Sure. In order to have combustion/fire, you need to have fuel/oxygen/ignition source. If you remove any of those, the fire goes out. Halon and the likes, remove the oxygen proponent. In an enclosed area, like computer rooms where it was designed to work, it's great. On car fires, out in the open where wind can effect it, Halon (and the others) simply blow away and allow the fire to reignite because you really haven't removed any of the needed components of combustion. I've successfully fought car fires with a Halon type but it involved leaving the hood shut, laying on the ground and discharging the ext. from ground level into the engine compartment. Most, if not all, lay persons will open the hood defeating this procedure and thus, burning their car to the ground.

 

Thanks! Good to know if the situation ever arises the proper way to use it.

 

I had one small fire about a month or two after I got the car. I was able to blow out the fire. Good thing because I didn't have an extinguisher at the time.

I now have one in each car, but I would rather use the Halon if possible and if that doesn't work, break out the messy powder type.

Glad this was brought up, I still plan on getting the Halon, but I'll keep the powder type in the car also just in case.

 

So, this is my second vette fire. First one was my 69 L88 clone which caught fire because of a backfire which lit up the dry foam element up in the hood that was part of the stock L88 air filter setup. Switched to a K&N air filter so hopefully, this will be the last one I have.

Fire extinguishers are cheap at ~$20 a piece; burnt Corvettes are not!

 

I think it's important to get good info about FE's, but I feel this thread can get sidetracked to a point where the OP's very important issue will get lost. It needs to be addressed and diagnosed so it doesn't happen again, and can benefit future users. I suggest further questions and comments about FE's be brought up in a new thread. FTR, I have a definite interest as well and will be subscribed to it, but I feel we should keep this thread on track to primarily benefit the OP.
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Marks69BB,
Glad you and car ar OK. I feel strongly about this issue because I almost lost my car and I get stressed thinking about what "could" have happened.

I had a 2x4 front carb fire years ago. I luckily put it out with a FE. I caused it. I floored the gas pedal for a hot restart. Beyond half throttle on a hot restart is not good. I should have been at half throttle. This means only the rear(primary) carb will have it throttles open, not the front carb.

Before you left, when you first started the car, did you floor it? Was it a hot restart and you floored it to open the throttle plates to allow more air for a restart? Was your carb flooded? Stuck down float? etc etc?

If you floored it on a hot restart, this will pump fuel from the accelerator pump into the closed front carb throttle bores. The front carb throttle plates stay closed on restart, therefore the fuel sits in the bores with no place to go......at first, then after a while, the fuel will drain out the throttle shafts, which on all wcfb's are un-sealed. If you had a backfire, as I did, all that fuel sitting in the bores and the shafts and the manifold will catch fire and burn.

You need to figure out where the fuel came from when the backfire occurred, and also what caused the backfire. Timing shift? Hot restart? Fuel percolation bubbling over in the bowl?

I would not try to run the car until you investigate what may have caused it.

Rich

 

Thanks Rich for your concern as I also want to figure this out so it never happens again to me or anyone eilse.

Got in the car to cold start as I always do. Pushed the pedal to the floor once and then she started right up. The choke kicked in and she fast idled for about a minute while I backed it out, closed the garage door and got situated. Then tapped the gas to disengage the choke and drove off. She ran sluggish all the way up to the light where she caught fire. Note my comments in an above post about the car previously not running right and then being 'fixed' where I felt it ran like it should.

 

Glad you were prepared and minimized the damage.

I would open that front carb and see if the floats are full of gas.

 

Good point.

Mark, okay, you did what all of us with 2x4's should never ever do. You "floored" it without engine running. That is exactly what happened to me that day. Story here.

When the front accelerator pump put out a double shot of fuel inside the throats, it just sat there. You wouldn't think it's a lot of fuel, but it doesn't take much. It has no where to go and the shafts are part of the escape route. When you drove away the ignitor was the backfire. The carb could have been flooded even before you hit the pedal too. It was telling you something when it was sluggish. The front carb was flooded. If you had a string tied to the front carb you could give it a little tug to open the throttles to clear it. I'd never try to use the pedal flooring it again cold to clear it. It's a rock/hard place.

Maybe the last time you used the car the floats stuck or are pinholed and full of fuel. This could have left lots of fuel in the manifold and also added to that pump shot. All that fuel was too much flooding and possibly caused the backfire.

As suggested, remove the carb and open it up. When you remove the top cover take a good look at the floats and their position. Let us know what you find.

We should have a sticky up there about 2x4 carbs and the do's and don'ts for future owners. So many people don't realize a non-runnig 2x4 should never be pedal'd more than half way.

"STOP! If You Have a 2X4 BBL Read This!"

actually a link to this thread might do it.

 

You guys have been lucky! Here's my 63 going up in flames.

 

You have answered your own question. Halon is effective in confined areas where it does not thin out. In an open air situation it can be useless. Carry the ABC extinguisher and you will have something left to clean up which many not be the case if you attempt extinguishment with a Halon unit.

 

Thanks for the detailed response. I never knew this.

 

An extinguisher and a pre flight check up are critical.

I always start the car and then look over critical areas to check for gas leaks on the FI and fuel pump.

 

Jim,
So does this mean that Halon (and similar) is lighter than air? that would certainly be something to keep in mind if using that type of FE.

Glad your damage was minimized Mark. scary stuff.

Russ

 

What size and type of FE is recommended to stow in the C2's? I got some at costco but they were skinny and too long.

 

It's heavier the air and will settle into low spots as long as there is no air movement to disturb it. Any kind of a breeze will remove it from the area you want it to stay in. That's why it's used as a flooding agent in enclosed areas.

Jim

 

Interesting.

That would explain why it is used in the engine compartment of my boat.

 

OK, you guys got though my hard head. I just walked out to the garage and put a fire extinguisher in each of my cars. Thanks for waking me up.

Doc

 

I hope your fuel gauge doesn't ever quit working.

Glad you didn't suffer a serious lose or injury.

Doug

 

I had a 59 with 2 carbs on it and had the carbs rebuilt by a professional carb guy. It did not catch on fire but both carbs leaked at the top bowl gasket. That's the problem when these carbs get rebuilt. Oh yeah, they can make them look real pretty but none of them put the carbs on an engine and test run them to check for leaks and other things that they may have missed. To much trouble. Much easier to put in box, ship back to the owner and let him find the mistakes.

 

$9.00 spent saves a $50-70K? car Thats a pretty good retun on investement lol.. Glad you got it put out and no one got hurt.