Quote:
Originally Posted by solli4me
It is what it is. GM already knows what caused Dan's problem. I just reported the news and I won't apologize for it. I think GM is aware of the statistics of it occuring again if the problem is related to a wiring harness or an electrical issue.
But, it's just a darned strange full moon coincidence that it happened to be a Solstice when we were so close by. I concede that it must've been those sparks shooting off our MASSC rally that done it. 
Troopers still won't give me information. |
That was kind of my first thought when I first read this post.
You can't really use the Fiero reference. Despite all the stories and rumors, and all the self proclaimed experts on Fiero fires, the real and actual cause of the Fiero fires was an issue with poorly manufactured connecting rods in all 1984 and some early 1985 Fiero 2.5 engines. It was something like 1 in 8 connecting rods had a hairline fracture which would snap randomly within the first ~35 thousand miles of the car. Thus creating a hole in the block and dumping burning hot oil all over the exhuast, etc...
The engine in the Solstice is pretty much built like a tank. As much as I love the Fiero, the truth is that the 4 cyl motor was nothing more than a turd engine that they stuck in there. That's how they had to pass it. The 2.4 motor in the Solstice is hardly that. It was an innovative version of the normal Ecotec. They put a lot of time and effort into that. The specs have all escaped from my brain over the past two years, but aren't the connecting rods forged from the factory?
So a fire due to an engine failure is unlikely. Problems with a fuel line are also very unlikely due to their location, the quality, etc. The only place I can see there being a potential issue is by the fuel rail. Someone who may not be as experienced might put too much force on it when they're replacing the oil filter.
There isn't much else on that engine that can cause a fire (short of a failed oil leak on an automatic line, or the turbo line).
So my guess is that it's probably an electrical issue.
I've seen fire problems related to ignition leads many times before. This got very little press, but Toyota and Honda have both made recalls related to this.
My 73 VW Bus that I bought, when I bought it about 6-7 years ago, the main ignition lead was completely melted. The entire wire had just desintegrated and melted the plastic cover over it. I guess there's just a lot of amps.
So if we do see a recall, my guess is that it'll be related to that.
If anyone decides they need to remove the dash and work on something inside there, I would recommend just looking at everything. It might be something as simple as a heavy gage lead rubbing up against a grounded piece of framing for the dash or something (which causes a short, superheated metal and fire...).
