I havent gone in and checked it out yet, but today on the way to work the car lost power and died while driving uphill, coasted to a stop on the side of the road. The car continued to keep cranking over continuously, even when the ignition was off and the key removed, so i opened the hood and disconnected the battery, which solved that problem. I then smell an electric smokeish smell, and look down at the bottom of the timing belt cover to see a small fire, about the size of a beer can, which I proceed to put out by pouring a few quarts of water on it. The fire was actually the bottom of the timing belt cover (plastic) so it took some effort to put out, but no longer than a few minutes.

Question, what might have caused this to happen in the first place, and how can I prevent it from happening again? I assume it was a short in the wiring, and the heat from the continuous craking (a few minutes while I searched for the wrench to disconnect the battery) caused the wires to heat up to the point of causing a fire.

I walked straight to work a few blocks after the fire was out, and got a ride home from a friend, so I have yet to investigate the situation, but once I get in there I should be able to diagnose it much better.

Thanks for any suggestions,
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Zack Silver 83' 242Ti (220k)