Scotty, I had a WELL MAINATAINED 1990 Crown Vic with the 302 V8. The vehicle had only 46 thousand miles on it. The factory alternator went bad, and I replaced it with a new alternator from AutoZone. I drove the car to a friends house right after replacing the alternator, it ran perfectly with no issues- I left it running in the driveway while I ran inside. Came back out less than 5 minutes later and the car was totally engulfed in flames- the vehicle was still running at first as it burned! Ultimately the vehicle burned down to the frame, there was nothing left. What do you think happened?
Thanks! John B (klunkit)
There are at least a hundred different possibilities.
Since it was "engulfed" in less than 5 minutes, then it was probably fuel related.
According to your description, I think it was something wrong with the alternator or the installation of it had not been done properly.
At least some Fords of that era had undersized alternator connectors which may have contributed to it. A friend of mine who had a 1988 Thunderbird years ago came out to the car from a store one day to find smoke coming from under the hood. Fortunately nothing burned but the connector. (A more suitable replacement was available as a service item.) Possibly you had fuel leak in a 32-year-old gas line that ignited from a spark.
I agree with @mmj. To go as fast as you said, there had to be a fuel leak of some kind.
Does your friend have CCTV? Did any neighbours witness anything?
