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Date:         Mon, 3 Sep 2001 11:46:58 -0400
Reply-To:     Kitzmann <kitzmann@EXIS.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kitzmann <kitzmann@EXIS.NET>
Subject:      Re: Fwd: bus fire
In-Reply-To:  <200109030359.f833xlI00689@marlin.exis.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

This reminded me of an incident with my bus, which is a warning to anyone with a Cis conversion. I was opening the rear decklid and it slide forward and droped into the opening. I saw a puff of smoke before I could lift the door out of the engine bay. What had happened, was the door, being made of steel, conducted electricity from the Alt to one of the s.s. braided fuel lines. The line that was touched conducted juice to two other lines, all three were instantly heated several hundred degrees. Instant melted plastic underneath the braid. As the plastic cooled I started smelling gas. The residual pressure in the fuel lines had pushed the melted plastic through the braid opening up many small holes for the gas to get out. I traced the point where the lid had made contact with 12V+ and it was the top screw holding what looks like a voltage regulator on the back of the alternator. The main electrical wires had covers over the terminals, but there was no indication that a screw which looks like it is simply holding the regulator on would be hot. If you have a Cis conversion or come to think of it it doesn't matter which engine you have make sure that all sources of 12V are insulated so that accidental contact with a conducting object doesn't fry your bus. In my case I saw the smoke and noticed what had happened. If I hadn't a finely atomized gas spray would have filled my engine bay when I tried to drive the next time, poof.

Dave


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