PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - I lost it all....electrical fire high up in the dash

cphilip · #6 01-05-2009, 07:33 PM

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.