The fans that push the air (there are two of them) in your AC (in the
rear mounted OEM ones) draw a fair amount of current. As you have
found, the wires for them go up the D pillar (rear most pillar on the
left side of the vehicle.) As the vehicle ages, it is not impossible
for the connectors to oxidize. As oxidized metal doesn't conduct
electricity as well as clean metal, the resistance results in heat
being generated.

When I have looked at the wiring on my 86 I have found heat related
indicators on the connectors (yellowing and browning of the otherwise
white plastic that houses the connectors.) A little emory cloth on the
male connector can go a long way to helping reduce this issue.

However, that is not the only place that corrosion can occur.
Corrosion can occur at any place that there is a junction or the
insulation on the copper wire has been compromised. One such junction
is between the copper wire and the brass connectors themselves (rather
than between the brass connectors on two different wire harnesses.) If
water has gotten into this area (condensation overflow from the
evaporator for instance), it can cause the copper of the wire to start
corroding. This can be VERY hard to see and harder to deal with (if
you see green stuff it is probably the copper corrosion). You may end
up having to replace a lot of wire.

In your case, due to fire, you'll have to replace the wiring anyway.
So this is more a note for others.

On Mar 9, 2008, at 4:11 PM, Jamie Auch wrote:

> Hi folks,
> I wanted to thank all who responded for their help. I disconnected
> the AC fuse box from the alternator and replaced the battery.
> The radiator fan stopped and the bus starts and runs under it's own
> power!
>
> Jamie