Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1998 21:24:47 -0400
Reply-To: EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Subject: Re: IF Fire What Do?
In-Reply-To: <17248F66E6@msvu1.msvu.ca>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Forget unloading stuff. No time. Open the licence plate hatch
and shoot the extinguisher in there. Practice this. It's not
hard. but with the spring on the plate door, I needed my foot to
hold the door open when this happened to me! My extinguisher
required 2 hands to operate! Enought of this doom and gloom talk...
lets enjoy our Vans.
Eric 86-VW4x4
vw4x4@fyi.net 72-240z
Pittsburgh, PA USA 1936-Chrysler
On Sun, 27 Sep 1998, Malcolm Stebbins wrote:
> I have a 91 westy syncro and the PO had an engine box fire (Faulty
> wiring - for the story search the archives for "FI to Carbs: the
> story")
>
> I can tell you that if you have a carbon fiber (plastic) engine box
> cover, this will melt and add fuel to the fire and if you have a
> foam bed in the back this too will melt and add more fuel to the
> fire, then the Westy cabinets will catch fire and on it goes, flames
> shooting up the side air intakes -melting the syncro air intake lines
> and melting the air intake lovers/grills and then singeing the camper
> top. Not to mention the black rubber/plastic/foam smoke going into
> the van.
>
> In my haste to restore my van to its original condition, I put a
> 'new' plastic engine box cover back on - I think I might have made a
> mistake, I think that maybe I should have stayed with the metal
> cover and added some asbestos to the underside.
>
> So to get to your question, I think that by the time you get the van
> stopped and you get back to the rear of the van, your plastic engine
> box cover will be well on its way to melting, and if not, the
> opening hooks will be too hot to grab and turn. I think that I'd:
> Empty the van of people,
> Empty the van of valuable 'stuff',
> Opening the rear lid to drag stuff out. drag out the bed,
>
> I think I’d try and open the lid, but the design of the lid
> (especially with the cabinets) makes you lean over the rear to get
> it out, and your belly might get hit with really hot flames as you
> open the lid. One would need some protection I think.
>
> Spray the fire and hope that other motorists with extinguishers stop
> to help.
>
> Since it is all happening in the rear of the van and its noisy back
> there anyway - I'd guess that you'd be lucky if you see smoke first,
> I'll bet that in many cases it’s the electrical system that goes,
> then the van stops, or the fuel stops getting to all cylinders and
> it'll run roughly.
>
> It’s really scary. I just hope that “lightening” will not strike my
> van twice.
>
> Malcolm S
>
| 
