Caution when fitting trim screws - FIRE!!

[dinkus 10]

So I was driving along and suddenly the engine briefly cuts out, then while I'm thinking "hmm, that was odd" I notice the smoke coming from the ignition barrel area of the dashboard. Panic and turn ignition off and smoke stops.

 

Luckily, I've got the surround for the gauges out at the moment, so I had a peer in and couldn't see anything amiss. So I slowly turned the ignition back on, one click at a time - no smoke.

 

Decided to start the engine again and got big electrical zap noise, followed by sparks, smoke and FIRE!! I turned the ignition off straight away and whipped the key out, but the fire kept going! After some panicked blowing (ooh err), I managed to put it out (and inhale quite a bit of plastic smoke).

 

After emptying my underpants I got the battery disconnected and took the steering cowling off.

 

Turns out that the screw holding the under-dash tray in place had gone straight through the ignition wiring loom and had been shorting things out. It must have been like that for a good few months since I wired up the ICE, but only now decided to cause a problem.

 

So be careful where you're putting trim screws kids! - If I hadn't had the gauge surround out, then I wouldn't have been able to see/blow on the flame and it could have all ended up in a very melty mess...

 

I've since removed the offending screw, but it's melted a bit of the insulation around the wires - any suggestions on what the best remedy for that is? Some electrical tape around each wire, or splice in new bits? Other?

[Trig 0]

Scary stuff & something to watch out for in future...

 

I had smoke pouring out of my vent when I fitted my new headlight switch recently, turned the ignition off then back on again and it hasn't done it since... :?

[Icegeezer 0]

jesus...

 

depends on how bad it is... if it is just a little melted, clean it up with a stanley knife or similar and insulate, if its worse; splice new bit of wire in and sheat shrink wrap it...

 

lucky lucky man.....

[dinkus 10]

Well I've just been out and had the bottom of the dash of to get a better look.

 

It would seem it only happened because of the chimpanzee alarm fitter that put the (already proven to be badly installed) alarm in.

 

They had spliced into the big main ignition wire for the immobiliser, but instead of connecting it in properly, just cut back the sheath, put the wires next to each other and then wrapped it in insulating tape. To add to the fun, they'd then also run the wire loom in the wrong place, so it was directly over the top of a bracket for a trim screw.

 

The result was when the trim screw went in, it just caught the insulating tape and shorted the ignition-live out on the metal plate the screw was attached to.

 

Don't know why it took this long before it burst into flame, but the plate was pretty black, so maybe it had taken this long to melt through enough insulation on the tape...

 

Either way, it was just the thick ignition wire that had any burnt insulation, so I re-taped the splice and the ignition wire and it'll be ok for now.

 

I'm gonna splice new wire in when I get a chance, but at least it's safely insulated for now and I can drive it again.

[Icegeezer 0]

jesus....

 

at least it was only one... solder the alarm cables and insulate it... if the wire if ok you prob wont have to replace it....

[Henny 0]

*writes reminder to get a battery kill switch fitted in the engine bay*

[Guest]

big electrical zap noise, followed by sparks, smoke and FIRE!!

 

just spat coffee on my keyboard, sorry mate :lol:

[dinkus 10]

*writes reminder to get a battery kill switch fitted in the engine bay*

 

...and a CO2 extinguisher and not to let chimps near your car's electrics...

[Henny 0]

Already carry a CO2 extinguisher in the car at all times and have also rewired/tidied the electrics and had Gav (H100VW - a non-chimp) fit a new alarm for me...

 

/smug