Starter

[MobileSHO]

hey guys 
my 93 sho atx has catch on fire by the starter 
wire was on the oil filter it shorted out my 
starter and started a fire on the one the starter
wire it burned every wire is connect w/the starter and yes i did contacted my insurtents company
and they said that if its less then 1000 they 
would pay for it and they also they said that if
its more then a 1000 they was goin to trash my
sho

so guy do think my sho be fixable?

 

[93nighthawk]

Well it depends on what other damage has been done? Is the fan/radiator ok? O2 sensor line? Any other wires?

For what is definitly needed replaced, here are the costs:

Starter: $230 Ford replacement
Pos Cable: $8 Wal Mart (2ga 64")
Neg Cable: $8 Wal Mart (2ga 72")
Oil Filter: $3 Wal Mart

The starter is a prety straight forward in replacing. I would give it a level of difficuly of 2 out of 10. Wires about 5 out of 10 (Just because it is a PITA to pull the old ones out.)

Eric

 

[Mr Anonymous]

A new battery cable assembly, which includes both the positive and negative cables from the battery to the starter, as well as the B+ cable from the alternator to the starter and to the power distribution box is P/N F4DZ-14300-B with a list price of $134.42, although most places sell it for less (I think SHO Shop gets like $69). A rebuilt starter would be anywhere from $80-$150 depending on where you get it.

If that's all that burned, then you should be able to get out of it pretty cheaply. The other things to check are the wiring to the radiator fans, the wiring to the clutch on the compressor, and the wiring to the front O2 sensor. Even if all those wires are damaged, it still shouldn't cost too much to fix them.

I had a similar fire when my ring connector on my B+ lead broke off at the alternator post and grounded to the block. I was able to put out the fire with my hands before any serious damage was done (other than a couple of nasty blisters on my hands!). I replaced the cable assembly (I happened to have a parts car with a good cable assy) and spliced one of the wires going to the compressor clutch and that's all it took to fix. About an hours worth of work. FWIW, there's actually a TSB for the ATX battery cable assemblies which addresses the problem of the cables being installed too tightly at the factory and that engine movement can cause problems.

Presuming the fire was extinguished quickly, I don't think it should cost more than a couple hundred dollars at a dealer if you don't want to do the work yourself. Of course if the fire spread beyond that area you could have more serious problems. Best bet would be to tow it to Ford and have them give you an estimate.