You won't believe what just happened to me...

This happened just 40 miutes ago...

My wife picked up the car from the smash repairers today after getting some minor damaged repaired after an incident with a tree. One of the repairs was to replace the bullbar which was the most damaged part.

OK - so when I get home this evening, the car is in the driveway - everything looks good. Feeling happy that we finally got it back I decided to start packing some things in ready for our trip to Cape York in a weeks time. Before that though I wanted to wind in about a foot and a half of winch rope that was loose out the front - obviously due to to the repairers freespooling some out to swap the winch and fairleed over to the new bar.

Anyway I connected the controller and hit "in" and that is when it started.... Firstly there was SPARKING behind the winch and then a GLOW under the control box. I instantly pulled the controller from the box but the relays did not de-energise. Next there was MOLTEN METAL coming from under the control box where some cable vapourised (I have wired with harnessflex encased 35 mm² cable). This was followed by SMOKE from under the bonnet.

I quickly popped the bonnet and ran to the garage for a shifter before seeing a FIRE under the middle of the car. Quickly turned and grabbed the hose which was close and hosed the fire. Looking under I saw that the speedo cable (which is plastic coated flexible steel conduit about 1/2" thick) GLOWING RED HOT. Gave the hose to my wife (who had quickly came down stairs by that time to see what I was SHRIEKING about) while I headed back to the garage and grabbed a shifter so I could diconnect the batteries.

At this stage I noticed SMOKE inside the car but I was focused on getting the battery terminals off both batteries. The speedo cable then stopped glowing and it looked like I had killed the source. I opened the car doors where smoke just spilled out. You could see a S--TLOAD of smoke bilowing out from the dash from one end to the other however I was ready with the hose just in case it flared. Luckily everything settled down after diconnecting the power source.

I was so LIVID that this happened but glad that it was now and not up at the Cape. It has put the trip on hold indefinately until we find out where to go from here. My wife is a blubbering mess and both kids are bawling their eyes out because they are no longer going to the Cape however I have managed to calm everyone down by trying to get them to look at the lighter side of it (I am still CRANKY though).

Rang insurance and notified them of this DISASTER but won't have an assessor out until Monday.

Fault could lie with either the smash repairers or the 4wd store that fitted the bullbar but it is clear that it wasn't wired up correctly and was sourcing an earth from everywhere but the negative cable.

One thing I realised is that I will fit a battery kill switch (when repairs are done) in an easily accesable location that will permit me to disconnect the batteries in case of emergences. Other than that you can't do much about other peoples incompetancies.

Regards
David (with a scorched Grungle)