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Old 09-15-2009, 05:40 AM   #1
ChefCarnivore
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: raleigh nc
Posts: 116
My 97 boxster caught fire

After changing the oil, I added 8 qts of Syntec 10W 40. When I pulled the dip stick out to wipe it off and reinsert it I heard a snap like a spark noise. When I pulled the dip stick out it had a loop of the wire about 6 inches from the engine end and was red hot! The wire looked like a paper clip loop. Then smoke started and grew. I quickly disconnected the battery. By this time the smoke was really coming out so I pushed the car out of the garage and called 911.
When the local fire dept come we moved the top up to get access to the engine top. And they sprayed some water in before the hatch top was removed. This stopped the smoke. After they left I surveyed the damage. The most obvious things were the air manifold closest to the front of the car on the passenger side had melted, the shift cables and throttle body tubes where toasted and the throttle wire was cooked. There is probably more damage.
I noticed that the tube going from the rear of the car to the engine which the dip stick goes through was broken where it enters the engine. I'll show pictures when I take them. So I'm guessing that when I put the dip stick in to get a reading it came out of the guide tube and shorted on something.
Any ideas what I should do next are welcomed. I already got drunk yesterday.
__________________
97 Boxster 115k miles
3 spoke wheel,
OZ Racing Rims
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