So today a few of my young teenage neighbor kids asked me if I'd fire up my F-350 and go pick-up their three wheeler project at their buddies house just outside of town. They had done some fab work on it in my shop a few weeks ago but off-roading had taken it's toll breaking the rear axle and various other components.

I agreed… we hopped in the truck and I turned the key… nothin! Dead as a door nail. So I hooked up the battery charger and told them I'd be out after supper to start it… I told them to have some patience.

45 minutes later we tried it… nope. Corroded battery terminals and not enough of a charge. So I took the cables ends apart and cleaned them… Then I pulled my Buick next to the truck and hooked up jumper cables to the truck. I told my usual 16 year old helper (a member of the three wheeler crowd) to get in my truck and start it.

I after a few slow cranks I told him to stop cranking the starter 'cuz i knew it wouldn't fire. But he kept on for a few seconds then one of the other kids yelled "FIRE!!!"… yep... flames coming from the starter.

We grabbed the garden hose and put it out in 30 seconds or so. Tomorrow I'll have to crawl under the truck and see what is damaged.

Fun fun fun.

 

sorry to hear that, but hope no one was injured. I'm sure you'll diagnose. Probably a short

 

Probably a shorted or bare wire contacting metal

 

I think it's an overheated battery cable perhaps from a corroded contact on the starter. This truck sat for ten years although it has never given me any starting problems since we resurrected it from the dead a month ago.

When it was cranking slow I knew we had a problem… I just wish my helper would have paid attention to my instructions to quit cranking the engine…

Film at 11...

 

Man your thread title had me worried. I was afraid it was much worse and your truck was a crispy critter. Good thing someone spotted the flames before they did more damage!

 

Ditto, I started panicking, I had a buddy whose carbed 460 lit it's sell on fire twice,

 

I once had my (previous) AC compressor burn up and it hit about 600 deg in the driveway. Burned up a wheel bearing, and got some nice thick white smoke from a starter solenoid. Of course, I've had nights lit this myself, so...

 

I had a similar experience last week. Brought my truck into the city and brand new Walmart battery went stone cold dead. Got a guy to give me a jump, as I'm cranking it my neighbor yells FIRE!!! cause he saw flames shooting from the + terminal. Have a new battery and alternator and hoping to avoid further excitement

 

Well I crawled under the truck and found some green corrosion on the positive cable on the starter.. that will need to be cleaned up. No visible damage.

I installed a new positive cable from the battery to the solenoid… the old one had a corroded aftermarket replacement end on it and the other end was lacking insulation and generally worn out.

The engine fired right up after the cable install (and a night on the charger) but it ran rough. I reinstalled the intake hoses and it ran better but died after 30 seconds and now it won't re-fire…

Tomorrow my son finally starts running his dirt modified so I'll be out of town playing crew chief for a night.

I'll re-visit this soap opera Monday. Maybe the truck will fix itself while I'm gone.

 

A Mod? B mod? which sanctioning body? details please!!

 

WISSOTA Midwest Modified (B-mod). He'll be running Saturday @ ABC Raceway in Ashland, WI. Rookie @ 42 years old… Brand X powered

 

That picture must have been taken before the season started? lol I have heard of the wissota sanctioning body,but I am to far south to have ever been to any of those tracks. Mostly UMP A mods/late models around here,and IMCA when I drive an hour or two up into Iowa. When I'm not working Friday/Saturday nights,i put between 300-500 miles on my focus chasing dirt racing!