FIRE!!!

[sick like chucky]

Okay had a little trouble with my Passat and thought I'd seek advice.

Battery died, i jumped it, couldn't keep it idle, revved it for a little while, a small fire appeared on the side of the motor. the fire died on it's own and im not going to start it again. If you are facing the motor it was on the left hand side by the passenger side wheel. I don't know whats down there or what could have happened but I'm just weighing my options at this point.

1999 Passat Auto V6 165k all options- in case that helps.

[sick like chucky]

[koidragon1980]

Okay had a little trouble with my Passat and thought I'd seek advice.

Battery died, i jumped it, couldn't keep it idle, revved it for a little while, a small fire appeared on the side of the motor. the fire died on it's own and im not going to start it again. If you are facing the motor it was on the left hand side by the passenger side wheel. I don't know whats down there or what could have happened but I'm just weighing my options at this point.

1999 Passat Auto V6 165k all options- in case that helps.

did you smell fuel or ozone (electrical fire)?

you saw flames or just smoke? can you see any damaged/burned areas or parts? post some pics and we may be able to tell you the affected parts and/or possible causes and fixes.

[sick like chucky]

it was most certainly flames. i'll try for pics today. also once i had it jumped it would die when i took my foot off the gas which i've never had happen with any car.

[sick like chucky]

I couldnt really get underneath but this is the spot where the fire happened. none of the plastics caught and the fire died on it's own but i still dont know why i couldnt get it to stay running after it jumped. it was tip-top till i left it cold for a couple of days (with the GPS on)

[sick like chucky]

Also, price drop to $750 if anyone wants to try and flip it. I just don't have the time or money to fix it.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...9-Passat-V6-NJ

[koidragon1980]

well, in that area, there's really not much that I can think of to catch fire.

you might have a leaky valve cover gasket. never heard of it causing fire though. usually just causes the burning oil smells and smoke. also, i don't think your oil dipstick should be sitting flush against the airbox... somethings possibly out of adjustment, loose, or broken/cracked. i've seen others complain about dipstick tubes breaking, but it's never happened to me.

did you pull the plastic covers off and check your plug wires, plugs and coilpack? while you're at it, make sure the plug wells don't have any oil in them... that would point to a leaky inner valve cover gasket. never seen it cause a fire, but it could foul the plugs and cause misfires and idle issues with the engine.

as far as your issue with not holding a charge, i'm guessing that either the battery is completely shot (how old is it?), or your alternator has gone bad. come to think of it... the alternator is not too far from the area in those pics... it's at the bottom/front of the engine closer to that side. maybe your alternator shorted/blew and sparked a small fire?

you may have to tow it to a trusted mechanic and get the alternator & battery tested. also get it scanned with a vag-com to make sure there aren't any other issues involved or getting ready to cause more issues.

[koidragon1980]

Also, price drop to $750 if anyone wants to try and flip it. I just don't have the time or money to fix it.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...9-Passat-V6-NJ

$750... the interior looks to be in good shape + woodgrain trim. you could make much more than that if you are willing to do a partout.

[sick like chucky]

$750... the interior looks to be in good shape + woodgrain trim. you could make much more than that if you are willing to do a partout.

the interior is spot on aside from the armrest and cupholder. honestly i'm just willing to take the hit. i'm in the middle of a divorce, moving out of state and just need enough for a beater.

[koidragon1980]

the interior is spot on aside from the armrest and cupholder. honestly i'm just willing to take the hit. i'm in the middle of a divorce, moving out of state and just need enough for a beater.

well, good luck man. been down that road before, but luckily, a car wasn't an issue i had to deal with at the time.

[sick like chucky]

when it rains it pours

[barrier12]

Do you think it might have been something silly, like piece of paper, leaves or old oil in flame? You kept high rpms when not in motion(nothing to cool down the area) and it just caught fire?

[sick like chucky]

Do you think it might have been something silly, like piece of paper, leaves or old oil in flame? You kept high rpms when not in motion(nothing to cool down the area) and it just caught fire?

Haha my buddy and I checked it out closer and there was a piece of fabric from the hood insulation on the heat shield right where the fire was. That's why the fire died so easily. We jumped it yesterday but I still couldn't keep it going. I'm gonna put a new battery in and see how that goes.

[bryanvr6]

Gl with getting it running!

[sick like chucky]

thanks. crisis averted.

if anyone is in the market for a 99 passat auto black on black with 161k for 1900 lemme know.

[bnortron113]

That's a recall for V6's, the nuts holding the heat shields down rotted out and fell onto the exhaust. The insulation lit on fire. Same thing happened to my V6, brought it to the dealer and had the recall performed, not a problem since.