Fender insulator burning in the engine bay

[johnSP]

A strange thing happened to me during a drifting course at the weekend. After stopping, I noticed light smoke coming from the engine compartment on the driver's side. At first I thought it was just the brake disc smoking, but the smoke persisted. So I opened the hood and noticed that the smoke was coming from a burning insulator(luckily no flames). So I immediately pulled it all out and smothered it. I then checked the area around the insulator but didn't see anything that could have caused the fire, there was nothing touching it outside. The only thing underneath are the brake pipes, I didn't touch them but I can't imagine how they could get so hot. Twenty minutes later, I restarted the car, everything worked, and I drove 150 miles home without a single issue. I checked the engine compartment when I got there, and didn't notice anything unusual. Anyone have any idea what could have caused the fire? I have attached pictures of where the insulator is. I think that the insulator part code is FR3Z-3C078-A.

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[17MagMetal]

Glad you didn’t have a fire, was it a leak? Did you ever ID the cause?

 

[johnSP]

Thank you. I haven't been able to figure out the cause until now. The most likely possibility is that the insulator may have been spilled with some flammable substance in the past or there could be some debris that may have ignited. Apparently nothing's leaking anywhere and the car drives as good as usual.

 

[Skye]

Drifting...so I know what drifting is, but I've never studied the physical mods involved in a car's setup, specifically, the braking system.

In the top photo above, the device with the four lines existing the top, is a core component of the ABS function, yes? If so and drifting, wouldn't the brake system be modulating at a high, sustained rate for extended periods?

I realize ABS could be changed or disabled all-together. Curious if the car's near-continuous electronic modulation of the ABS internals generated the heat.

 

[WItoTX]

I'd bet you got a little bit of oil in that area, likely after checking oil levels.

Keep an eye on it, but if nothing burned, it's probably not a big deal.

FYI, the brakes themselves are what add heat to the brake system, and the clutch if you have a manual. The abs control module shouldn't be adding that much heat. Doesn't mean it isn't, but I've abused the hell out of my abs system, and never had smoke from it.

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