Date:         Sat, 4 Mar 2006 08:29:28 -0500
Reply-To:     Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Christopher Gronski <gronski@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Burnt Vanagon of the Week
In-Reply-To:  <a06110424c02eab067d7e@218.101.117.41>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Even new fuel lines will not stop all fires, I survived an engine fire
last summer. This was not a fuel line fire, I replaced mine when I got
the van 3 yrs ago. The main wire leading to the distributor broke and
ignited something in the engine compartment (I think it was the foam
on the back of the license plate door).

Of course with this wire broken the engine quit and as I pulled over I
noticed smoke in the back window. I grabbed my 5lb Halon extinguisher
on my way out the door popped open the licence plate door and sprayed
until the extinguiser was empty.

With new ignition wires, some repairs to the taillight wiring, and a
new coolant expansion tank (to replace the melted one) I was good to
drive home a few hours later.

The key was catching it early I have a plastic engine cover and a
plastic fuel tank after all.

Chris
86 syncro adventurewesty

On 3/4/06, Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz> wrote:
> >If I had a place to do it and a parted out vanagon to test I would love to
> >test out various barriers in the back like a thin piece of sheet metal over
> >the engine lid or nomex fabric blanket or both and see if the fire could
> >intrude into the interior.
>
> The EPA would be onto you...
>
> A factory steel lid will not STOP the fire getting through, unless
> the engine compartment has nothing flammable in contact with it in
> the cargo-bay. The metal will get red-hot and ignite anything
> flammable on or near it... even the paint might be enough to set the
> whole van off. Also, once the rubber lid seal has caught fire, this
> will add to the flames & smoke inside the van, in addition to that
> making its way in through the resulting gap.
>
> What the metal lid WILL do is slow the fire's breakthrough down so
> that you can (hopefully!) take steps to put it out
> --
> Andrew Grebneff
> Dunedin
> New Zealand
> Fossil preparator
> <andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz>
> Seashell, Macintosh, VW/Toyota van nut
>
> HUMANITY: THE ULTIMATE VON NEUMANN MACHINE
>
> DEMOCRACY: RULE BY THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR
>