Is it true that D3 TDV6 can catch fire?

[bruiser69]

I saw in a UK LR mag last year (not sure which issue) that someone was towing a van with his TDV6 when smoke was seen coming out of bonnet. They stopped & opened bonnet which really set fire going & totally destroyed vehicle.
I thought this might have been a one off, as I had seen nothing in the forums, until I was talking to a guy today who sold his D2 TD5 to my son (his first real 4X4 after getting rid of toyota Surf piece of Cr**). When he told me he was purchasing a Pajero, I asked why he didn't consider D3 (D4 was out of his price range) & he told me he saw a TDV6 out west Qld that had caught fire in engine compartment & was totalled.
Anyone know if this is still an issue & what causes it?
Cheers..B

[rmp]

My car's too cool to ever catch fire.

One of every type of car has caught fire for some reason or another. My Defender caught on fire once (lucky I had an extinguisher), I saw a Pajero go up and a friend recently burnt his D2. I don't think there's anything specific to worry about with the D3 other than the usuals of quality electrical work, keeping grass away from the exhaust etc.

[Blknight.aus]

yep they can, get anything hot enough and it will burn.

my theory is that its an oil cooler line for the auto rupturing and spraying hot ATF onto a hot exhaust or turbo and then its just a case of foomf.

[rmp]

yep they can, get anything hot enough and it will burn.

my theory is that its an oil cooler line for the auto rupturing and spraying hot ATF onto a hot exhaust or turbo and then its just a case of foomf.

...which pretty much is how my friend's D2 was incinerated. He knew enough not to open the bonnet up and squirted underneath, but it wasn't enough to save the car. He now drives a D3 ;-)

[Nomad9]

Bruiser,
Mine caught fire last year mine was a TDV6 S year 2005 only had 58000 klms on the clock, it was written off and it took two fire trucks two and a half hours to put it out, the magnesium in the gearbox kept on reigniting, my neighbor told me it started in the front, when I got home the vehicle was wrecked, luckily the vehicle was insured with a reputable insurance company no hassles at all, I got the insurance and bought myself another one.
The insurance couldn't tell what had started the fire but the main point of the greatest heat looked to be around the battery area, I didn't have any accessories fitted apart from a Tekonsha prodigy trailer brake controller, my drawers, a bull bar and my Engle. Very sad this the vehicle was in mint condition up until this point.
According to the fire guys and the insurance company there were no suspicious circumstances so I was paid out four days later which to me was quite amazing, SGIO rocks as far as I'm concerned.
I've attached a couple of photos for you to look at, all very sad......

[John58]

Saw a couple of Toyotas that had caught fire while we were in the Kimberley recently. In both cases the battery hold-downs had let go, allowing the battery to bounce off its mounting tray while driving over heavily corrugated roads. The battery crashing around in the engine bay creates heaps of sparks which ignite any oil, grease, plastic or anything else flammable in the engine bay. It only takes a few seconds - most people would be very quickly aware of a dismounted battery, especially one of the size used in 4WDs these days. Neither vehicle was written off, but both were quite heavily damaged, causing their owners 6 -8 weeks delay in their trips. Even Tojos can have to wait for signifigant periods of time while parts are shipped to remote locations. Luckily, Land Rovers (D3 at any rate) seem to have the best battery hold-down system going.

[Hoges]

I recall a report on a similar event some time ago...the fire was due to leaking engine coolant ..the water evaporated off the exhaust manifold leaving the glycol residue which then ignited on the (very) hot rusty surface...all the more so because it was a turbo and the surface temp of the manifold was sufficient to exceed the flashpoint of the glycol (which becomes thermally unstable around 200degC ). Coolant leaking on to very hot manifolds is a well known cause of engine fires...

[p38arover]

Coolant leaking on to very hot manifolds is a well known cause of engine fires...

'Twas the subject of a P38A recall, too.

[bruiser69]

Bruiser,
Mine caught fire last year mine was a TDV6 S year 2005 only had 58000 klms on the clock, it was written off and it took two fire trucks two and a half hours to put it out, the magnesium in the gearbox kept on reigniting, my neighbor told me it started in the front, when I got home the vehicle was wrecked, luckily the vehicle was insured with a reputable insurance company no hassles at all, I got the insurance and bought myself another one.
The insurance couldn't tell what had started the fire but the main point of the greatest heat looked to be around the battery area, I didn't have any accessories fitted apart from a Tekonsha prodigy trailer brake controller, my drawers, a bull bar and my Engle. Very sad this the vehicle was in mint condition up until this point.
According to the fire guys and the insurance company there were no suspicious circumstances so I was paid out four days later which to me was quite amazing, SGIO rocks as far as I'm concerned.
I've attached a couple of photos for you to look at, all very sad......

My God, not much left! You say you were not at home when fire started. Had someone else been driving vehicle & how long after driving did fire start?
Did vehicle have a dual battery setup under bonnet?
cheers..B

[outbacktourer]

My garage is directly under our main bedroom. Does this problem have any implications for me other than more hot sex?

OBT