Fire Underdash

[Thunder-71]

Hi guys,
My car had a fire under the dash, behind the speedo/cluster. Put it out fairly fast but things got burned. My insurance will look at it Monday morning and I will have then a better idea what burned. No damage in engine compartment or interior other than behind the cluster. Just over 100K miles on the car. Runs and drives perfectly, cold A/C still with R12. Excellent body, 100% stock original car that I would like to repair. Did any of you had a similar case? Is it worth the effort trying to fix it or can it be fixed? I am sick to my stomach but more than willing to give it a shot at repairing it. Is there a chance of finding a whole dash intact and good for a transplant? Yes I expect a cracked dash, the wiring is my concern. What do you guys think?

[Gawernator]

I'm sure you can find one to swap out. In fact a guy in my area has a black late model dash

[zedsn]

My big concern would be finding out what started this in the first place as it could happen again with another dash as well. Maybe when you replace the wiring harness it might take care of the short though.

[Dean924s]

Ya you need to figure out what was the root cause before you start thinking of what parts you need. Start taking it apart CARFULLY so you can asses how / where the fire started and go from there.

[flagtie]

How did you put it out so fast? Do you carry a fire extinguisher?

[Dean924s]

If you have photos I would be interested as I have taken wiring harnesses apart and found exposed wires in the harness. In particular at the plug to the DME. The power supply wires were an issue in several I have taken apart. This was in pre 85.5 cars and in an 87 924s

[mytrplseven]

If you like puzzles and have a basic knowledge of electronics and how to use a multi-meter, it might be worth jumping into. Hard to say what the insurance company might do about it. I saw a Cayman in the shop at the dealership that sat for a couple of months while they tried to see how much of the original wiring harness had to be replaced and whether Porsche would make a short one to replace the rear harness. I know that there are occasionally complete harnesses on ebay for some of the generation cars (early vs 85.5 and later) and you might consider buying one and splicing in the entire new section. Since it was behind the gauge cluster, I'd shotgun that part by replacing the entire unit as well.

[Thunder-71]

Originally Posted by flagtie

How did you put it out so fast? Do you carry a fire extinguisher?

I carry basic tools in the hatch and I immediately disconnected the battery and within seconds after that a volunteer fireman just happen to pass by, saw what was going on, stopped and jumped out with an extinguisher on hand and put it out. I was really lucky on that.

[Dean924s]

I carry a fire extinguisher in any car of mine that is more than 20 years old. I am hoping it is a case of because I do it I will never need it.

[arominus]

I'm parting an 87 924S so I may have a good interior harness for you.

[mhariush]

I have a complete harness for an 87 S, but not sure if that's the same as your early car though...

[Thunder-71]

Originally Posted by mhariush

I have a complete harness for an 87 S, but not sure if that's the same as your early car though...

I am not sure either. Does anyone here know if it can be used? I would prefer a 1984, 1985.

[Thunder-71]

Originally Posted by arominus

I'm parting an 87 924S so I may have a good interior harness for you.

Thanks but I am not sure if I can use it. I would prefer a 1984, 1985.

[Thunder-71]

Originally Posted by Dean924s

If you have photos I would be interested as I have taken wiring harnesses apart and found exposed wires in the harness. In particular at the plug to the DME. The power supply wires were an issue in several I have taken apart. This was in pre 85.5 cars and in an 87 924s

I will post pictures here after the insurance checks the car this Monday and I will be able to pull the dash carefully apart. I hope I can pin point the cause of the fire so I can prevent another one if I can manage to fix it. Any help and advise will be as always greatly appreciated. You guys are a Great Bunch!!! Thank You!!!

[Grandad#3]

A complete 84 - 85 wire harness is the best replacement, but any 944 wiring harness will do to replace the burnt area. Check the replacement wire harness for any bad wires. You must match the wire colors of the burnt wires. It is a cut, match colors and solder the joints. I use shrink tube to cover the soldered joints. Any way you look at it you will have to remove the dash to make it easier to replace the wiring. Take pictures of the area to be replaced so you can refer back to them if needed. Follow Clark's Garage at the links below.

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/elect-06.htm

http://www.clarks-garage.com/shop-manual/body-26.htm

Cheers,
Larry

[Thunder-71]

Originally Posted by Grandad#3

A complete 84 - 85 wire harness is the best replacement, but any 944 wiring harness will do to replace the burnt area. Check the replacement wire harness for any bad wires. You must match the wire colors of the burnt wires. It is a cut, match colors and solder the joints. I use shrink tube to cover the soldered joints. Any way you look at it you will have to remove the dash to make it easier to replace the wiring. Take pictures of the area to be replaced so you can refer back to them if needed. Follow Clark's Garage at the links below.

Gauges - Removing Early 944 Gauges

Early 944 Dash Replacement

Cheers,
Larry

Thank you for the good advise, it is greatly appreciated!!!

[Thunder-71]

Forgot to mention that during the fire the starter started running (engine would not start) so I guess the ignition shorted too. The steering wheel now is locked and I can not unlock it with the key. Did the ignition short do it? How can I unlock it so I can move the car around? Your help again will be appreciated.

[Dean924s]

I wonder if the real culprit is the ignition switch?

[Thunder-71]

The steering got locked after the fire and I can not unlock it. Any idea how to do it?

[Jfrahm]

I have heard of speedo cables catching fire. Sometimes because of a bad ground cable causing current flow through the speedo cable.