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~HELP!~ My Pathfinder caught fire & it's my only vehicle...


RobynInOK
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Yikes!

 

What was the truck doing when it caught fire? And any oil/grease build-up on the engine, or does it look like it came from the fuel rail?

What doesn't work now?

 

At minimum, you'll likely need new coil packs, injectors, hoses, and probably a new engine wiring harness (or at least enough to splice in on that side). That AC line may be compromised, which also means AC work.

 

If it turns over, I imagine it would be salvageable, but probably best to see what the insurance company has to say about it to know the financial burden.

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Robyn, better pictures would help locate the cause but probably a leak in the fuel rail somewhere. Replacing the torched parts will probably fix the issue but not cost effective at a shop and certainly not at the stealership. Hopefully a fellow forum member with mechanical abilities will chime in and give you a hand. Pick and Pull can be a great asset in times like these... Did you smell fuel at any time before it burnt? Usually a fuel rail leak will give you a faint gas smell at times, mine was only at start up and when the engine was cold was was leaking at the hose coupler.

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Aaaah yes...I was only able to keep minimal insurance due to my financial situation... there was probably oil build-up because I know there was an oil leak... I checked the oil frequently to make sure it didn't get low.




Here's how it went... I drove to the Dr.'s appt & parked...it was smoking some as I got out...but it had done that before...I was told, not to worry...it was residual oil burning off...just make sure you keep oil in it & watch the temp guage (temp hasn't ever showed hot & it does start at cool when 1st started) I was in the waiting room & heard over the intercom "will the owner of the Pathfinder...blah, blah...so I went out & they said it was on fire, they had used the extinguisher & then doused it w/ some water because the hoodliner was smoldering (then they ripped it off). I don't know if it'll turn over. (It's still in the parking lot at the Dr's office) However I did use the remote unlock/lock to get some things out of it to take home, so that works & I'm pretty sure the light came on when I opened the door...so that works. That's all I got right now...



And thanks for the input!!!



Edited by RobynInOK
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Hmmm...I do remember thinking right after I started it before leaving for the appt, "Why do I smell gasoline?" I didn't usually smell it!

 

Well, one step at a time I'll get it figured out !

 

And I sincerely appreciate the insight!!

 

Edited by RobynInOK
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Robyn, better pictures would help locate the cause but probably a leak in the fuel rail somewhere. Replacing the torched parts will probably fix the issue but not cost effective at a shop and certainly not at the stealership. Hopefully a fellow forum member with mechanical abilities will chime in and give you a hand. Pick and Pull can be a great asset in times like these... Did you smell fuel at any time before it burnt? Usually a fuel rail leak will give you a faint gas smell at times, mine was only at start up and when the engine was cold was was leaking at the hose coupler.

As SkiBumBrian said...

Maybe it is only plastic melted...

Lucky you there was people near to the Pathy to extinguish the fire!

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Yikes. Looks like it could've been much worse than it was, though.

 

I would start digging into it before even trying to start it. Look for lines and hoses that could be burned up, or could've caused the fire. You don't want to turn the fuel pump on with a gas line burned through! I would be very suspicious of the wiring in the area of the fire and check it closely for burned insulation. Hopefully it's just the taped loom cover stuff that's burned; hard to tell what's just burned plastic from the silly plastic cover melting and what's actually damaged in the picture. You don't want bare/shorted wires when you go to start it. It looks like the fire wasn't going for long, so hopefully the damage is limited. Once you're confident that everything's hooked up right, make sure you have an extinguisher handy, then try starting it. If the hoses and wiring in that area are intact (or replaced), I would expect it to start up like normal. Unless that fire was way hotter than it looks I doubt the engine's internals even noticed. (VQs do have metal valve covers, right?)

 

Then once you can get it out of the parking lot, get that oil leak taken care of!

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Update:

A neighbor of mine gave me a ride to my vehicle today and she used her AAA membership to have it towed for me!! :jig:

Because I don't know (and haven't found) any individual who will work on it, we had it towed to a mechanic that she's used on 2 separate occasions with positive results. (Also, this guy has noticably lower rates for labor, so that's good...'cause I have noooo idea how I'm gonna' pay for it all?!) Right now I'm simply thankful that it wasn't any worse & glad that I've taken the first step toward getting it all taken care of... So at least I'm moving in the right direction, right?!

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Good going, Robyn! I am sure the only damage is the burnt components and should be fairly simple to rectify. Make sure he determines where the fire originated and see that the issue is solved.

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Hello to you all! I finally heard back from the mechanic, so I thought I'd share these screenshots (of texts between the mechanic & myself) and get some feedback...once again...all input is appreciated!

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Hello to you all! I finally heard back from the mechanic, so I thought I'd share these screenshots (of texts between the mechanic & myself) and get some feedback...once again...all input is appreciated!

 

Ooops! Forgot to post them :blush: & now I'm having trouble. Let's try this again...

 

FPaFKgN.png

k4mXeBf.png

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You can certainly obtain the parts from a junk yard vehicle. Coil packs and connectors and wiring. Even the pressure regulators.

 

I can understand they don't because of the uncertainty of condition. Where as new parts they can garuntee them for a time period.

 

Of course they have their own mark up on the parts. If you buy them yourself they may just charge a few extra labor hours.

 

I don't know your relationship with the mechanic. See what you can work out with them. Possible payment plan. Hell if it's a smaller shop. Throw ideas out there? If your available, help them with the phones? Make them lunch for the week they are working on your truck. Sometimes the smallest simple things can really make someones day and sway them.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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^^^^^ As Rebelord says...

Here in Bogotá you can go to "your" mechanic or a refered one... Or go to the Nissan or whatever brand workshop...

If you go to your mechanic usually he does not provide parts, but sometimes he suggests where to buy them or knows someone who knows... At the Nissan or other workshop you have no choice, you have to buy them their really expensive parts...

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Thank you both for your input!

 

At this point I'm wanting to know if you all think he's got the right idea on parts needed & if he's charging me the right"ish" price for the new parts. (I do realize they have to make $$)

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The parts list sounds reasonable to me from what I can see in the picture. Just the coil packs are about $100 each on FactoryNissanParts.com, and I'll bet Nissan wants an arm and a leg for the harness, so I doubt the price is far off. If I'm fixing my own rig, I'll take a chance on wrecking yard parts, but a pro mechanic won't want to gamble on it--a bad part means taking it all apart again, and that adds shop time to your bill and takes his time away from his other jobs.

 

Also, I don't know about the wrecking yards where you live, but the yards around here like selling motors whole, not just a few parts off of them here and there.

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^^ I concur. Getting the parts at a pick-n-pull would be my avenue but I have the tools and enough knowledge to get it done, could probably walk out the door for 50-75 bucks. On the other hand, your mechanic is going to use new, guaranteed parts as Slart said. Just lock him down on a price if that is the way you are going to go. Don't let him nickel and dime you to death during the process. It seems he is being square with you so far, just remember that quote was for parts only, not his labor, etc. the bill could be pushing 1500 bucks before it is all over.

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