Engine Fires
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
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From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Engine Fires
Hey guys, just wanted to bring this up. I was over at one of the other boards reading and saw and nice 69 that had been parked in the driveway while the owner went into the house. He just happened to look out and see his pride and joy smoking. It had caught fire under the hood. The car is ruined out front. He and his neighbor put the fire out but he thinks the car is a total loss. He did say that he had a glass filter with some rubber hose connecting it to the carb. He thinks this may have contributed to the fire. Others think it may have started at the starter wiring.
These cars are getting pretty darn old now and should be looked at pretty darn regular to avoid things like this. Keep an eye on your hoses and wiring we don`t want to find our car in the same way. This is one of my fears. I bought a glass filter for mine but decided it wasn`t going to be used because of some warnings passed out here on this forum.
These cars are getting pretty darn old now and should be looked at pretty darn regular to avoid things like this. Keep an eye on your hoses and wiring we don`t want to find our car in the same way. This is one of my fears. I bought a glass filter for mine but decided it wasn`t going to be used because of some warnings passed out here on this forum.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
Likes: 46
From: Huntersville NC
This topic comes up regularly, usually as a result of someone's car catching on fire. Never hurts to review again. I have heard those glass filters are bad, and obviously any gas leak, whether it is from a hose, gas tank or carb is an immediate fire risk, but I think the most common cause of engine fires may be electrical from melted wires, and the greatest risk is after you shut your engine off - engine will superheat after coolant stops flowing and cooling the engine. (I always used to blow a radiator hose after I shut the engine off!) Temperature rises and wire insulation can melt, instant short, instant electrical wire. That's why it is critical to have (and use) a simple battery cuttoff switch. Also a good idea to stick around for a minute or 2 after you shut the car off and observe, rather than jumping out of the vette and running into the house. MJ
[Modified by MNJack, 9:59 PM 4/10/2003]
[Modified by MNJack, 9:59 PM 4/10/2003]
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,844
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From: Pearland TX
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Engine Fires (Eddie 70)
Good point Eddie....
I gotta agree as many of us bought our vettes from previous owners of which we assume they did the right things and didn't just wrap a bunch of wires together that might be good conductors at the wrong time. I know over the years of owning vettes I've had problems with trash getting into carbs and sticking the floats where gasoline was coming out the carb. They were both Holley's by the way. A good way to burn the thing to the ground. And on this latest one I found that the fuel lines going to the fuel pump were just a disaster waiting to happen with the cracking.
Might be a good thread to bring up some things to look for when you buy a vette or even for those of us who really haven't looked at things close.
I gotta agree as many of us bought our vettes from previous owners of which we assume they did the right things and didn't just wrap a bunch of wires together that might be good conductors at the wrong time. I know over the years of owning vettes I've had problems with trash getting into carbs and sticking the floats where gasoline was coming out the carb. They were both Holley's by the way. A good way to burn the thing to the ground. And on this latest one I found that the fuel lines going to the fuel pump were just a disaster waiting to happen with the cracking.
Might be a good thread to bring up some things to look for when you buy a vette or even for those of us who really haven't looked at things close.
