Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 12:22:05 -0400
Reply-To: Jay Brown <jayb@COEDSPORTSWEAR.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jay Brown <jayb@COEDSPORTSWEAR.COM>
Subject: Re: Risk of fire?
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Hi Shawn,
Bay Window buses are realistically no more prone to catching on fire than
any other vehicle of similar age. The percieved risk of fire with vintage
vehicles is a result of several maintenance problems that are too often
ignored by mechanics and owners alike. Old fuel lines and unclamped fuel
lines are the main cause of 90% of the fires in VW's (and most other
vehicles for that matter). Most people in the know recommend replacing ALL
fuel lines every two years with high quality metric hose. For best results,
clamp each and every connection with a solid band fuel injection type hose
clamp.
A second reason for engine compartment fires is a design problem that has
been identified with the original Solex carbs that were used in US buses
until 1975, and in Europe until later. The brass nipple fitting where the
fuel line attaches to the carb is only held in by a friction fit. After
years of vibration, this fitting can wiggle loose and allow pressurized fuel
to spray unhindered into the engine compartment. This condition can be
easily resolved by either safety wiring the connection to a nearby bolt on
the carb, or by roughing up the surfaces of the union and gluing the nipple
in with a fuel-resistant epoxy like JB Weld. This press in design was used
in other Solex (as well as other manufacturers) carbs with similar results
throughout the world. Many other vehicles that employed these carbs are now
relegated to scrapyards and back yard junk heaps around the world, as their
construction lacked the tenacity of the VW Type 2. This is why we don't
hear about them bursting into flames on as regular a basis. When you sell
millions of units of a vehicle that will last 30+ years with minimal
maintenance, you are bound to get some press.
To be totally fair, you must also take into acount that aircooled engines
typically run at a higer surface temeperature than their waterjacketed
counterparts. Regardless of cooling design, if lack of proper maintenence
allows fuel to fall onto hot engine surfaces (or electrical connections),
fires will result. This is true of any internal combustion engine, whether
it is in a bus, a boat, a motorcycle or a garden tractor. With this factor
in mind, perhaps a watercooled (83.5>) Vanagon would be ever-so-slightly
less likely to combust than an earlier aircooled Vanagon or Bus, but both
will happily burst into flame given a supply of air and fuel on a hot engine
surface.
In real-world terms, Vanagons probably are not quite as "prone to catching
on fire as older bay window buses". But this is because they are not as old
as their Bay Window bretheren and have not had as much time to suffer from
lack of owner maintenence and ill-designed modifications. Given another 10
years, you will likely see a bunch of Vanagons bursting into flames as a
result of failing original fuel lines. Further, you can be assured that the
resulting fires will be even more spectatcular than an early bay or splitty
burning to the ground considering that the fuel feeding the flames will be
under 35psi (fuel injection) vs. the 4-6psi required by a carbureted engine.
Have you hugged your fire extinguisher today?
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Jay Brown
'72 Hardtop Westy
'85 Vangon Westfalia
http://www.geocities.com/vwcamper72
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 23:23:31 -0400
From: shawn luft <shawnagan@SYMPATICO.CA>
Subject: Risk of fire?
Are vanagons as prone to catching on fire as the earlier bay window
buses?
- Shawn
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