neomaximus

can a faulty spark plug change or oil change lead to an engine fire?...i just had mine changed and my 3rd gen started on fire on the way home from the shop?

spooledUP7

Well, it is possible, but you would have had tons of smoke long before a fire if it was your oil catching on fire. I would think that you must have had a fuel leak.

Can you tell what side it started on?

billyrohm

they could've bumped or knicked a fuel line or something dude. That sucks, what are you going to do? Fix it??

7-sins

Crap man, if it was more on the passenger side it might have been the pulsation dampener or somewhere on the fuel lines. How much damage done to the car?

neomaximus

Im waiting for the insurance adjuster....the fire seemed to be inside the engine(back center, under the metal area connected to the big tube) excuse my ignorance i only had mine for a month

any ideas?

7-sins

from the looks of it it looks to be fuel... probably dampener....

DamonB

The rubber fuel lines are right next to the oil filter and filter stand.

airborne

that is like serious negligence. hopefully if its the shop's fault, it'll be easy to prove, and they'll be stand up about it. lucky it didn't explode or anything....

95R2-89TII Ground Zero

Thats what I was thinking. I don't think that the oil would catch on fire like that. I mean the car itself is oil injected but the odds of the oil actually inginting is slim. How much damage?

SanJoRX7

Let this be a good lesson to you all...CARRY A FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

I have one in my FD right now, and though it's a dry powder type (which supposedly can do a bit of damage to the car), I would rather have some light damage than a burned down car. The best type to get is halon, however the cost of getting a decent size halon extinguisher is pretty high.

Go to Costco or where ever and pick up a fire extinguisher for use until you get that nifty halon one.

Bummer about yer car though man

altrdego

It's possible.

Proving it will be another thing.

Fire Investigation the short course...

Fire investigation relies on a few basic principles.

Where there is the most damage is where the fire probably burned the longest and is the area of probable origin.

There are a few influencing factors that also need to be considered.

Fuels present, not necessarily gasoline, but many fuels can accelerate a fire.

Draft can also influence the burn patterns.

Suffice it to say there are enough of these variables under the hood of any car that unless there is an obvious point of origin it will take some one with professional training in Fire Investigation and/or an engineer to determine the actual cause.

At the rates professionals charge it may not be worth trying to determine the actual cause unless a death is involved.

If it's worth pursuing your insurance company will handle it.

For what its worth in my experience most vehicle fires occur just after coming to a stop or going from high speed to low speed. This can be explained that while high speed driving nearby combustibles remain too cool to ignite. Once the car is slowed the heat in the engine bay or around the exhaust is no longer cooled allowing fuel and combustibles to ignite. Often it's a best guess as to fire cause considering what the driver saw, heard or smelled associated with any obvious fluid leaks or evidence of shorted or arcing wires. (electricity is a whole new ball game) Frequently vehicle fires are associated with either lack of maintainence/part breakdown or a recent poor repair/service.

Most people will remember the fire triangle, fuel, heat and oxygen. When these are available in sufficient quantities you have fire. A spark plug by itself will probably not cause your fire, it is the heat source to ignite the fuel.

From a firefighter who has had training in fire and arson investigation...

RavenRx7

I just bought my car and the guy who had it before me had a fire in the enigne also. He said it was called by the wires that rin the turbo sytem over heated.