SharkSkin

Or just keep our electrical systems maintained. I bet this was a minor current drain that grew and grew until at was big enough to generate enough heat to melt some insulation.

Oh, and that switch does have power with the key off. It needs it to activate the relay for the parking lights at least. Interesting... I'll have to look into this later, but at first glance at the diagram, it looks unfused...

Wolfmaniser

Just to clear up some theories regarding the pictures;
the back seats were folded down, and most of the things under them survived, including
a full can of engine cleaning spray, so I was salvaging what I could as I was taking pictures.
The jumper cables were there, under my sun shade (grey blob behind seat) and were slightly
toasted, so I threw them there and kept digging. I saved the air pump, jack, and some other
things n the spare well, and the tools and some other stuff behind the rear panel. Amazingly,
although the fire was hot enough to melt the windshield and all the aluminum in the dash, some
papers I had in the door armrest pockets survived unscratched! Well, wet from the firehose, but
unburned. The hood is messed up from the firemen trying to open it to spray that area, the
fire made it through the firewall and was burning the fuel lines by the time they arrived.
There was no sign of forced entry, and the most complete destruction was centered around
the dash, I assumed it burned the longest, and spead from there. I had some problems with the
taillights before, and I've heard of other dash fires from bad switches before, but there were
electrical gremlins all through it, plus the hack job the previous owner did to the fuse panel, I
just had a strong suspicion it was the wiring. Ironically, I lost my digital multimeter in the fire too!
Guess I don't need it anymore.

perrys4

What about the other cars that were parked next to you?

sublimate

Hmmmm, flameable engine cleaning spray?
Do you know how long between when you parked it and when someone saw it burning?

Wolfmaniser

There was a Jeep Liberty parked next to it, and a Honda in front, both claimed no fault
according to the police, the Jeep supposedly had some paint heat damaged, and the Honda
had a slightly melted front bumper, which I have a hard time believing since my front bumper
was fine, but both cars were long gone, and my car was towed to the back lot by the time I
got there. At least I don't have to pay, that would just add insult to injury.

Wolfmaniser

I have no idea how long it was burning, or smoldering. It was a cold wet morning, and warm
and dry inside, so they could have seen light flickering in the car in the dark, or smoke pouring
out of the melted windshield. At any rate, it was probably too late to save it by then.

heinrich

MAN I am so sorry for your loss.

rob rossitto

bummer... a moment of silence is clearly in order...

ok, back to buffoonery - mine caught fire at a gas station: PS hose sprayed onto alt and manifold. had new GF in car, been bragging about a shark ride for weeks while it was in the shop... only out for 10 min w/her in car... black gal at station shreiked "boy you on firera", I said yeah mama, I'm feeling hot tonight.. she pointed at the shark and screamed again -no stupid, you caa is on firera... oh my, guess I'd better get the gf out - unless I want to cut my losses and just go home to the playboy channel/speedvision (always get the 2 confused - wife calls PC speedvision/nevermind)... got lucky that time, only trashed the hose/rubbed through on alt pulley... rest of motor was covered in nasty foam, but otherwise ok... sure cleared out the gas station fast... sissies... still had to pay for fuel too...

interior lights, brake lights, horn, and side marker via the blinker arm also have power... seen lots of trashed front harnesses around the alt too... lots of fun stuff to make bad happen... most is fused, but those alt harnesses are part of a direct (unfused) fat line all the way back to the batt... just add ground/remove insulation/etc...

had fuel leaking on ground before too... front fuel lines/bad place for a leak... all getting old these days... maybe a careless smoker around? seen lots of stuff collected in radiatior, w/some leaves/paper a scooped up/tossed butt could smolder for hrs... all probably moot now...

does raise a good point for the survivors- I had to get a collector policy to cover my shark for close to what I've got in it (american collectors insurance/haggerty/probably some others too)... book value can be a cruel joke when you least expect or need it...

at least they don't normally blow up from being inconvenienced (unlike GF)...

Rich9928p

Speaking of car fires, my local shop (Exotic Motorwerks) is reconstucting an '88 S4 that suffered a fire, but they got to it early enough that it didn't burnt to the ground. It appears that on this one the driver side coil caught fire, and it spread from there. There is a melted wire back into the wiring harness that goes to the central electric board. So the whole dash will have to be removed, even the heater, to get the harness out. That, plus much of the front and top of the engine were damaged.

There is another AZ 928 that burned. I haven't seen that car yet (it probably will also be reconstructed) to see where that fire started.

There are many unfused circuits. If parts go bad they heat up and burn. Bad news.

perrys4

Great! Now along with TB and water pump failure I have to worry about the damn car catching fire while it is sitting in my garage? Please remind me why I like this car again? Beginning to wonder if I am sane!!

SharkSkin

If you want to protect against this sort of thing, put a 1 amp fuse in parallel with the ground strap. Then, if you want to park it for a while, remove the ground strap. 1A is enough to keep the electronics happy, and if a serious short develops, the fuse goes poof instead of the whole shark. Personally, I'm not that paranoid, but it's a thought...

Rich9928p

Perry,

Cars burning are just a fact of life, it happens all the time. I'd be willing to bet that 928s are no more likely to burn than any other high-end car (the more gizmos, the more can go wrong). Example, the early Nissan Z V6 cars were well known to develop leaking fuel injectors and burn .... my sister's did.

The first line of defense is to replace fuel hoses that are old and brittle! There is a fuel line that runs across the front of the S4 motor that I'll bet very few of us have replaced.

Many listers feel that repair shops are out to get them and cheat them. However, if you have access to a mechanic who knows 928s you'd be amazed what they can point out needs to be fixed to keep your 928 safely on the road.

Tony

The one on my car had 140k miles on it. It didnt bend but rather snapped when i destroyed it. I took the dremel to it, cut off the fittings and went to my local hose shop and had a new one made. All my fuel hoses are now new.
How many of you have 17 year old garden hoses...and they only carry water!!!

The other one missed is the one that snakes down by the throttle pulley on the S4..its a return line i believe but none the less sees some pressure and should be replaced while your in there.. As much as i love my car, its old!! gotta remember that!

heinrich

Perry

On Page 87 of my Manual:
"Verification procedure for Porsche Ownership Warning System
It may become necessary, in very unusual circumstances, to verify value of owning your Porsche. It is very important to remember in emergencies such as this, to remain calm and carefully follow the following procedures:
Immediately focus attention on the small round gauge in your instrument cluster.
Verify the red (orange) needle on the leftmost (larger) one indicates 160.
If gauge does not indicate 160 or higher, IMMEDIATELY cause gauge to indicate as mentioned in the above paragraph.
Porsche guarantee that following the above procedures will cure most ownership value warnings. If problems persist, turn your Porsche off and return it to the dealership for a full refund."

heinrich

Funny ... all mine still have that "new car smell"