Alternator fire!

[Paul G]

Had the Charger out for a drive today. Parked it back in the garage, raised the hood checked things out as usual. No problems, I left the hood open and went in the house. A little later my wife gets home and comes in the house yelling and calling my name. She is tells me the car is on fire! I run in to the garage and smoke is coming out of the engine bay. The smoke is coming from the alternator. The car has been parked and turned off for more than 1/2 hour already. I grab some wrenches and remove a battery cable. The smoke subsides, luckily it did not flame out yet. We caught it just in time.

You hear stories all the time of cars catching fire while parked. Car-B Ques they call them on the radio around here. This was the first time I have seen a fire start like this. I removed the alternator and found the "positive" terminal post, the output terminal on the alternator, was burning through the insulator to the alternator case. The wire that conects to this terminal post goes through the dash and eventually connects to the battery. The amp gauge was removed a long time ago. The alternator output wire was upgraded to 10 gauge a long time ago as well.
 

I just hope the fuse-able link would have eventually burnt open before the garage and house went up in flames? Lord only knows. 

[lasvegas69charg]

Glad to hear no flames. I do the exact same thing after every drive, pop the hood and check everything out. I'll even check under the car for any leaks. Did you have a high output alt?

[charge69]

WOW !!  That is scary !!  Really glad you were home and got to it in time !!  With the alternator smoking, I would've thought the fuse-able link would have popped already !!  

Anyway, glad you caught it in time and there was minimal damage !!

[Paul G]

Did you have a high output alt?

It is a round back style. I would not think it was any type of hight output, dont know for sure.

[tfdub]

Every time I put the car back in the shop after a drive, I pull the positive battery cable off the battery just to be safe. Maybe a cutout switch would be the way to go.
Terry

[myk]

Every time I put the car back in the shop after a drive, I pull the positive battery cable off the battery just to be safe. Maybe a cutout switch would be the way to go.
Terry

I do the same.  Glad there was minimal damage Paul...

[Drache]

Clad the charger is safe! 

[ITSA426]

That's happened to me twice over the years.  Check your voltage regulator, especially if you have the points style regulator.  I always disconnect the negative terminal from the battery when I park the car.

[billssuperbird]

I all ways unhook my battery when I park at home.

[bill440rt]

VERY glad to hear the Charger AND your home & family are safe! 

I all ways unhook my battery when I park at home.

Same here, whenever I park the car. Those battery quick disconnects with the thumbscrew up top are good to have. Get a good quality one. 

[firefighter3931]

VERY glad to hear the Charger AND your home & family are safe! 

I all ways unhook my battery when I park at home.

Same here, whenever I park the car. Those battery quick disconnects with the thumbscrew up top are good to have. Get a good quality one. 

Good advice.....i also use a disconnect and kill the juice when stored. Sounds like an internal short 

Glad you caught it Paul 


Ron

[Dodge Don]

I all ways unhook my battery when I park at home.

Me too.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Great... now im going to be paranoid!

[twodko]

Very relieved your car is OK! Wow, what a fright that must have been.

I use the exact same batt disconnect Ron pictured. Cheap, cheap cheap insurance.

[NHCharger]

Very relieved your car is OK! Wow, what a fright that must have been.

I use the exact same batt disconnect Ron pictured. Cheap, cheap cheap insurance.

X2. All three of my Chargers have one. Cheapest insurance you can buy.

[Paul G]

If I use a battery disconect it will present other obsticles. I have a battery tender plug hard wired to the car. The plug hangs inside the grill, not noticable at all, easy plug in. That wont work anymore. The radio needs power to maintain it's settings, that wont work anymore.

What gets me is why the alternator stud fried in the first place? Is it poor quality rebuild parts? Poor quality rebuild procedures? Inferior materials used?

Last week we were on an evening road trip with some people in the Mopar club. A friend, Ron, has a 67 Coronet convertable. He darts off the highway at an exit. Two of us follow him of the highway. His ignition died. Either the engine jumped time, or the aftermarket spark box died. It has a pointless ignition installed in the stock distributer. This is a profesionally restored car with only 2000 miles on it since the restoration. Everything is new. Seems like the replacement parts we buy today are so inferior it's nuts.     

[cptjohn]

So what's a good way to get at the cause of the problem?  Disconnecting the battery isn't the cure.  Just the preventive coverall.  Not trying to be a smart ass, just wone ring how to fix it.

[DAY CLONA]

If I use a battery disconect it will present other obsticles. I have a battery tender plug hard wired to the car. The plug hangs inside the grill, not noticable at all, easy plug in. That wont work anymore. The radio needs power to maintain it's settings, that wont work anymore.   

Ask yourself what's more of an inconvenience?, resetting a radio? connecting a battery? or calling the Insurance companies to see if your home owners and collector car policies are still in effect, and when can the the claims guy come over to assess the fire damage,...you escaped this one this time, others haven't been as lucky, I NEVER leave any vehicle in my garage with any electrical power applied to it, this includes battery tenders/chargers, I've seen too many vehicles damaged by exploding batteries, melted harnesses, even split cases on batteries being charged,leaving a mess of acid in the engine compartment, along with too many vehicles lost to fires, as well as homes, work shops, garages, etc over the years, even after parking a vehicle and disabling  the battery, I still make periodic checks during the hours it sits cooling off in the garage, so there's no chances of fuel/heat related fires as well, as I want to sleep well that night, and be able to awaken the next day, not die in my sleep, or kill my family over a "toy"...

Mike

[crj1968]

Man, close call for sure. Time to install a battery disconnect for sure.

[Pete in NH]

Paul,

To keep your radio, clock and battery tender alive, I would put a 5 amp fuse in an in-line holder between the bolt on the negative battery cable clamp of the disconnect switch and ground. That will provide a low current path to keep small things working but blow if the current demand goes above 5 amps. I would make it an easy fuse holder to change the fuse because if you forget to close the main disconnect switch and try to start the car it will blow for sure. Carry a spare pack or two in the glove compartment.

And yes, today's parts in many cases are pure junk. Between cheap Chinese junk and quick, sloppy workmanship from people trying to maximize their profits things are getting really bad.

[Stegs]

yes I just had a new battery and voltage regulator put in mine, I read this post yesterday and went home and disconnected my battery. My alternator is getting rebuilt tomorrow, I will ask if there is anything they can do for safety reasons

also going to add quick disconnects for the battery......I don't have anything computer that resets....so no issue for me!

[bill440rt]

If I use a battery disconect it will present other obsticles. I have a battery tender plug hard wired to the car. The plug hangs inside the grill, not noticable at all, easy plug in. That wont work anymore. The radio needs power to maintain it's settings, that wont work anymore.   

Ask yourself what's more of an inconvenience?, resetting a radio? connecting a battery? or calling the Insurance companies to see if your home owners and collector car policies are still in effect, and when can the the claims guy come over to assess the fire damage,...you escaped this one this time, others haven't been as lucky, I NEVER leave any vehicle in my garage with any electrical power applied to it, this includes battery tenders/chargers, I've seen too many vehicles damaged by exploding batteries, melted harnesses, even split cases on batteries being charged,leaving a mess of acid in the engine compartment, along with too many vehicles lost to fires, as well as homes, work shops, garages, etc over the years, even after parking a vehicle and disabling  the battery, I still make periodic checks during the hours it sits cooling off in the garage, so there's no chances of fuel/heat related fires as well, as I want to sleep well that night, and be able to awaken the next day, not die in my sleep, or kill my family over a "toy"...

Mike

Great post.
This is EXACTLY the reason I put quick disconnects on my cars. When parked for long periods of time I remove the batteries from the cars completely & put a Tender on them out of the vehicle. It takes less than 3 minutes to remove the battery.
No need to worry about radio presets with a factory push-button radio. But the SecretAudio unit in my '69 retains ALL the settings when the battery is disconnected so that is yet another benefit of SecretAudio.

[charger496]

   I've been meaning to do the bulkhead bypass for a while. Mine's a daily driver most of the time, so pulling the positive every time I come home just isn't practical. Maybe more practical than a car fire, though...

[cudaken]

 
Paul, check into buying a Radio Saver, they plug into your cigarette lighter. We used them when I worked at NTB when replacing battery's in new cars. Newer car radios will stop working if they lose power, an anti theft thing. Radio / Car has to go to the dealer to be resat for around $100.00.

Call your local NAPA, they should know what you are talking about. You will need one that has a wall transformer, or you will have to change the battery often.

Glad the Charger is OK!

Cuda Ken  

[1974dodgecharger]

I hear some folks disconnect the pos and some do the neg.  I once disconnect the pos one time and reconnected and got a freakin spark like crazy just because someone told me to disconnect the pos instead of the neg. 

So which is right? 

I always do neg now...

[Cooter]

Yep, every time car gets parked battery cable comes off. Just good common sense if you've ever watched one burn.

[six-tee-nine]

Theoretically its safer to disconnect the neg first.

If you need to unscrew the pos terminal and hit with your wrech against the chassis or anything metal bolted to the body while the neg is still connected you create a short with huge sparks as a result.

I always disconnect the neg terminal or put a batt switch between it.

[Dino]

I just installed cam lever bolts on my wires so I can easily remove them.  I only ever disconnect my battery when the car won't be running for more than a few days.  Since most of the time it's a daily, I always left it hooked up, mostly to keep the radio memory intact and because I want to get in and go.  I may have to rethink that.

Glad to hear you still have your car and home Paul! 

[71 SE3834V]

Theoretically its safer to disconnect the neg first.

If you need to unscrew the pos terminal and hit with your wrech against the chassis or anything metal bolted to the body while the neg is still connected you create a short with huge sparks as a result.

I always disconnect the neg terminal or put a batt switch between it.

[JRH LEE3]

I have ALWAYS pulled the Negative battery cable off once I park it.  Chargers aren't wired the best in my book from the factory.  Most problems with Chargers I have found over the years are mostly wiring harness problems.

[Windsor]

Another reason that I am glad I put a disconnect on mine. As for radio and alarm, those are wires separate from the main harness to keep power even with the cable disconnected.

[ACUDANUT]

Either or is fine. If your not driving your car, pull the battery and charge it every now and then. 

[tan top]

   arrrh nooo , !!  good job you caught it  , glad the charger is ok !! scary moment forsure ,    yeah I always  pull the negative black off the battery any time I leave the charger  parked ,  even though ive completely gone through the charging set up & redesigned it ! protected every thing with  fuses     seen a good few mopars with dash / engine bay harness fires , & the fusible link still in tacked  even mine  had a few harness meltdowns / fires   long before I bought & had some jerry rigged repairs , but the original fusible link was still there , all be it the insulation all burnt off & just wrapped with insulating tape 

[Paul G]

I went with a Powermaster square back alternator. Powermaster alternators are brand new, 78 rated amps. The test tag that came on the alternator took it it to 92 amps. Still undecided about how to use the battery disconect. To really get the full benefit of a battery disconect the battery cable, be it pos or neg, needs to be completely disconected or there is still risk of a short and fire in the electrical system of the car. I like the radio saver idea, a 9 volt battery plugged in to the cig lighter. The battery tender cable can still be connected to the battery terminal at the battery disconect.

[TPR]

Timely advice.
I bought a disconnect switch two weeks ago and am yet to put it on. Will do it tomorrow while off work.
Glad to hear a crisis was averted.
TPR