<VV> Battery on fire

[J R Read_HML]

Well, I guess that it could also be an internal short in the battery.  But 
it seems doubtful that the car would restart if that were the cause.

In the meantime - pull the cover off the regulator and see if the points are 
fried.

Later, JR


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Clarke" <mwclarke01 at gmail.com>
To: "Charles Lee" <chaz at properproper.com>; "Virtual Vairs" 
<VirtualVairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 10:57 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Battery on fire


> Charlie,
>
> I don't think that it is the battery cable since the cable appears to be 
> in
> good shape.  Perhaps it's a faulty voltage regulator causing an 
> overcharging
> condition as JR suggests.  I will be sure to check the voltage output 
> after
> I install a replacement battery.
>
> Thanks for the suggestions.
>
> Mark Clarke
> '63 Monza convertible, 84 hp, pg
>
> On Sat, Oct 4, 2008 at 10:32 PM, Charles Lee <chaz at properproper.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> Mark,
>>
>> Could it have been the battery cable ?  If the cable rubs on the
>> chassis, after wearing through the grommet, it could try to do an "arc
>> weld" and set a fire ?
>>
>> I had this happen to me in a late model, where there is a lot more room
>> for the battery to move, and it actually cut about a 3" hole as it
>> "sawed" through the chassis, and finally burst into flames.
>>
>> I too thought it was someone else, until I stopped and saw the billows
>> of black smoke out the rear vents !
>>
>> I didn't have any water, and I blew it out.  Good thing I don't smoke !
>>
>> Charlie
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
>> [mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of Mark Clarke
>> Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2008 8:24 PM
>> To: Virtual Vairs
>> Subject: <VV> Battery on fire
>>
>>
>>  I had a rather unusual experience today while driving my '63 Monza
>> convertible.  After driving my car for about 5 minutes, I thought that I
>> smelled a burning odor.  I was hoping that it was another car, but since
>> the odor persisted, I decided to pull over to make sure that I hadn't
>> thrown a fan belt.  Much to my surprise (and horror), my battery was on
>> fire in the engine compartment.  I am not talking sparks, but rather
>> shooting flames and smoke.  I immediately shut the car off and doused
>> the flames with a bottled water that I had on hand.  Since I was only
>> about 2 miles from home, I decided to see if the car would start so that
>> I could get it back home.  It started with no problem and I was able to
>> make it home without further incident.
>>
>> I wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts as to what may have caused
>> the battery to go up in flames.  I have heard of exploding batteries,
>> but have never heard of one catching on fire.  As far as background
>> information, the battery (an Interstate model) was approximately 3 years
>> old.  I must confess that I had not recently checked it to make sure the
>> cells had plenty of water, but neither had I experienced any issues with
>> starting the car. Although not a daily driver, I had just taken it on an
>> 800 mile round trip to Oklahoma City (from Houston) for the Great Plains
>> roundup and I experienced no problems on the trip.
>>
>> Any thoughts, comments or input is greatly appreciated.
>>
>> Mark Clarke
>> President. Corvair Houston
>> '63 Monza Convertible, 84 hp, pg
>> _______________________________________________
>> This message was sent by the VirtualVairs mailing list, all copyrights
>> are the property of the writer, please attribute properly. For help,
>> mailto:vv-help at corvair.org This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of
>> America, http://www.corvair.org/ Post messages to:
>> VirtualVairs at corvair.org Change your options:
>> http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/options/virtualvairs
>>  _______________________________________________
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> This message was sent by the VirtualVairs mailing list, all copyrights are 
> the property
> of the writer, please attribute properly. For help, 
> mailto:vv-help at corvair.org
> This list sponsored by the Corvair Society of America, 
> http://www.corvair.org/
> Post messages to: VirtualVairs at corvair.org
> Change your options: 
> http://www.vv.corvair.org/mailman/options/virtualvairs
> _______________________________________________