TR6 TR6 heater fire

[ichthos]

Well, I'm bummed my car still runs poorly, but I had to go to a meeting today and drove it anyway. Kind of cold this morning, so I decided to turn on the heater. I opened the air vent. A few pieces of tissue were flying around the cockpit, but I didn't think anything of it. I turned on the heater blower motor but couldn't tell if it was working. About 15 minutes later I notice smoke starting to fill the cockpit. Apparently a mouse stripped the wires off of my heater blower motor, the wires touched, and set the tissue and other stuff they packed on fire which also finished off the wiring inside too. Luckily I was able to pull the heater tubes off quickly and pull material out and extinguish the small fire. It looks like all my damgage is contained the heater blower box. Are these the little signs it is time to give up this car? Thanks for listening to me whine.

 

[angelfj1]

Sorry to hear about your accident, but you were lucky. No, this is no reason to dispose of the car. Just walk away from it for a couple of weeks. When you re-wire/repair the heater be sure to put an extra in-line fuse in the motor circuit.

Good luck!

 

[Bob_TR6]

Everything that you fix is one less thing that needs to be done. (The trick is to get enough done all at once so that you can actually drive the car somewhere...)

Good luck

 

[PATR8]

I had a radio out of my son's car I installed in my 8 two summers ago. I did not even have it on but was driving and smelled smoke. The smoke was rolling out of the CD slot i grabbed it yanked it ripping wires and tossed it out before I could even get the car stopped. Pulled over and went back and looked at it, the inside had been on fire, the placted melted. I am glad it happened in my car and not my son's while he was driving it.

 

[ichthos]

Ok, I'm done feeling sorry for myself. I agreee that I was pretty lucky in the long run. I wanted to powder coat and redo the box anyway. Now I have an excuse. I know I have a mice problem I have to deal with to secure my garage better. One thing I need to figure out is how the mice are getting into my heater to begin with. This is the second time they have packed the heater. I keep the vent on top of the car closed. I don't think they can get in through the hoses because I think the vents are too small for them to get through. The only place that seems possible for them to get through is the vent nearest the transmission tunnel. Has anyone else had this problem, and how did you deal with it?
Kevin

 

[GregL]

Get a garage cat!

 

[Andrew Mace]

I've heard it said that mice need only a 1/4" hole to squeeze through; that's not a very large opening. :frown: So I guess the best approach is to keep the mice out of the garage?

 

[Brosky]

I have the plug in wall units that emit a noise that they hate, but we can't hear, as well as traps all over the garage/basement. Neighbor has two cats and I usually see them walking through the yard with a mouthful about twice a week.

 

[poolboy]

That's right they have a collapsable diaphram. If they can get their head thru, they're in.

 

[Silverghost]

That's right they have a collapsable diaphram. If they can get their head thru, they're in.

I knew a........nevermind......

 

[TR3driver]

Has anyone else had this problem, and how did you deal with it?

They haven't gotten in the cars yet, but I've definitely had rodents in the garage. Tree rats in my case, which can likewise squeeze through some amazingly small holes.

There are now several small inconspicuous cubes of rat bait in various out-of-the-way corners. We don't have pets (and I wouldn't let them in the garage even if we did); but the neighbors dog and the neighborhood cats have shown absolutely no interest in them.

 

[DNK]

Kevin, use Paul's site for the heater rebuild.
Paul, did you ever contact the UK site for the upgraded heater?

 

[Brosky]

No Don, I did not. I got interested in those funny looking triumphs and got distracted.

Here is my rebuild page: https://www.74tr6.com/heater.htm

 

[DNK]

Ya must not have X'd out the page when your wife showed up.
See where that will get ya?

 

[Brosky]

You're right Don. She's as excited about this new purchase than I am.

Better that way than the opposite!!

 

[DrEntropy]

Clothes dryer "softener" pads! Rodents don't like the odor.