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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?
Comments: To: shawnagan@SYMPATICO.CA
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

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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