Peytoven

Update:

So I just got off of the phone with John Angelastro, the owner of sPOD. He and his team have been hard at work trying to solve this problem. There are two things that could have happened, one more likely than the other.

1) I had an exposed wire running to my bumper mounted light, this could have been cut on the ECM causing a short. Another wire for my ARB air compressor connected to the negative terminal could have caused the same. These could have heated up and compromised the insulation to the positive battery cable.

2.) The more likely assailant, engine coolant from the blown radiator. So engine coolant is highly conductive and as it cycles through the system it becomes more conductive. Supposedly this is the best way to test for bad coolant, the more conductive it is the older the coolant is. The main component in the coolant is a chemical called Monoethylene Glycol (C[SUB]2[/SUB]H[SUB]6[/SUB]O[SUB]2[/SUB]).

Chemistry: Monoethylene Glycol is used for freezing point depression boiling point elevation. This means when mixed with water, the freezing point of the mixture is lowered below 0 degrees C and the boiling point is raised above 100 degrees C. This is why your coolant does not freeze in the winter and boil inside your engine. Monoethylene Glycol also has fantastic convective heat transfer.

Monoethylene Glycol, being as conducive as it is, high the ability to cause a short. However not a full short, a partial short. A full short would have been stopped by the circuit breaker. A partial short is 1-10 amps and the circuit breaker cannot detect this from happening. The chemical may have eroded through the layers of PCB and caused the partial short to happen to cause enough heat to melt the board.

That all being said I am happy with the customer service I have received from sPOD, it truly is top notch. This is not something to commonly happen. This is a freak accident caused by a combination of things. I will be happy to install a new unit into my Jeep and I am not afraid of it combusting. Lesson learned: DONT LET COOLANT GET ALL OVER THE PLACE, CLEAN IT UP ASAP!!!

Letter from John:

jchappies

Did they replace your Spod or did you buy a new one?

The only reason I bring this up is they claim the box is weather resistant and coolant or any other type of contaminates should not have reached the board. The fire could have been prevented with a well sealed cover if they are claiming coolant got to the board.

Peytoven

$80 for the replacement. I figured this was fair.

LoneWolf

This may rub someone the wrong way, but does anyone else see the irony of a genuine sPOD catching fire not too many months after the company posted (must've been removed, as I can't find it anymore) a fiery video hinting that anyone who buys a knockoff risks his rig burning to the ground? ;-D

In all seriousness, though, I'm very thankful you caught it in time, and that the damage wasn't worse than it was!

prelucir

I am glad to hear that SPOD stepped up. As I stated, I recently put one in my Jeep. I would hate for it burn. I know there are rubber flaps that allow the wires to enter the pod from the bottom, I can see coolant getting in there if it is coming out of your hose with pressure. I am very happy you were home at the time.

I will say, that if I go through a large puddle, I will make sure the pod is not wet inside.

Jahamm88

I doubt any of the other knockoff clones would have actually cared about his vehicle or taken care of him, or even bother to figure out what happened like john and the guys at sPOD did.

Rednroll

Hmmmm??? I wonder where I heard this before?

Let me check......

Nope it wasn't here.

Some people go to the doctor for pain and when the doctor tells them the likely cause of their pain, they choose to argue with the doctor and insist on their own diagnosis without having any education on the subject matter.

I'm just an dumb electrical engineer with 20 years of automotive experience and has had to diagnose root causes of fire ignitions in vehicles. So what would I know?

Rednroll

With my unknowedgable experience in the subject matter. You run this risk anytime you use ANY aftermarket electrical accessory regardless of who makes it, or where it's made. The reason being is that aftermarket electronics don't have to be held to the same testing and validation standards that OEM electrical parts go through. They are all considered "Use at your own risk." Yes, there are tests like this for OEM electrical parts which include exposing them to anti-freeze, gasoline, and oil to name a few fluids commonly found in vehicles. That doesn't mean that aftermarket electrical parts won't pass some of those tests, but what it does mean is that the vendors of those parts typically don't know and you end up running the risk of being the guinea pig.

jordy

You copied and pasted with no experience of what the fuses were actually for, based upon your comment about it already having 6 fuses. Those have nothing to do with the supply from the battery, but rather kill the circuit between the sPod and the accessories, as I said.

There is nothing more than speculation as to what caused it, so don't get all crazy patting yourself on the back.

Rednroll

The fuses being downstream of the relays and the main power supply is irrelevant and thus why I ignored your dumb ass the 1st time. Why don't you take a cool drink of STFU, because you have absolutely no idea of what you're talking about.