Electrical fire after replacing starter!!
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Instructor
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 239
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From: Wesley Chapel Florida
Electrical fire after replacing starter!!
I replaced my starter this weekend, made sure to re-install the heat shield. Everything appeared to go back to where it was before removing old starter. Sunday I'm cruising around and release I'm starting to over heat. I pull off and see no water in the reservoir and then see a small hole in it. I let the car cool re-filled with water and made the 5 min drive home carefully watching temp gauge. After inspection I see there was a small fire coming from the starter area. I don't see any wires near the headers so part of me is wondering if the solenoid stayed engaged and overheated to the point of fire. Luckily my coolant reservoir put the fire out. I could only find one other similar post. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this??? The starter was AC Delco.
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Don’t recall seeing any reports of similar happenings to a C7. Good that the fire did not spread and best of luck troubleshooting what went wrong.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2022
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From: MSP
Thank your deity of choice, this is pretty incredible.
Sucks that it happened, but parts fail. One of the best things I've learned working on cars: new parts don't always mean good parts. Could have just as easily been a manufacturing SNAFU as it was an installation error. Without dissecting it in a post-mortem, we'll all just be guessing. If nothing else was damaged, I'd say replace+enjoy and keep an eye on it for the first few hundred miles!
Sucks that it happened, but parts fail. One of the best things I've learned working on cars: new parts don't always mean good parts. Could have just as easily been a manufacturing SNAFU as it was an installation error. Without dissecting it in a post-mortem, we'll all just be guessing. If nothing else was damaged, I'd say replace+enjoy and keep an eye on it for the first few hundred miles!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 239
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From: Wesley Chapel Florida
Originally Posted by Maxpowers;[url=tel:1605826407
1605826407[/url]]Does the starter still work? Does it show signs of being burnt? Does the hole in the coolant tank look like it was from heat?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2010
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From: Santa Fe Tx
What reason for replacing starter?
I'm not sure arrangement of starter and solenoid on a vette. But could be the solenoid hanging up on fly wheel causing wires/starter to draw current and overheat or burn.
I'm not sure arrangement of starter and solenoid on a vette. But could be the solenoid hanging up on fly wheel causing wires/starter to draw current and overheat or burn.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 239
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From: Wesley Chapel Florida
I have a 14 and the starter was having a hard time starting the car after it was warm. Say I went to get gas it would barely turn the engine over. The new starter would just ziippp and on. It was great. I’m wondering if you’re right about it getting hung on the flywheel. What would essentially turn it into a generator.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: Bonneville Salt Flats
I've never had cause to as much a look at mine, so bear with me... The solenoid is attached to the starter, I presume? If so, did the "new" starter come so equipped (again, I'd presume as much)? Where did you get the replacement starter and was it sold as "new" and not rebuilt, etc.? If it came from anywhere but specially ordered by a GM dealer I'd be leery. As suggested, it could have been anything from the Bendix out to the solenoid that must have been faulty in some way. You were very fortunate it didn't burn your car to the ground. I've seen such and never wish to, again. All the best on getting straightened out. 
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,567
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From: Jefferson City Missouri
It appears that the starter gear became hung up on the flywheel and continued to run, overheated and caught fire. Although it was a new AC Delco starter you may need one starter shim to allow the starter gear to move away from the flywheel just enough to allow the starter to disengage when you release the start button. When you install the new one you can have someone listen to the starter to see if it disengages. If you do have to use a shim start out with the thinest one you can so you don't move the starter too far away from the flywheel. Over the years I have had to shim a number of starters.
