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Date:         Mon, 2 Aug 2004 06:31:23 +0000
Reply-To:     mark seifert <ubervanagon1@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         mark seifert <ubervanagon1@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Vanagon burned to the ground
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

My Vanagon had an engine fire earlier this week, and there was nothing I could do but watch it burn away. It was a pretty surreal experience and I think I'm still in shock. It's kind of a relief I guess. All those hours and money that went into it...now I don't have to worry about it anymore. My headache is gone. It was a pretty nice van though, and I just rebuilt the engine down to the crankshaft a few months ago. And as some of you know, I had been spending many hours trying to work out the running problems since then.

Although the firefighters showed up quickly, there was nothing they could do to save it. The interior was melted all the way to the front seats, the rear tires melted, the tail lights pretty much turned to liquid, and just about all the plastic on the rear of the van was gone. The steering wheel and the windshield were charred. The instrument cluster was blackened so badly you couldn't read the speedometer.

I went to the impound yard today to get everything that was salvageable before I signed the van over to them. There wasn't much. All my spare parts under the rear seat were burned, including a spare ECU, fuel pump, air flow meter, coil, water pump, and some other things. My cd changer under the front seat was soaked with water, and all my maps (a huge collection) in the glove box were also soaked.

It's been stated before how important it is to not only replace old fuel lines, but make sure all the clamps are tight. I'm pretty sure that's how this fire started. I probably missed one of those clamps, and it popped off. Check those fuel lines, and DOUBLE-check your clamps. They say it's also a good idea to carry a fire extinguisher, just in case. But a fire extinguisher wouldn't have helped me even if I had one. I didn't realize the engine was on fire until it died at a stop sign, and I got out and saw flames coming up from under the rear hatch. I couldn't have opened it without burning myself severely. It was out of control before I knew it.

This just goes to show how meaningless our posessions really are. They can self-destruct at anytime, burn away right before our eyes, but we still remain the same. We move on with our lives. I have to ride my bike to work now for a while, since the Vanagon was my only vehicle. Of course I didn't have insurance, so I guess I'll just have to start saving up to buy another one.

Good luck to all of you, and thanks for all the help you've given me!

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