Car Caught Fire

[Lindeberg]

Hey.

I was just cruising yesterday not playing my sound system loud and my car started dying and the lights got dimmer. I was on the highway so I waited for the next exit and got off. I thought it was my alternator belt since I just changed it, but surprise surprise. I opened my hood and my battery was on fire.

The battery was maybe 2-3 years old and I just changed the poles on the positive because they melted away 2 weeks ago.

Could it be my sound system (2 12inch subs) can be causing this?

I bought a new battery and put it in everything seems fine, I just want to know if theres any precautions and please dont say rip out the sound system, its a street car.

Do I need a 2nd battery to power it or any other suggestions that you can think of would be great.

Thx and I stopped the fire with my hands and have acid all over me, but I saved the DSM

 

[98DropTop]

That sucks, I think you would only need another battery if you had a huge stereo running in your car, not just 2 12's. Oh ya, stopping a fire on your car battery with your hands, probably the smartest thing you could have done WTF .

 

[EvilAWD10]

never had a sound system but cant imagine needing a 2nd battery for two 12's. the battery was more than likely going bad. i cant imagine how it would catch on fire though. one of those things that leaves you scratching your head.

 

[drivemusicnow]

Do you have a strut tower bar?

A little EE 101: Fire is caused by either heat or spark. Heat is caused by resistance through wires, and spark is caused by shorting something out. I would expect that either something was wired wrong/creating more resistance that it should have, thus getting really hot and igniting (this is why you have fuses on all the wires in your car) or you shorted the positive terminal on something, like a strut tower brace (typical suspect).

 

[Lindeberg]

It could be that I shorted the positive terminal but I dont have a strut tower brace.

I think the positive terminal over heats melted the metal then went straight to the plastic, which in turn caught on fire. I think im gonna disconnect my sound system, those 2 12's can pump really really hard, im guessing someone messed up their wiring..

 

[un4givin68]

my suggestion to you is to get a capacitor it will help the drain on your battery. it will also keep a constant 12 to 13 volts supplied to your system

 

[VanIsleDSM]

not to call you into question but how is it all installed? what gauge power wire are you using for the amp? is there a fuse on it? do you know who installed it? those are things to look into if you didn't do it yourself.. where on the battery did it look like the fire came from? where was the damage the worst? it was most likely started by a short or heat created from resistance (power wire to small?) as mentioned above.

 

[DanThMan1983]

If the + terminal was loose at all it would cause a high resistance and melt or catch fire to wires, ive seen it happen. make sure that stuff is all tight and clean!

 

[blkwidow]

Man that sucks!!! Same thing happened to me but I didn't have a system. I couldn't save mine though. R.I.P Blkwidow

 

[Black 95 TSI]

Check to make sure the Alt is not over charging

 

[PattyG]

Was anything causeing the battery to ground IE: Strut Bar (Metioned Above)
I've had this happen to me in my truck my battery moved over into the battery tie down and grounded, melted a hole in the battery and started a fire!!!!

 

[Lindeberg]

Im gonna go get a capacitator as soon as possible see if that helps. The fire was caused by the positive terminal. It keeps melting the metal of the poles then goes through the plastic and causes a fire.

The wire is 0 gauge and has a fuse right before the positive terminal. Its a fusion sound system and I bought the car with it.

Thanks for all the help I appreciate it.

 

[drivemusicnow]

Im gonna go get a capacitator as soon as possible see if that helps. The fire was caused by the positive terminal. It keeps melting the metal of the poles then goes through the plastic and causes a fire.

The wire is 0 gauge and has a fuse right before the positive terminal. Its a fusion sound system and I bought the car with it.

Thanks for all the help I appreciate it.

This has nothing to do with a capacitor, or your "sound system". It's probably pulling less than 20 amps anyway. Disconnect it for now, and see if you still have a problem.

Get a digital Multimeter, and measure current from the alt to the battery (have to put the DMM inline) voltage across the battery, and resistance from the negative terminal to a very clean grounding point.

 

[HustlerTalon]

stopping a fire on your car battery with your hands, probably the smartest thing you could have done WTF .

are you being sarcastic?

 

[speedy13]

. yeah, I think or hope so! Sorry to hear that.Could of been worse. The first thing I would do is go to home depot performance shop and buy a small fire extinguisher. I had one in my old 2g, always good to have. It's kinda like a gun. It's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

 

[VanIsleDSM]

a fire extringuisher is kind of like a gun WTF

 

[xDEVOUTx]

So I was on the free way and was in 4th gear going up a steep hill when all of a sudden my check engine light comes on and people are pulling up to my screaming "YOUR ON FIRE" so of course i pull over and lift my hood and sure enough i have oil on fire and some of my electrical cord were on fire... Fire engine came out police the whole works. My car still turns over and all my electrical works. none of my wires were seriously burned. My only question is where would I begin to look and find where the oil was coming from I did jack it up and couldn't see anything but there was about 1 quart of oil on the underside of the car. Should i put some more oil in it and start it up to see if i can find where the leak is once the engine has some oil pressure? Thanks for any help!

 

[twalters09]

i used to instal systems for a living and to the guy with the capacitor suggestion +1, get yourself one, good luck man

 

[RadDsm]

So I was on the free way and was in 4th gear going up a steep hill when all of a sudden my check engine light comes on and people are pulling up to my screaming "YOUR ON FIRE" so of course i pull over and lift my hood and sure enough i have oil on fire and some of my electrical cord were on fire... Fire engine came out police the whole works. My car still turns over and all my electrical works. none of my wires were seriously burned. My only question is where would I begin to look and find where the oil was coming from I did jack it up and couldn't see anything but there was about 1 quart of oil on the underside of the car. Should i put some more oil in it and start it up to see if i can find where the leak is once the engine has some oil pressure? Thanks for any help!

You had to revive two old threads with the same thing?

 

[Raph]

One big Question, odd that onone asked : look at where your Battery sits, then look at the underside of your Hood..are there any burn marks there too? was the Positive terminal shorting out(i.e making contact)
to the underside of the Hood??

Its important to use the correct size Battery and not the biggest one you can fit or the best bang for your buck.

. yeah, I think or hope so! Sorry to hear that.Could of been worse. The first thing I would do is go to home depot performance shop and buy a small fire extinguisher. I had one in my old 2g, always good to have. It's kinda like a gun. It's better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.

well in that case, get a CO2 extinguisher..not an ABC type - the foam from an ABC type will stick to all aluminum surfaces..like the cylinder head..and will NEVER wash off.

 

[Diamondrev]

Hahaha 4 YEAR OLD THREAD!!!!!!