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Date:         Sat, 3 Aug 2002 21:45:33 -0500
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Fire Investigation Type IV engine
Comments: To: wetwesties@yahoogroups.com
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I submit this information so folks with the 74-83 Air Cooled FI engines might add the air distribution box to their checklist if you're smelling fuel but not finding your fuel leaks at the injectors, lines or other common locations. I highly suspect that the combination of the tiny leak in the air distribution box and the absence of the cold start fuel spray distribution tree was the cause of this engine fire. If you have a leak in the box it can be soldered by yourself or a radiator shop. *I recently had an opportunity to investigate an engine fire in a 1980 Vanagon Air Cooled. It is hard to detect exactly where the engine fire started but here is what I found. #1) The cold start spray tree was missing from the air distribution manifold and after the fire it appears to have a leak on the bottom of the distribution manifold. Hard to tell if this leaking condition existed before the fire. I've never seen an 80-83 Air Cooled distribution manifold without this tree mounted under the cold start valve. #2) The Magnesium fan shroud caught fire (tells me there was a lot of heat) and once the magnesium ignited the fire department just backed off the engine fire and tried to keep the fire inside the vehicle suppressed. It is evident that the owner used at least one fire extinguisher on the fire and that the fire department hit the burning magnesium shroud at least once with water, blowing portions of it back up on top of the engine and back into the engine tin both above and below the cylinders. #3) The fire reached high enough temperatures to melt the engine fan, the aluminum engine yoke, the oil cooler and when I removed the 17mm head yoke mounting bolts the threads came with them. (everything rubber, plastic or insulated with plastic just virtually evaporated leaving clumps of ???, but nasty). The engine tin reached high enough temperatures that it has sags in some locations. #4) The valve cover gaskets were burned completely out of the covers. #5) The aluminum sealing washer was melted from under the oil drain plug. #6) Just generally speaking all of the steel fasteners had reached high enough temperatures that they expanded substantially and enlarged the threads where ever they were located on the engine, top, bottom etc. They readily screw into the threads with just light touch of the fingers. (tells me they'll never again stay tight) #7) Surprisingly the exhaust studs also reached high enough temperatures that they came out rather than the nuts coming off the studs. I thought that these studs possibly reached red hot in normal use, I see now I was wrong on that assumption.) I'm not completely finished with the investigation, I have a few more things to look at. The engine is locked, It will not budge in either direction with a 24" breaker bar. I'm speculating the only salvage from this engine may be the crank and rods. I have some question about the crank since the fan end got hot enough to reduce the seal to a tin shell and a tiny spring. Nasty work but very interesting to me because I've got a momentary fuel smell everytime I start my Air Cooled Westy, think I'll check out my Westy a little better tomorrow AM.

Stan Wilder 83 Air Cooled Westfalia

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