Fire in Engine Compartment, Now Glow System Fried
 

My latest SDL adventure: Turn off car, notice smoke coming from engine compartment. Open hood and see a fire about the size of my fist :eek: on top of the engine block, near the #3 injector. Blow out the fire, let it sit for a few days, now the glow system doesn't come on and car won't start. So I hook up the block heater (first time I ever used it), warm the block, and car starts fine.

So I'm assuming that the fire had an electrical cause. So what would you assume: the relay got shorted out or something? I'll take it in this week.

Well actually based on the facts presented the only assumption you can make at this point is that the fire had some effect on the glow plug system. You haven't presented any facts as to the cause of the fire or even what was actually burning.

The glow plugs normally would only be energised and a potential source of heat and maybe fire when the vehicle was starting. In your case it sounds like the car had been running for a time and the fire/burning was noticed when you shut things down. From your description it does not sound like you thought the fire had been burning the entire time the motor was running?

I would look for what was actually on fire/burning first, eliminate any potential fuel for a fire, then look for possible sources of ignition, rectify that. Any chance that leaking injector return lines, delivery valves, injectors provided a source of diesel to burn? Any chance that there is some metal wire debris touching the glow plug wiring leading to a short that would produce a spark or burn?

Sounds like you may have burned up the insulation on the glow plug harness and now the circuit has shorted out the fuse in the relay, hence the failure to glow start the engine.

Good thoughts...makes sense...thanks.