I was driving today and at one point I stepped on the brakes pretty firmly.
The pedal acted normally for a moment, then sunk to the floor. I tried
pumping, but there was no pressure. I saw some steam coming from under the
hood, and as I was pulling to the side of the road, I saw the paint on the hood
starting to bubble - not a good sign. When I stopped the car, smoke started
coming out of the engine bay. I tried using my little fire extinguisher, but
that didn't seem to do very much. The fire engine got there pretty quickly,
and they poured lots of water on (and into) it, which did the trick. They were
very careful about the car, asking about the hood release before they used more
forceful methods to open the hood. Also, the tow truck driver was careful
about not crushing the brake lines, helped me push the car off the driveway
into its usual parking spot, and then wouldn't take a tip (I tried, really!).
My two-year-old son was excited about the really big truck in the driveway, but
he was upset that I wouldn't let him play in the car. It's still pretty soggy
and smells like it had been on fire.
Anyway, a few questions:
1) How could a fault in the brake system cause a fire? I'm assuming that
something burst and was spraying fluid in the engine bay.
2) What do I need to do to get it repaired? Is the engine usually junk after a
fire? They put a lot of water behind the dash, and the instruments are pretty
foggy.
3) What is the best way to deal with the insurance company? I have a regular
policy on the car (low mileage discount, that's about it).
I did take some pictures, so if you aren't too squeamish:
http://www.shoyer.com/mgb/fire!.htm
I guess my car won't make it to MG Day at the Museum of Transportation again
this year...
Thanks for any suggestions.
--Steve (1980 MGB)
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