Make Sure Your Mechanic Knows How To Relpace An Alternator

[CL8]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

I'm certain it was scrapped. They extensive damage would be far more expensive to fix than the market value of the vehicle.
Back when I used to prowl auto dismantlers for parts, there would be several burned cars like this. It's fairly common. Often such fires were the result of fuel or brake fluid on a hot exhaust. I did not think an auto electrical fire could cause such damage.

The sad thing is, my bosses insurance company doesn't want to pursue the investigation into what happened at the shop where it was fixed.

Someone admitted it wasn't installed right at first,
then they refused to fix it any further when they told her to bring it back to do something else to it.
And within ten minutes of driving after she left the shop it exploded!

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by CL8

So would the shorting out of the B+ wire likely be caused by faulty installation?

Originally Posted by RahX

No, most likely caused by contact with a metal surface, most likely the alternator body.

Properly installed, the wire would not contact the alternator. I was thinking about this some more and have a theory. A lot of the time it's easier to attach the B+ wire without the alternator bolted in (if there's a clearance issue with the nut and the block/a bracket/other accessory, etc.; but I can't picture exactly how it is on that vehicle). If they installed the wire backwards, then forced the wire into a tight bend, that could easily account for it rubbing on something.

Originally Posted by MagicRat

I did not think an auto electrical fire could cause such damage.

All it takes to go from an electrical fire to a big fire is a little leaking oil, and those Chrysler vans are rarely clean under the hood.


I can't believe that they let the vehicle leave the shop with any known problem that they should have resolved, and especially to say it was good when she brought it back. I've made my share of mistakes (nothing big), but when I do, you can bet that I resolve them even if it costs me hundreds of dollars in lost time.

[CL8]

J-Ri
I was reading your post about your friends Camry overheating, then you deleted it just as I was reading "we will never know(or find out)" what will we never find out?

[CL8]

double post

And thanks for the reply below J-Ri!

I would guess he doesn't have that car anymore!

[J-Ri]

Oh, sorry, I thought it irrelevant so I deleted it. I didn't know it would remove it from someone's screen while it was being read For everyone who read none of it (as part of a reply to MagicRat's post):

I have a friend who's Camry caught fire. He thought he smelled electrical insulation burning while he was driving down the highway so he pulled over. He got out of the car and it started burning. We'll never know it it started as an electrical fire or started somewhere else and spread to the wires. That car had just about every fluid leaking, so it's very possible that it started as an oil fire on the exhaust manifold and spread from there.

[RidingOnRailz]

Originally Posted by CL8

The sad thing is, my bosses insurance company doesn't want to pursue the investigation into what happened at the shop where it was fixed.

then they refused to fix it any further when they told her to bring it back to do something else to it.
And within ten minutes of driving after she left the shop it exploded!

What I'm about to state regarding this matter, is based on the above statement, but is to be taken solely as SPECULATION or ALLEGATION. That is - take it FWIW:

This actually happened to me when I was a lot younger and a lot more hot-headed, so I'm applying it to this van case:

During the process of repairs, or during the change of hands between shop & owner, less than civil words may have been exchanged(by either party - owner or shop, for whatever reasons). Said shop mechanic/owner/whomever gets pissed and refuses to do any further work on said owner's said vehicle.

OR: Work(of a less than ideal standard) is rendered on said vehicle, compromising its roadability, possible as revenge for alleged less-than-civil exchange.

Owner is told that work is not complete/other parts are required, possesses vehicle, and leaves shop. Later on, vehicle suffers disabling condition - in this case the fire under the hood in vicinity of main electrical components.

End of speculation/allegation. And one can only HOPE that this - or something along these lines - is not what actually happened.

[CL8]

interesting theory smoothhandler, but this is a well known nationwide shop,
not one with just a local owner.

[RidingOnRailz]

Originally Posted by CL8

interesting theory smoothhandler, but this is a well known nationwide shop,
not one with just a local owner.

Local, national, doesn't matter. As a customer, if you cop an attitude with some mechs, they WILL cop right back - and sometimes not in your face. And that says nothing about their ability. They may be the best brakes guy, tire guy, tranny, or general automotive act in town, or even state, but just don't piss'em off.

There's just some people in this world you don't mess with, even if you are right and they are wrong.

[RahX]

And if they intentionally do anything like that it is beyond illegal. Heck if anyone had gotten stuck inside that van and the fire was worse than it was and someone got killed i'm pretty sure it could be construed as murder in that respect. It would have to be proven of course. But it would look really suspicious that an electrical fire broke out after XXX shop worked on it and got into an argument with the mechanic/owner. Point is, as a mechanic you either get it right or get over yourself and figure out what you are doing wrong. An alternator is an alternator and I haven't ever had enough trouble with one to have the customer bring it back. I certainly haven't ever gotten revenge on someone who was pissed at me by screwing with their car. This is be a basic human instinct.

[J-Ri]

Originally Posted by CL8

interesting theory smoothhandler, but this is a well known nationwide shop,
not one with just a local owner.

I had to do a report on how shops are run while I was in college. From what I saw, a lot of the national shops are actually worse than privately owned shops. While I think there are many reasons for this, I think it's primarily that the owner is never there. Nobody cares more about keeping customers than the owner does, and the manager typically knows nothing (or very little) about cars. That means that the tech can basically say anything and chances are nobody will know. Maybe it's lack of knowledge, maybe it's dishonesty, maybe a combination of the two. Maybe you get a guy who'll take the change out of your ashtray, or maybe you'll get a guy who'll actually admit it you he doesn't know what's wrong. The customer may pay for several repairs before the real cause is guessed, and each time the tech may find an excuse why the part he replaced was actually bad. While it's not uncommon for there to be multiple parts bad, lots of comebacks often seem suspicious to me.

This is purely speculation, but perhaps the wire was intentionally installed wrong; for whatever reason... revenge, dishonesty, disgruntled worker (I think it would be very hard to do it wrong and not notice). With a total short and no leaks, the fusible link would blow and the van would come back with the battery light on for another repair. With a small amount of contact and an oil leak, the wire sits there and sparks for a while and ignites the oil.

[CL8]

Hmm, I don't know that we, my boss, made them that upset.
But, who knows!
Thanks for all the input though.

[RidingOnRailz]

Originally Posted by CL8

Hmm, I don't know that we, my boss, made them that upset.
But, who knows!
Thanks for all the input though.

Again, what I posted(post #21) was speculation - take it FWIW. I wasn't there the day you brought the van in or took it out. I don't know what went on.