[Jordansaia]

So... my truck caught on fire while coming home from some camping this past weekend.

Looks like i pinched one of the positive terminal cables when closing the hood. Was in the back country on rough roads and things shifted around...and i didnt notice when I topped off the oil while at campsite.

So when driving out of there around 25 mph on a rough dirt road, i smell burning plastic, my gauges go wacky, black smoke fills the cab, brakes go spongy, and then stop working entirely. I down shift to a shoulder, pop the hood. Oil fire catching on the brake coils/lines? They glow red hot, catching oil and fiberglass? on fire. Tried dousing with water, until i realized it was electrical. Pull battery cables off after a minute of freaking out with no idea what to do.. then fire stopped. Real **** show.
Some of the wiring melted, copper showing. Unsure of damage.

So got her towed to a diesel mechanic. No idea what im looking at. Question is...could this be fixable?
If quote is too much for me, is this possibly something a beginner mechanic, myself, could fix?
What kind of questions should I be asking the mechanic when I get the quote back, etc?

Luckily no one was hurt, but man I love this truck and hope shes not screwed...

info:
1984 6.9 Diesel XL 250
was in 4WD going downhill, super rough roads. Stiff suspension so we were bumping like crazy.
noticed a grumpy start before fire, idling a little rough, which hasnt been an issue at all since I changed all 8 glowplugs and relay? about 6 months back.
Got about 5 miles down road before fire started

Thanks all

 

[madpogue]

How did you determine that the fire was electrical in nature? From the description of the events, it sounds like your brakes overheated or one of the brake caliper lines ruptured and brake fluid hit a hot surface (rotor?) and caught fire. I would think that if you caught one of the battery positive cables or terminals on the hood, and dead shorted it to ground, you would have gotten some extremely noticeable arcing / sparking right at the moment, that would not have gone unnoticed.

As to what's damaged, what's repairable, there's no way to tell from "out here". You'll need to post detailed pics of the damage, and inspect it carefully yourself. It's hard to tell from your description how widespread the damage is. Is it more up by the batteries, more down by the brake lines, or both?

Oh, and two words for future reference - fire extinguisher.

 

[Steve83]

Two words for future posts: post pics.
How do I post pictures, sounds, and or videos? | SuperMotors.net Forums | SuperMotors.net

We can tell you a LOT more about what happened & what to do if we can SEE the truck & the problem areas. Start with some wide shots of the whole truck, and slowly move in to some tight shots showing the damage. More is always better, but make sure they're all well-lit, in-focus, and BACK far enough that we can tell what we're looking at.


Anything CAN be fixed; it's just a matter of time & $$$. But for an '84, I wouldn't spend much. You can get a much-newer truck with much more capacity, much nicer interior & options, & much more power with better fuel economy for <$5K.

Was it insured? This is a legitimate loss, so call your agent and get an adjuster to look at all the damage.

Again: if you post a LOT of pics, we can point out things you & the adjuster might not recognize or notice.

 

[Jordansaia]

It seemed to be electrical in nature because the heat in the brakes didnt stop until we pulled the battery cables.

Will take pics when I can. At a shop 70miles away right now.

Basic insurance ,so i dont think this is covered. Will ask.

Got truck for $1500 and on a budget, so if repairs arent more than that, I may consider it. *****in truck too, was rebuilt 10k ago. Runs great, but obv some issues.

So, brakes can overheat this much? Never experienced this. It was red hot for over 2 min before we pulled batt cables. How can one avoid this?

 

[sonictech.net]

There's no wires to your brakes and no obvious way for your electrical system to cause your brakes to get hot enough to glow.

 

[Steve83]

Oil fire catching on the brake coils/lines?

I took this to mean the coiled brake lines between the master cylinder & the frame. Where exactly was something red-hot? And what exactly was red-hot?

 

[Trucker87]

Oil fire catching on the brake coils/lines? They glow red hot, catching oil and fiberglass? on fire.

From what your saying in the quote, there must have been or still is a wire(s) welded to the brake line coils by the brake master cylinder. The dead short to ground (brake line) must have melted a hole in the brake line letting the brake fluid to catch on fire. Look closely there and get good pictures there. I would bet your MC is out of fluid or very low.

Where are you located?

 

[Jordansaia]

@Trucker87
Im in Portland.
Unfortunately no pictures right now. Still havent heard back from mechanic.
Will post when I do.

Sounds like this could be a variety of issues. Im just hoping its fixable and if so, if its worth it.

 

[Jordansaia]

Also, the 2 red hot lines were coming from directly behind the steering wheel. I believe it was the master cylinder. The fluid refill sits on top.

Will have updates and pics soon hopefully.

 

[Steve83]

That's what I thought. I don't think you had a "short" - it sounds more like an "open" circuit; specifically, the GROUND cable from the body or block to the frame. So all the current trying to flow between the battery & body/block had to flow to the frame, and then through the brake tubes to get to the body/block. That's why they were glowing - they're not conductive enough (too much resistance) to carry that much current. Click this, study it, read the caption, and follow the relevant links:



Pay particular attention to PN 14301.

 

[sonictech.net]

Steve83. That's a really interesting theory. My first reaction after looking over my 84 is that it seems unlikely. The only electrical connection I see the brake lines possibly making is between the body (vis the vacuum booster) and the frame (where the metal brake line connects to the rubber portion). What the heck would be capable of supplying that much current AND be connected to the frame? Maybe some aftermarket and unfused lights?

 

[Steve83]

That's not the direction the current was flowing (if my theory is right). It was all the loads on the engine & body that were trying to pull that current; mainly the alternator, but potentially almost everything else you had turned on (which I can only guess at); fused or not; original or aftermarket.

But that theory might be moot if you check the battery negative cable, and each of its terminals for cleanliness & tightness. These show clean terminals:

. .

 

[Jordansaia]

UPDATE**

Thanks everyone for the info and advice.

Got my truck back from the mechanic and it ended up being some simplish brakework. He said the coils were fried, bc the electrical current did contact the brake master cylinder. They replaced a few things and has been running fine. cost me a couple hundred... pretty impressed it turned out ok. tough old truck.

Im now having some starting issues, but not sure if its related... Ive started a new thread for that.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone! and if you ever need a diesel mechanic in Hood River, I can highly recommend someone