Okay, this is my first thread so if this has been covered forgive me. Yesterday a customer dropped off his 360 for a check engine light diagnostic and it turned into a very frightening experience. After checking and clearing codes, the car was test driven then handed over to me to be driven again. No problems during the first test drive. I was a couple blocks from the shop, Accelerating out of the last turn when suddenly the car went dead, no instruments, not running…nothing. I coasted to the side of the road and called the shop, let them know I was going to need a tow truck. While on the phone I noticed smoke coming out of the right rear corner of the trunk. Oh ****, It’s on fire. I pulled the emergency release and sure enough, the battery shut off was smoking…a lot…I thought I could turn it off, but the knob slid off like warm cheese. And there was the smoke. It was coming out of the drain in the cowl above the switch, along with flames…I ran around to the passenger side and reached in to disconnect the battery, I had to reach over the plate and pull like hell to get the negative cable off. Then I went back up front to see if I could put out the fire. Somehow blowing in the hole and spitting (yes spitting) was enough to put out the fire. I almost whipped it out and pissed on the damn thing to put it out. I had been on the phone with the shop at some point, trying to get a fire extinguisher to me as soon as possible. The fire was out by the time someone had arrived. So the cause….I found the alternator output wire had rubbed through the insulation and welded itself to the alternator case. The wire has an offset, and if it attached one way, it will hit the case, other way it won’t. This car is an ’03 with 11k miles, as far as I know no one has ever removed the alternator wire. Included are pictures. Point of this post: what the hell? what a crappy design! If I had done nothing, the car would have burned to the ground. I will do two things from now on, 1: bring a fire extinguisher 2:check and correct every 360 I see. First picture is the knob. Second picture is the burned negative cables and switch (cowl removed). Third is the alternator wire touching the alt. Fourth is the cable removed, look at the burn mark on the alt and on the cable. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
in our shop we had problems with two modenas that that wire was loose and fried both the alternator on the cars, one a 02 and the other one an 04 the 02 had like 15k km and the 04 was during PDI testing
There are 3 different superceded part numbers for the engine bay alternator and services loom. The change that I'm aware of concerns the alternator connector, but only the way it is connected/crimped, and not the actual off set. Another case of sloppy fingers causing unreliability.
These were brand new and did this without any help: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hahahahahaha. Oh man that made me laugh. I know it wasn't funny at the time but I'm just imagining seeing you spitting franticly try to put out a fire. Haaaaaahahahahaa, I'm sorry I can't help it the visual is just to funny. Oh my gosh I can't quite laughing.
Reminds me of when I had a fire starting in the electrical relay on the firewall of my Dino. Damage was cosmetic, mostly, due to the fact that I had it out within 1-2 min of seeing smoke coming out the engine lid vent holes; the reason this is pertinent is that by mere chance, I only had stated carrying a Halon extinguisher about 2-3 mos prior to that, though I had had the car about 3 yrears before then. Very lucky. ALWAYS carry an extinguisher! As we all know, with a F-car of ANY vintage, anything can happen at any time!
4 double barrel webbers carburetors, 30 years old car, and a Fire extinguisher next to the driver seat. Standard equipment in my book.
Just what you need: 12v surging up your johnson. There was a Myth Busters on peeing on the third rail... Ken
