I lost it all....electrical fire high up in the dash - Page 6 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

LUVMBDiesels · #1 01-06-2009, 03:49 PM

I am so sorry for your loss!

I had a fire in my 1967 GTO. The engine wiring caught fire on the way home from the garage that installed it! Luckiliy I had a dry chem extinguisher in the car. I was able to put out the fire and save the car with only minimal damage. Ever since then I have kept an extinguisher in all my cars.

I have a battery disconnect on the BMW. I put it on the (-) terminal.

I got this type. It is very easy to disconnect quickly

I am going to get one for the Diesel this week.

MBNRA · #2 01-06-2009, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cphilip

This is a good idea if you do it BEFORE a fire. real good idea. However remember the fire had started, and the car was cut off and, in that state, there is no thinking that there might be a live unfused wire that could be or even should be disconnected. The car was turned off and the fire already erupting at this point in time. All this activity occurs in less than five minutes. If your not aware of whats feeding it, or that such a thing could even feed something un-fused with key off, your not going to spend all your time trying under the hood trying to take your battery cable off. If you had time you would... but there was and is little time. My attempts to put it out may have spanned a minute or so of that time... and it was probably too late to disconnect the battery because by that time the fire had found fuel. And was consuming that fuel.

But its all hind site. Sure you and I can debate all day which things I should have done. Given time I would have done all sorts of things that raced through my mind.

I doubt the motor and tranny are salvagable. Remember... it started up on its own and ran and then raced on its own until it died. It puked its guts out as it died. It probably ran hot I would imagine. If it had sat there and let the fire wash over it, it might have been fine. But it decided to crank up on its very own and run itself in a harmful situation. Nothing I could do about it. Standing 50 feet away with my keys in my pocket....

Yeah, bummer. I read your post too fast I guess and the pictures just blew my mind! Sorry about your car! I put my battery terminals on without tightening them down so I could just yank one off if something like this happened. I never thought of the AUX water pump shorting out the circuit board for the comfort control starting a fire. I'm glad I put a fuse on mine, but it was because I thought if it took out the board, THAT would be an expensive part!

EEEEK! Never once thought about the whole car!

spdrun · #3 06-25-2011, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MBNRA

Get yourself a master cutoff switch and install it on the + battery terminal between the terminal and the feed wire!!!! In an Emergency such as this, it is a lot easier to pop the hood and throw the switch and cut off ALL power to the entire vehicle!

Better yet, get a remote battery disconnect (rallye-style) and mount a pull knob inside the car. I'd also wire it to cut off the alternator field to make the car electrically dead -- I could see a worst-case fire melting through the engine stop vacuum plumbing. Engine would keep chugging along and producing power via the alternator.

http://www.jegs.com/images/photos/55510373.jpg

compu_85 · #4 01-06-2009, 01:25 PM

Well.... with the engine running at redline (perhaps the cruise control holding it at WOT?) and the coolant lines burning through there could be problems.

The headlights turned on because the contacts in the headlight switch are normally closed and an inner plastic piece holds them open when the unit is switched off.

I have simple dry chemical extinguishers in my cars... I'm thinking an upgrade to halon ones would be a good move

-Jason

MBNRA · #5 01-06-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by compu_85

Well.... with the engine running at redline (perhaps the cruise control holding it at WOT?) and the coolant lines burning through there could be problems.

The headlights turned on because the contacts in the headlight switch are normally closed and an inner plastic piece holds them open when the unit is switched off.

I have simple dry chemical extinguishers in my cars... I'm thinking an upgrade to halon ones would be a good move

-Jason

OOPS. Missed the WOT!

In most cases though, an engine fire does not necessarily mean the loss of the motor.

cphilip · #6 01-06-2009, 03:59 PM

That looks like just the ticket there!

Dee8go · #7 01-06-2009, 04:03 PM

Oh, I thought this was another stock market thread . . . .

LUVMBDiesels · #8 01-06-2009, 04:33 PM

I found the answer to our problems.

Install this on the battery and run a cable from the lever through the firewall and into the passenger cabin. I would have a loop of wire sticking down into the passenger foot well. A quick yank and the battery is cut out.

PatricdeBoer · #9 01-06-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LUVMBDiesels

I found the answer to our problems.

Install this on the battery and run a cable from the lever through the firewall and into the passenger cabin. I would have a loop of wire sticking down into the passenger foot well. A quick yank and the battery is cut out.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=sum-830051

I'd be nice to run it through to the glove box.

engatwork · #10 01-06-2009, 05:37 PM

Sorry about your loss

.

JimFreeh · #11 01-06-2009, 05:44 PM

Gads, what a bummer.
Those are depressing pictures.
Makes me sick to my stomach.

Nice cars are still out there, and with some luck, you'll get a settlement that will cover the replacement.

Jim

LUVMBDiesels · #12 01-06-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatricdeBoer

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=sum-830051

I'd be nice to run it through to the glove box.

I was looking at Summit and did not see this one. Thanks for the information.
I am ordering it tomorrow. If you remove the rod and run a cable from the lever through the firewalls and into the passenger compartment it would be easy to pull and disconnect the battery. To reset you would have to open the hood and manually move the lever. When I get mine I will post pix of the install...

yellit · #13 01-06-2009, 08:23 PM

So sorry to see your sad loss...

Could not get that picture of the poor car on fire with the cemetary in the background out of my head today...

And the Benz cranking itself & running up to full throttle....Like a horrid mix of Stephen Kings (Christine) and Apollo 1....

A sad, sad day to be sure....
Some good will come from this as most of us have been re-energized about getting good fire protection in our cars...

What a tragic event for your beautiful Benz.....

cphilip · #14 01-06-2009, 04:52 PM

Brilliant! Remote battery disconnect. Brilliant!

Should come with a tablet of Valium to control the panic that sets in when your car catches on fire.

Chad300tdt · #15 01-06-2009, 05:24 PM

I'm sorry for your loss too.

Thanks for discussing it here on the forum and causing the solutions offered to be created/shared. I'll make sure to implement these things in my w123s.

I hope insurance helps to remove the sting and doesn't add to your angst.