Engine Fire

[bigmac]

5110651107511085110951110Hi All,

After a full heater box rebuilt I was taking my D to the aircon place for a service. The total distance is about 3 kilometers.

About 2 thirds of the way there I looked in the rear view mirror and saw flames coming out of the LH front engine cover vent.

I stopped, swore, and put out the fire with a powder fire extinguisher.

After much deliberating, email to Ed and my local guru we have decided the fire was electrical and not fuel based.

We think the wiring to the cold start valve which ran under the hose that runs from the air cleaner to the oil assembly started shorting and set the hose on fire.

Can the valve be tested by running 12 volts directly to it and hearing it click confirm its ok?

Based on the circuit there is no fusing but I would like to know how it could have happened.

Can anyone please give me any ideas as to how stop this happening again?

Thanks,

Fred

[Bitsyncmaster]

The cold start valve should only have power when the starter is cranking. The warm up regulator heater gets power when the the engine is running from the RPM relay. The RPM relay is fused with a 20 amp fuse.

My WUR had an internal short which burned the wiring inside it to an open circuit so it did not pop that fuse shared with the fuel pump. When I replaced my fuse box, I installed a separate fuse for the WUR.

I would suggest you test or open up your WUR to see if it shorted.

[Ratrace427]

Seems to me that the WUR is a common issue. That was the first thing I thought when I saw the picture. That was your root cause

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[OverlandMan]

Wow! I'm very glad you caught this when you did. Those fuel lines on the WUR look like they were about to perish from the heat, which would have dumped gasoline all over a live fire.

This is also very close to the same spot where my engine fire occurred but mine was not electrical. Again, glad you and the car are OK!!

[DavidProehl]

I know this is a heartbreaking situation, but my goodness are you lucky! It isn't often we see a story of a car fire that ends in a very repairable state. Sounds like you did everything right by being aware of what was happening with your car, carrying a fire extinguisher at all times, and being ready to use it at a moment's notice. As you know these things can get out of control quickly. Great work!

Hopefully insurance helps get this fixed quickly and correctly. Glad you are ok.

[David T]

Pressurize the fuel system and test for leaks. Probably a good idea to replace any hose that was exposed to heat. I am skeptical it was an electrical fire, everything that should have power when the motor is running is fused and the fuse should have blown. Was anything recently done to the fuel system? At least you noticed the fire quickly and had a fire extinguisher and knew how to use it! You could have lost the whole car.

[bigmac]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully it will clean up ok. I have a parts order coming from Ed from delorean.eu I will check the WUR and replace the fuel lines that need it.


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