Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 13:11:45 -0400
Reply-To: "Georgios A. Stylianides, PhD" <gstylia@TEMPEST.COEDU.USF.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Georgios A. Stylianides, PhD" <gstylia@TEMPEST.COEDU.USF.EDU>
Subject: Re: Vanagon burned to the ground ( long reply)
In-Reply-To: <410FC1A5.3010304@bellsouth.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Thank you John.
Yes, that exact same piece with the same symptoms. Rubber rotted,
shrank, clamp rusted and even though at its tightest, it got loose. I
could turn the hose easily by hand.
You can see the wires/cables being wet with gas in the second picture. I
was really lucky seeing it when it happened. It is kind of hidden.
gs
John Rodgers wrote:
> George, the pictures you have shown are great!
>
> This is exactly the same problem I had just recently. The hose just
> forward of the plastic piece (front of firewall) had simply some
> loose. This hose WAS NOT replaced when the engine compartement hoses
> were redone on my van. Should have been but was missed. I think the
> clamp was loose because the rubber rotted and shrank sufficiently for
> the clamp to become loose, and the hose popped loose under the fuel
> pressure.
>
> Good Job!!!
>
> John Rodgers
> 88 GL Driver
>
> Georgios A. Stylianides, PhD wrote:
>
>> A couple of days before that burned Van, I opened our engine cover for
>> some final inspection after all the upgrades. I asked my wife to turn
>> the engine on and what do I see? Gas dripping down the
>> transmission/engine like a broken faucet. My wife said "I smell gas
>> hon". I said "I see gas hon".
>> So, I am thinking that it could be the same problem that other burned
>> vans have had.
>> As you face the engine, there is a plastic T piece on the upper front
>> engine wall (right above the starter and behind the AFM boot) that
>> connects the main fuel line from the front body with the gas lines in
>> the engine compartment.
>> Go to http://pe.usf.edu/~gstylia/fuelleak.jpg to see the
>> picture.
>> I am talking about the white connector T bolted to the wall (2 bolts)
>> just behind the purple vacuum line.
>>
>> Initially, I thought that the plastic piece was cracked. I tried to
>> unscrew the hose piece (about one inch long on the body's side), and
>> found it to be loose and old (not even high pressure fuel line). The
>> leak was from a loose clamp. Actually, the hose was old and was bad. The
>> plastic T piece was not broken. The hose was pretty bad. I replaced the
>> hose with high pressure fuel injection hose (from PepBoys, $2.49).
>> I have been watching it since and see no apparent leakage, but I have a
>> pair of leather gloves and a fire extinguisher handy. The leather
>> gloves, to be able to open the engine cover if hot when under fire.
>>
>> Feel free to replace that piece of hose right away (no more than $5 of
>> an expense). It was a little frightening reading that story and others a
>> couple of days later. I was lucky to witness the leak just like that.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> georgios
>>
>>
>> Benny boy wrote:
>>
>>> http://www.benplace.com/vw_sad_story.htm
>>> http://homepage.mac.com/rmstewart/PhotoAlbum21.html
>>>
>>> Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr............
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>
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