I was putting starter back on after putting my old motor back in the car(long story) and got everything hooked up so I hook battery up last. started it eventually, let it run, turn it off. a little later I hear something, my hood is open so I go over to the car and my starter caught on fire???? I yanked the cable of battery and it stopped..touched battery cable to battery..more fire..I repositioned one of the connecters on the starter, I think they were touching causing the fire..now I am scared to leave my car with the battery cables connected with the hood closed,I would never know til it blew up!..should it catch fire again? anyone had this happen to them?

 

Happened to me while i was installing the remote start feature of my alarm. Didn't caught on fire though. The starter smelled like crap and was really hot. Turned out it was some cable i forgot to cover with electric tape, it kept rubbing up against some metal piece under the steering wheel. Fixed that and problem solved.

 

there is nothing on the starter that will catch on fire. It sounds like most liely you burnt up some of the insulation on the wires going to the starter dues to a short (before you repositioned). You should follow them up from the starter to confirm their condition and replace as necessary. The power wire going to the starter is no joke and carries a TON of current. You must be careful to make sure it doesn't touch any ground (casis, engine, etc) and cause a short. If you re-connect the battery ground you should see sparks before and burning or fire if the power is touching something