My 97SL2 with about 92k on the odo started running really rough out of the blue tonight. I had driven only a couple of miles after work when the prob started. I stopped and checked the ignition cables (acted like it was running on 3 cyls). I restarted the car, and tried to drive it to my Saturn dealer a couple of miles away. Within a few blocks of my dealer smoke started coming out the back of the car and then inside the cabin through the vents.
I pulled into a Shell gas station and when I got out to open the hood, I saw fire under the car around the catalytic converter. When I opened the hood the there were small flames at the back and bottom of the engine bay. The exhaust pipe below the exhaust manifold was glowing orange. When I looked back into the cabin the smoke was thicker and flames were coming through the floor next to the firewall and behind the center console where the radio and HVAC controls are.
No one including me had a fire extinguisher, and I had to buy a quart bottle of water and tried to put the flames out. Finally the kid at the gas station found a bucket and was filling it with water. I freaked, called
911, the Fire Dept showed up right before something in the cab went bang and extinguished most of the flames. The firemen put the remaining fire out.The tow truck driver said he thought it would cost more to repair than the car is worth.
The whole thing makes me sick - and I've always kept the car looking and performing really good.
So... other than never trying to drive a poorly running car someplace to get fixed again, what the hell happened?