've gotten the problem fixed.

Answered by rivermikerat (expert)
5,494 answers provided