Getting behind the wiring panel of a '95 Carpenter International..
So we have a wisp of smoke that comes up any time we idle. Current theory is that the stereo is installed poorly and a wire is live against another one. It doesn't effect the engine at all as the bus still drives just fine. Just a pretty distinct acrid electrical smell and smoke.
What should I do? I'm planning on disconnecting the batteries and taking the drivers seat out and trying to disassemble the panel covering. I have friends with knowhow and voltage detectors and whatnot but I want to get in there.
Where does this wisp of smoke appear? I'm not familiar with the Carpenter body, but it sounds like you might be describing the wiring cabinet many buses have just to the left of the driver. That's usually accessible only from the outside though, so I don't follow why the seat would be removed.
I'd have a look at fuses and circuit breakers... particularly looking for any place that looks like a fuse/breaker has been removed or bypassed, or looking for circuits that connect to a power source without any fusing at all.
The relation to idling is interesting. Is it truly that, or could it have more to do with the bus standing still -- when it's still there's less wind; a small wisp of smoke might easily vanish in wind but become visible when the air is still. Maybe it's really smoking all the time but visible only sometimes.