FIRE! TOTAL LOSS

[Guest]

I was driving my 72' wagoneer home from base and it caught fire, burt to the ground.
I had just got it out of the shop on friday, spending $3700.00 dollars. I got a new engine, radiator, water pump, starter, exhaust system, alternator, motor mounts, all hoses, battery, ect. it was starting to overheat on the way out to my base, which is out in the desert. It was hot but I was accountin the very hot air (apporx. 107) to its running hot. I parked it all day on satuday and was returning home which is about a three hour drive, and it started cutting out. I pulled over and as soon as I turned off the ignition flames started to come out from behind the dash and engine area. It went up in a matter of seconds. I tried to retrieve my personal things out and recieved first and second degree burns to my left hand and face.
I am now trying to find a fair market value for my inurance company. it had 75k on the clock, with all the new items listed above. it also had new brakes and a new carb. no rust and ac blew cold. any ideas?

[Ryan]

Provide copies of receipts and have the shops you used provide copies, then search around your area for similar / comparable vehicles with the same amount of work done. The insurance places typically try to lowball you with "blue book" or depriciated value. If you can reasonably prove that you invested x amount and it was a decent-condition vehicle, you can settle for much more than they offer.

[smoothsailorlbc]

matt i know that this wont help you, as i am over a year late. but anyone else out there. i worked in an insurance office for nearly 3 years, i also had my jeep stolen then. my insurance company offered me $1,500. i laughed an walked out of the claims office. i called them the next day and told them that we where going to arbitration, they have to pay for the arbitrator. i them went out and fornd comparable vehicles. i have a 1989 jeep grand wagoneer with 150,000 miles. i found 3 WAY OVER PRICED jeeps in the same condition for $6,500. took the arbitrator the prices i found. he then awarded me $6,000 since they where 1991 jeeps. i then went and got a good priced 1991 for $3000. 3 months mine was recovered, it was a little worse for wear, torn driverseat, torn and staines carpet. so i offered the insurance company $1000 for it and they sold it back to me, the best part is that it still has a clean title.


the moral of the story is that you allways have control of them, they dont want you to know. if you demand arbitration THEY have to honor it. then the arbitrator decides on how much you get.

--tyler

[Stuka]

Unfortunately this is a common problem. The ammeter burns up. I tell everybody with an 86 or older FSJ that I see to do the ammeter bypass to avoid this kind of thing.

Sorry to hear of your loss. But yeah, receipts are your friend in this case. Unless you only had liability on it, in which case you are out of luck :/

[chazer]

how to do you do the ampmeter bypass? and if this was going would it cause the voltage out of the fuse box to be inconsistent? i had to wire everything to the battery with fuses and toggle switches because i couldnt get and consistent flow of current.

[rocket]

please elaborate on ammeter issue,thanks

[Brent]

Rocket, Ryan has a link on how to do that and it only applies to 1985 and earlier rigs...

[Ryan]

This is a copy of Joe Guilbeau's post (he is an electrical God as far as I'm concerned):

Here is the correct wiring diagram, from Tom Collins Wiring Page, read my alternator article while you are there...

From the alternator the BATT-Terminal is the alternators output to the Big Splice under the dash...cut this wire out completely, and use a fused link (an acutal ANL fuse not a fusible link)to put the alternators output to the solenoid terminal where the Positive Battery post is connected...use 8 AWG wire.
http://209.238.200.129/gw/elec/81/81...agramPage1.jpg

Here is that same wire going thru the bulkhead, you need to cut it out from the Big Splice under the dash to the bulkhead connector on the firewall, see the bulkhead Terminal No. 12 to the big splice.
http://209.238.200.129/gw/elec/81/81...agramPage2.jpg

That same Red No 12 wire continues on and so remove it from the Big Splice to the Ammeter on this page:
http://209.238.200.129/gw/elec/81/81...agramPage3.jpg

On the other side of the Ammeter is the Yellow wire supplied from the Battery, so remove this wire while you are at the Ammeter.
http://209.238.200.129/gw/elec/81/81...agramPage3.jpg

It goes to the Terminal 55 on the Bulkhead Connector...thru the firewall and back to the Postitive Post on the Solenoid where the Positive Battery terminal it located...cut all of this wire out, and drill thru the Bulkhead No. 55-Terminal so you can run a new Yellow wire to replace the one you tore out. Use an 8 AWG wire, and use an ANL fuse to protect this line also, run it thru the drilled out No 55-Terminal on the Bulkhead Connector and solder it to the big splice (where the No 12 Red wire used to go)
http://209.238.200.129/gw/elec/81/81...agramPage2.jpg

That is all there is to it, now you need a voltmeter to measure the voltage...Measure at the....anyone care to guess?????
================================================== ================================================== ================================================== ============================== ================================================== ================================================== ================================================== ============================== ================================================== ================================================== ================================================== ============================== ================================================== ================================================== ==========

That's Right!

At the Big Splice!!!