Last week I was driving on the freeway going about 80 when all of the sudden I hear a loud pop. I look in the rear view mirror and see white smoke spewing (sp) out of the back of the car. Thinking it was my radiator, I pull off to the side of the freeway and opened the hood. To my surprise, the engine was on fire!

I had no clue what to do as I never been in a situation like this. Luckily a CalTrans truck pulled up within seconds and called the Fire Dept. As they were coming, all I could do was watch my baby burn up. It took them about 10 minutes and by that time, half the engine was gone. They had to pour water in the engine and inside the dashboard because smoke was coming out. I could barely watch, it was heart-wrenching. The car was totaled.

3 days prior to the fire, I had an oil change done by a Honda Specialist (specializing in Hondas, Acuras, and Toyotas). Could there be a link to this? Has anybody heard of an engine fire in an S2000? I had a 2001 AP1 engine btw.

Since then, I've been trying to find another S2000 just like mine but can't. I had the Berlina Black with the Black/Red interior. It seems that that was a rare model. Plus my insurance is so damn slow, I have to wait to settle with them (I HATE MERCURY).

Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

 

sorry to hear your lose. that truly sucks to just watch it like that. good luck with finding a new S

 

Did you have any mods???? Forced induction? Aftermarket Fuel rail? anything at all????

Not trying to pass judgment, or point fingers... but, in my experience, engine fires in modern cars are almost always due to aftermarket parts/negligent work. Modern manufacturers go to great lengths make sure they are wont be liable for engine fires. They make fuels systems almost impervious to ignition without an outside intervention.

 

Bet they didnt put the oil cap back on. Anyway to find this out?

 

Sorry to hear that ur S is gone.
I know someone who had their oil filter come loose and it started an engine fire. Their car turned out to be ok.
but who knows in ur case.
I have heard more bad than good about Mercury, even though I have them too since they are so inexpensive.....hmmm this gives me more reason to switch to wawanesa.

 

Sounds like the oil filter came loose and caused the fire. There has been numerous topics about the filter spinning loose if not tightened properly. CHeck your car if the oil filter is still there. Don't know if you can get something from the place where you got your oil changed. Sorry to hear about it though. That's why I always carry a fire extinguisher in my cars! You probably could have saved it if you had one. Happened to one of my friends and I decided to look ricey and keep an extinguisher on hand (not on the pillar though.)

 

Mercury is good... Just depends on the claims adjuster. If they slack your dead...

 

sounds like the oil cap or filter came loose and oil got on your engine and after driving on the freeway it ignited from the heat. good luck with your claim, you should inform your insurance of the oil change and they'll probably go after the shop for you.

 

I'd put my money on the oil cap. If they don't have the gasket on just right the cap will come loose and fall off usually ending up resting behind the engine. Take a look, if it's there the oil change people owe you a car.

 

IMO, oil filter is more likely than cap. Any nimrod can tell if the cap is on. However, quite a few nimrods don't know how to properly change the filter on the S2000. Hand-tight is not good enough.