Possible Electrical Fire 2002 Solara
by phaseone » Wed Jun 29, 2005 4:48 pm
While on vacation, my wife and I were traveling southbound on Highway 101 in Hollywood, CA. I was in the the number 3 lane doing about 45mph in rush hour traffic. All of a sudden all of my system lights came on and the engine shut down. The car came to a stop. Smoke and heat began to eminate from the engine compartment. At first I thought I blew a head gasket, but the temp gauge was normal. The smell of the smoke was a give away. My wife called 911 and we managed to exit the vehicle and ran to the shoulder. By then the engine was bellowing smoke and flames were visible. The fire dept came out and extinguished the flames. The entire front end was destroyed. The fire chief said it looks to be electric. About two weeks earlier I tried to start my car and the engine would not turn, though system lights and interior lights would. I checked the battery and it had the green indicator showing a full charge. I purchased a new battery from Autozone and installed. The new battery was slightly smaller than the stock. The car was able to start just fine. Before I left for vacation I checked the battery and noticed it was sliding around because of the size. I repositioned it and noticed sparks coming from the positive terminal. Everything was running fine until Friday. The car is a total loss fortunately insurance is covering everything. I wish I had snapped some pics. Any thouhts would be appreciated.
- phaseone
- Just Licensed SolaraGuy
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- Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2005 4:17 pm
