My little 84 lived up to the Fiero name. On December 20 at 2 am. I get a loud knock on the door. There stands the local authorities saying what I thought were words of death to my lil Juliet. He told me that my car was on fire. I quickly threw my shoes on, rushed down the stairs, and run to this view. Here she is in the day light The damage underneath the dash So far I have the dash gutted and the front gutted except for the essentials for stopping. It's going to be a long road to recovery for Juliet. I wonder how I can get rid of the burnt plastic smell. It really does linger for a long time.
------------------ Thank for the sig. Bobadoofunk 1984 White Fiero Sport Coupe (Juliet) 1988 Red Fiero Standard Coupe (bella) 1990 Black Buick Reatta (Noir) 2002 White Chevy Impala base(Haylie)
[This message has been edited by 1984whitesc (edited 01-06-2011).]
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06:23 AM
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tesmith66 Member
Posts: 7355 From: Jerseyville, IL Registered: Sep 2001
It had to be the heater ducts with dead leafs and other various debris that’s been accumulating for the past 28 years. I hope it’s an easy fix for you and that everything works out for Juliette.
I see they forced the hood open, did they break anything else?
[This message has been edited by FieroMontreal (edited 01-06-2011).]
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07:26 AM
DLCLK87GT Member
Posts: 2694 From: South Jersey, USA Registered: Feb 2009
WOW THAT SUCKS! I want to be the first to say "that will buff right out"...but that's not funny. This fall when i started my formula for the FIRST time the insulation next to the alternator caught on fire so it's no myth, it happens. Question, what's all the wireing here?
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08:01 AM
jeep107 Member
Posts: 84 From: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Registered: Nov 2010
I'm sorry to see this, or any damage happen to any of our increasingly scarce Fieros. That said, at least it didn't happen when you were out driving it someplace where you may have been stranded in the winter. It looks repairable. As far as the burnt plastic smell, you should be able to get TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) from a local hardware store. Start with a mild solution in a bucket or warm water. You'll have to scrub everything...carpets, door panels, upholstery, in around and under the dash, the HVAC ducts. You may have to do it more than once. Then scrub with clear water to rinse the TSP out. We also used it on a white 86 Fiero GT that I purchased in '04. That car had belonged to a weed smoker and was absolutely gross inside. The entire interior came out, all surfaces were TSP scrubbed and painted with Rustoleum truck bed liner (available at Walmart in spray cans in the automotive department). The carpet padding and headliner were all replaced with items purchased from the Fiero Store. The seat covers were removed, run through the washing machine multiple times and then re-installed. The door panels were soaked with a TSP solution and rinsed multiple times and re-installed. Total cost was under $400. After that, it had that "new car smell" until the time it was totalled when rear-ended by an SUV in October of '09. Back in '96 we had a house fire after a lightning strike. The TSP got used heavily and seemed to eventually get rid of the burnt smells, but took time and patience. I hope these suggestions help you with your repairs. Good luck!
------------------ Gold '87 GT, Black '87 GT, Black '88 Mera,' 64 Stingray coupe, '01 Corvette coupe, '03 Corvette coupe & caretaker of son's Yellow '87 GT, & Other son's Red '86 GT, General tinkerer and doer of mechanical deeds
There is an 84 in Menomonie here. Factory no A/C... Complete wiring interior/front end/dash. Get ahold of me and I'll see if I can get ahold of the owner for parts. The frame on it is trashed.
Atleast it was not the fault of the car but the owner.....proper maintenace is key when owning a Fiero.....At least it was an 84.....
Well, this is true for any vehicle.... not just a Fiero. It is easy for a hose, wire, or other item to shift/sag with age and this can also cause problems.
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11:16 AM
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jaskispyder Member
Posts: 21510 From: Northern MI Registered: Jun 2002
Well, this is true for any vehicle.... not just a Fiero. It is easy for a hose, wire, or other item to shift/sag with age and this can also cause problems.
I agree but the Fiero does require a bit more attention to detail.....
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11:25 AM
mattman134 Member
Posts: 643 From: Buford, Ohio Registered: Dec 2009
You're going to want to replace the seats and carpeting along with fixing the damaged interior pieces. The smoke smell will never come out of either of those no matter how many times you clean them. It gets in deep and never lets go. Try to find yourself a good donor vehicle and get all of your parts at once...
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03:49 PM
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njcwgrl Member
Posts: 523 From: Burkeville, Va Registered: Jun 2010
Had a similar problem with my car. Mice got into my HVAC system and the fan resistors started the nest on fire. I got the fire out and had to replace the plastic cover over the Heater core and evaporator. That was 4 years ago. Good luck with the repair.
Rich
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10:45 PM
Adam1988 Member
Posts: 326 From: Tigard, Oregon, USA Registered: Jul 2007
Had a similar problem with my car. Mice got into my HVAC system and the fan resistors started the nest on fire. I got the fire out and had to replace the plastic cover over the Heater core and evaporator. That was 4 years ago. Good luck with the repair.
Rich
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^can that happen without the car running?^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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11:02 PM
nitroheadz28 Member
Posts: 4774 From: Brooklyn, NY Registered: Mar 2010
Andrew, man, I am so sorry to see this happen to you..... wow. I know that little car is you pride and joy, and it was looking really good in Frazee. I wish there was something I could do to help man. I do not have any left over parts at all from building my car. I hope Aaron pitches in to help you with it! I wish you the best getting her back to, and even better than she was before!
I am curious to what could have started the fire.... we all know the resistors can catch leaves on fire, but for that to happen, the fan has to be running.....
I am sorry, I just have to say, that the comments above "At least it wasn't the cars fault, but the owners fault" Real nice to kick someone while they are down! and "At least it was an 84" was just tasteless. We all put a lot of time and effort & money into our cars (In Andrew's case, while going to school on a tight budget), does it really matter what year it is? If it were not for the 84' there would be no 85, 86, 87, 88.....
I hope to see you in Frazee in July!
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03:03 AM
Synthesis Member
Posts: 12207 From: Jordan, MN Registered: Feb 2002
For those wondering how something like this can happen...
Leaves and debris, mouse nests, etc can sit and smolder for a long time before actually bursting into flames...
In the duct work of the Fiero, if you were driving along with the fan on any speed lower than "High", the resistor pack which is mounted in the duct work just after the blower motor gets HOT....
If they come into contact with something flammable in the ductwork, it could either burst into flames immediately (unlikely with the amount of air flowing past rapidly), or start to smolder... You may get a faint whiff of smoke, but attribute it to something outside the car, especially this time of year..
Now, park the car, go inside.. The material is still smoldering, but not actively burning due to an enclosed environment without air flow..
A good well placed gust of wind at the front of the car may be just enough to provide a quick "puff" of air down into the duct work through the opening at the base of the windshield...
Now you have a fire. The material burns, catches the plastic duct work on fire... Escalates from there...
I have seen it happen to vehicles other than the Fiero as well.
[This message has been edited by Synthesis (edited 01-07-2011).]
Thanks for all the well wishes. I do plan on restoring her. EVEN if she is only an 84. A Fiero is a Fiero no matter what year it is. With out the 84, the rest wouldn't exist.
quote
Originally posted by DLCLK87GT:
WOW THAT SUCKS! I want to be the first to say "that will buff right out"...but that's not funny. This fall when i started my formula for the FIRST time the insulation next to the alternator caught on fire so it's no myth, it happens. Question, what's all the wireing here?
I had kept a set of jumper cables in the front just in case. I was having issues with the starter/ battery. The rest is stock wiring that ran over the fan and other areas. It torched everything form the connector to the fan.
quote
Originally posted by madcurl:
Wow! The Fire department was at the scene quick.
They are literally just two blocks away.
[This message has been edited by 1984whitesc (edited 01-07-2011).]
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06:55 PM
VikingRedBaron Member
Posts: 879 From: Moorhead, MN USA Registered: Nov 2009
