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Here's a story that luckily had a happy ending. It could also be titled FIRE! or how not to burn your PV to the ground..
I've been driving my car for about the last 5 years, on and off, with a non-stock electric drivers seat. Well last weekend, a buddy of ours wanted to drive the car, so we all loaded in and I was adjusting the seat back for him (as he's quite a bit taller than me) and it finally happened. Disaster.
The wire to the electric seat cut and since it was not fused, it proceeded to heat up quite quickly. In a matter of seconds (no joke) the whole dash was engulfed in smoke. All I could think was Fire Extinguisher.
Luckily, one of us knew what to do. Just in the nick of time, before my nice new $500 set of Swedish rubber mats melted/burned (as these were next - the wires ran underneath them), he disconnected the battery.
The smoke subsided and all that was left was the putrid stench of burnt wire insulation. It was pretty horrible.
I was in shock. I didn't realize how easy it is to burn a car to the ground, in just a matter of minutes. Only because we overlooked fusing an appliance. The seat was connected directly to the battery with 12 gauge wire.
The wire must have heated up to the point that it quickly melted all the insulation off and was starting to work on the adjacent wires, where they mated running through the firewall. The rubber grommet in the firewall hole was a sticky mess. Toast.
Anyway, I learned a lesson. Always fuse. Especially if there is any chance a wire can be cut, as it runs under floor mats that see constant use.
It was amazing to me to realize that had I (or someone else) been driving when all this occured, we could have found ourselves in a very dangerous situation, with the car on fire. There may not have been time to pull over if it had happened on the freeway or in heavy traffic.
I consider myself lucky and the fact that I didn't burn my car to the ground very lucky.
Oh - I also found out that my choice of wool blankets underneath the rubber mats (for sound/heat from the tunnel insulation) was correct. Wool IS naturally fire retardent like I suspected. The wires burnt through the wool, but it did not catch on fire.
-B
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