I lost it all....electrical fire high up in the dash
 

Man am I in the dumps. My beloved and much spent on restoration went up in flames today on the way home. Lost it all. An electrical fire high up in the dash started and I could not get it out and the whole thing went up in flames. Lost it all. This was a mint car that I poured everything into this Summer, All the rubber in the suspension, motor mounts, new radiator, new alternator, new... everything. Original paint. All I had left to do was the seats. Lost my Coco mats, my Real Sheep skins, my Ipod stereo and Ipod and even my G27 Glock in the glove box. This one had 247K and promised many more. NO blow by. Solid tranny. A rust free southern car I paid a premium for because everything worked on it.

Its all gone.

Here she was.....

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...p/MB300D13.jpg


:(

I was fully insured but I doubt they are going to give me what I have in it... nor will I find another one to replace it like it.


http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...p/IMG_0185.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...p/IMG_0188.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r...p/IMG_0190.jpg

omg. im soooo sorry :(

@ least u got out...

If you have pics thats great. Log onto nada.com go to classic autos and it will give you 3 values a reg used value a very good and excellent price. Print it up and shove it down the throat of the appraisor and don't take no for an answer. It worked for me twice.

Man, im sorry about that!!

What caught on fire in the first place?

Sad, but at least nobody was hurt in the fire.

When the fire started I was driving home. It gave no warning. Everything worked as it should. Ran like a top. All electrical stuff worked and was still working when I pulled over.

Smelled something funny. Like burning plastic. Thought it was coming from outside. Finally saw smoke coming from behind the Climate control panel. Tried turning stuff off. Then hunting a place to pull over. Knew a church lot was coming up and made a run to it. Pulled in and saw light coming from a fire behind climate control and the above switch panel. Pulled over and immediately popped off the switch panel above there and ran to the trunk and grabbed a gallon jug of DD water I kept in there. Wasn't full but dashed that in there. Not enough. Grabbed a rag and tried to snuff it out. No luck. Ran back to the trunk and threw some stuff out. Forgot to go get gun and ipod from glove box. Moved away and started trying to call fire. A passer by stopped and offered a Fire extinguisher. That was dead. (remember to have one in the car!) time the fire dept got there the thing was fully engulfed. Glock ammo cooked off before they got there thankfully. The whole thing happened in a 10 minute span. Tires exploded all but one.

Interesting thing happened mid fire, the engine cranked itself and ran. It also then turned on all its headlights and eventually the engine rev'd up to its highest RPM and finally died. Coughing up a gush of fluids as she gave it up. She went down fighting. A good motor too. A now blow by well maintained 249K. She was just about to hit 250 too. I had just changed her oil last week.

TRY THIS LINK ON A 1983 300D
http://www.nadaguides.com/default.aspx?LI=1-22-1-5013-0-0-0&l=1&w=22&p=1&f=5014&y=1982&m=1115&d=4224&c=7&vi=76710&da=1

I hope this will make you feel a little better.

My condolences :(

Oh I feel bad. Sorry for you lost, that is one beautiful '83.

You stated that the fire started high in the dash. Do you think it was the climate control caused the fire?



My buddy had one go. Link to the thread.


Most likely from a frozen Aux pump.

I have TONS of pictures. I plan to use them.

NADA give a lot higher price than I thought they would! Maybe there is hope. I had poured everything into this car as it was a "keeper" from the get go.

This is the area of the switches just above it. I think a main harness crosses over top there. The fire I saw was wiring insulation just behind the switches and on top of the climate control. The ones for the Sunroof and antenna ans such. In that areas. If there was more I could not tell.

Has to be from a frozen Aux pump.

Here are shots of my buddy's CCU caused from a frozen Aux. Pump. A fuse in the line would prevented this.

Thread


http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1229390567

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...1&d=1229390576

I need to get a fire extinguisher asap. That's the third or fourth one I've read about, and a 15 dollar extinguisher could have saved them all.

I would bet on the CCU now that I have seen that. Oddly enough the Climate control was all functioning normally even during the start of the fire. I had to turn it off. The pump was checked for functionality back in the summer when I was doing the radiator and the new Alternator. But... things change.

And yea... it had to be something that was not fused. Because no fuses blew that I know of. Nothing turned off. I had to turn everything off.

If I had had a Fire extinguisher I could have saved it with minimal damage. I was in there.... It was small at the time. I could have saved it. I will never drive another car without one. I will go out tomorrow and purchase one for each car. I have one in my truck. I should have had one in this car.

Wow a guy on benzworld had his euro wagon do the same thing but people this it was the blower motor or he does i forgot but OMG that is just so f*cking sad man i hate to see stuff like this and im sure you hate to have had it happpen to you.

I feel your loss as i have lost a nice car to a wreck.

I think everyone should learn from this to KEEP a fire extinguisher in there even if not a benz one.

Also i always remove my aux water pump because of other reasons so thats pretty good to know that can happen.

Sorry to here of the loss.

I think it is time for me to put a fuse on my Aux Pump!
What is a good amperage for that fuse?

I'm so sorry about your situation.. I know "it's just a car" but the amount of time and passion most of us spends on these vehicles, it's not just a car, it's something we've created. Hurts to see it go up in flames.

Here's an idea; if you can salvage a part from that car, however small it might be.. like the trunk emblem, a mirror, door handle.. keep it and put it on your next W123 (because you're going to get one..) even if the part doesn't need to be replaced. That way a part of the old car will be with you.

Take care!

I did get the 300D badge off the ground. The fire Dept smashed the front star with an Axe trying to get the hood open. I would have liked to saved some stuff but I was not really thinking clearly in the end. The warning triangle, the original first aid kit, original tool kit, the Coco Mats (custom made by Cocomats.com)....Heck my gun and iPod would have been nice. All sorts of original stuff I had found for it were lost. I even just put a newer door junk pocket on this weekend I had long sought.

I have never heard of this pump issue until now. And I will NOT be without a fire extinguisher ever again.

Taken from the thread I posted earlier, you can get a NAPA # 7823101 (Marine grade fuse holder) and a 7821042 one amp fuse. Splice the holder to the black wire leading to the Auxiliary pump.

Yeah, I think this info should be "Warning Sticky".

Indeed. People please do this right away. Fuse the thing and get a fire Extinguisher immendiately

So ya'll think the aux water pump is the cause of cphilip's fire? I already unplugged mine(doesn't work), should I put a fuse in the wire too?

My heart goes out to you, I know what it's like to spend hours making things just right. At least you got out safe. Good luck with the aftermath.

I would've guessed the blower motor.

Unless there is a thorough investigation, this is all speculation. There has been post about fires caused by blower motors also.

But the important thing is to have a fire extinguisher in the car at all times.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I carry a fire extinguisher, ever since I had to use one to put out a brake caliper fire(burst line onto stuck caliper after highway driving).

Yanked my aux pump, replaced it with a piece of heater hose.

It's not the loss of money that hurts, it's the loss of time in the car:(

What can be done to the blower motors to prevent a fire?

The blower motor pulls more than 10A; I've got mine on a dedicated 20A fuse. Don't know if that's too much.

Sorry for your loss. My amplifier on the 116 quite working a few weeks ago. It was obvious it had been hot. I unplugged the auxilliary pumps on my 116 and 123. Noticed no difference in how the climate control worked. So as far as I'm concerned, there's no need to fuse them, just unplug them.
I need to get some fire extinguishers.

So sorry to hear of the loss.

As far as the cause, probably will never know, could have been a chafed wire from previous work (in the past 26years).

I carry two extinguishers: a dry-chem, and a halon. Halon will stop an engine, put out many fires without damage. Dry-chem is an excellent extinguishent, but like the halon, it will put out a fire and not keep it out if the source is still there (ex: short). I also carry a large foam extinguisher in the coach, ... there comes a point where you only have so much space in a car though.

Anyway, the second thing IMO to have, is a cutoff on the battery terminal. There is one that has a kind of a green knob on it, can tighten it to connect, loosen to disconnect, if you have an electical fire you will likely need to disconnect the power to keep the fire from re-igniting.

The engine start thing is unpredictable. A customer of mine had this happen on his 500hp DD engine in his coach after the engine caught fire. It started itself, he pulled the shutoff lever (drops metal flap over intake) and it quit. Then the engine restarted again (flap must've melted) and ran until it apparently ran out of fuel. Didn't see that coming.

Dude- I'm sooo sorry. My pathetic timing chain break one week after finally doing 3k of new suspension from rubber to guide rod mounts becomes pretty marginal. This is not the first story of flames I've read on this site in my brief, intermittent excursions. Maybe there was a reason the box came with a fire extinguisher, right? And the other two or three I've read seemed to be electrical that started under the dash... do any of you electrical gurus out that have specific guidance - preventive stuff esp. for the older models that we should check? Any bomb-proofing that should be done? I'm just about to dump 7-8k on a rebuilt long block/pumps et al and install for Helga who died tragically last year literally one week after I had her whole suspension rebuilt including the Vogtland springs, new rubber, 16" rims off a late model SLK, Bilstein's all around and, of course, every moving/rubber part down to guide rod mounts. Would hate to do this (lots and lots 'o angst) and have her burn up going down the highway. Truly I have a visceral ache for your loss. Anybody with input on detecting risk/preventing this please have say!! I will send good "insurance coverage" vibes your direction with my own personal MB bedtime prayers.

Holy catfish! Sorry to hear this. I'm installing a fuse to my aux pump and a battery cutoff tomorrow! :eek: Is 1 amp really enough for the aux water pump?

Wow, that really sucks. I'm glad nobody was hurt by the fire or the rounds going off.

Unfortunately, I think this was a big mistake:
If you had stopped immediately and turned off the key, it might have ended before getting hot enough to ignite.

Anyway, thats why I keep two extinguishers in my car. One in the trunk and one in the glovebox.

I suggest everyone get a few. They aren't as bulky as normal extinguishers and they spray longer for trying to put out hard to reach fires like those in the dash. I got mine at walmart for about $13 each.
http://www.firstalert.com/tundra_what_is.php
http://www.firstalert.com/img/tundra_producthero.jpg

I don't even have a aux. water pump, I put a copper pipe in place of it. The only time the pump is actually useful is when the engine is at idle.

With the cemetery in the background, the photos are chilling...:eek:

I would be inconsolable if that happened to Zippy or Ol' Turbo.

Ouch that really sucks! I need to get a fire extinguisher!

Wow ... that is terrible! I'm so sorry. I don't know what I would do if that happened. They'd have to carry me off to the psych ward in the fetal position.:( After seeing those pics I may start carrying a fire extinguisher on my belt (there's one in my trunk, but I'm not sure that's close enough ...).

Hope you can at least get a fair shake from the insurance co. But still, the loss is much more than monetary ... you have my sympathy.

Ironic ain't it? I was trying to think of an open place to pull it to and that was close. So I went for it. Everything from when I realize the smoke I was smelling was my dash to there is two lane and heavily tree lined woods so I knew I couldn't stop there. Not that I even thought it would get that bad at the time.

I am numb right now. Just numb.

Fire extinguisher.... Fire extinguisher... :o

Even if you did manage to squelch the fire early, it would have been a mess for the interior and electrical system. Don't kick yourself too bad.

Something similar happened to me once on my father's boat. I was pulling my younger cousins in a tube, and I started to notice smoke coming from the back. I immediately shut off the engine, but shortly after the starter began cranking the engine. When I popped the rear hatch to the engine bay, it triggered a small back draft.:eek: The boat had a fire extinguisher, but I jumped overboard thinking of myself before the boat. When the fire reached the extenguisher, it shot off and exploded like a firecracker.

Oh look, the lights are still on!

Cphillip that sucks. Truly. I am going to find fire extinguishers for both of my cars. And this is a great reasan to rip out ACCIII and that silly AC system.

Quite sorry to hear about the loss...truly a shame.

Andy

Possibly. Lots of decisions run through your head. You go with the best you can do in the situation. And no one assumes the worst at first. I expected a fuse to blow and no fire. Then the worst started happening. Like in slow motion...

Between the realization of smoke to observed fire was about 1/4 mile. Maybe three minutes time to off and key off. It all happened so quick. The time between smelling smoke and seeing it was maybe 1/4 a mile before that.

No time to think really.

But it was a small enough fire when I had stopped, observed for sure that it was, AND could have extinguished, that a small extinguisher would have done a lot.

Im sorry man. I felt sick looking at those photos.

At least it didn't happen in your garage after you had thought everything was OK and went in for the night...taking your house with it.

dd

I looked into this right now - one catch for keeping in the glovebox:

From the Tundra site: http://www.firstalertstore.com/store/start.asp?area=nav_acc_model&category_id=2

"****Safe storage between 32-107° F"

No good for storing in the car...or at least the specs say.

dd

I'm so sorry for the loss of your car, but I'm glad you are OK. My wife saw the pictures and it even made her sad.

Good catch!

They turned themselves on! And the motor started up on its own.

After it was fully engulfed we watched in amazement as the car came to life on its own!!

Then it finally revved up real high and died. Puking its guts.

Makes sense, it it should see IGN HOT only. Surprised if IGN hot is not fused. Is the ignition switch fused? I remember when Ford saved a few too many cents on their exploder, i mean explorer ignition switches. A few simply lit off when unattended. Now there's a design review meeting.

Truly sorry to see what happened to your car. The important thing is you're safe.

I invested in a cheap fire extinguisher, and leave it in the trunk. I guess I should get two more, one for each car that doesn't have one.

What rating (amp) fuse is the best to install for the aux pump?

Indeed. Looks like I'll replace the one in the trunk with a normal ABC extinguisher and keep the Tundra one in the house.

I'm so sorry, electrical fires do happen fast. I had a close call with one many years ago. The important thing is that no one was hurt.

I think I will go buy fire extinguishers for all of my cars tomorrow. Maybe we all should, eh?