Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,426
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From: VetteMOD
St. Jude Donor '05-'07
Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed
I have noticed on this forum (and for sale), a number of Corvettes that have caught on fire. Does anyone know why this happens specifically in C3's? Is it fuel delivery shutoff, electrical shorts, etc.? Is there some type of fire extinguisher that will automatically discharge?
Team Owner
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From: Florida
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St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (BBShark)
I had a fire.
I had changed the Master Cylinder and stuffed a bunch of rags below to catch any spilled fluid. Guess I got all the rags out but one and it fell on something hot below. Noticed smoke after 15 miles of driving
Just a few weeks before I had installed a fire extinguisher. Got the flame out in seconds with no damage to my car.
I now have fire extinguishers in all my vehicles and the garage as well.
Maybe someone here will remember the vendor who sells the extinguishers.
[Modified by OHSIXX, 7:48 PM 2/29/2004]
I had changed the Master Cylinder and stuffed a bunch of rags below to catch any spilled fluid. Guess I got all the rags out but one and it fell on something hot below. Noticed smoke after 15 miles of driving
Just a few weeks before I had installed a fire extinguisher. Got the flame out in seconds with no damage to my car.
I now have fire extinguishers in all my vehicles and the garage as well.
Maybe someone here will remember the vendor who sells the extinguishers.
[Modified by OHSIXX, 7:48 PM 2/29/2004]
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
Likes: 46
From: Huntersville NC
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (BBShark)
I think all old cars are vulnerable. My friend recently had an engine fire in his jaguar XKE. I think it was the carb.
Any part of the fuel system, fuel lines, fuel pump, carb is a danger area, gas dripping on hot mufflers and/or hot exhaust manifolds (or headers).
I don't have any data to support this, but I think electrical fires are your greatest risk with old corvettes. Your car is most vulnerable after you shut it off on a hot day and the coolant stops circulating and the engine superheats, melting old insulation, which leads to an electrical short and fire. You leave your parked car and 5 minutes later it bursts into flames. Simple preventive measure is a battery cutoff switch, a very highly recommended accessory! :) Many people install the cutoff switch to stop a battery drain, and it is often thought of as an anti-theft measure, but it's most important function is fire prevention. MJ
Any part of the fuel system, fuel lines, fuel pump, carb is a danger area, gas dripping on hot mufflers and/or hot exhaust manifolds (or headers).
I don't have any data to support this, but I think electrical fires are your greatest risk with old corvettes. Your car is most vulnerable after you shut it off on a hot day and the coolant stops circulating and the engine superheats, melting old insulation, which leads to an electrical short and fire. You leave your parked car and 5 minutes later it bursts into flames. Simple preventive measure is a battery cutoff switch, a very highly recommended accessory! :) Many people install the cutoff switch to stop a battery drain, and it is often thought of as an anti-theft measure, but it's most important function is fire prevention. MJ
Racer
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 426
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Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (BBShark)
Most of the C3 fire stories I read about were attributed to rubber fuel lines. Whatever the cause of the underhood fire may be...if you got rubber fuel lines that get burned up...then your gonna have a nice supply of gas to add more fuel to the fire...steel lines would prevent this from happening.
Another good fire prevention tool is having a battery cutoff switch and using it!
:cheers:
Another good fire prevention tool is having a battery cutoff switch and using it!
:cheers:
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 1,612
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix Arizona
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (tonyk72)
Most of the C3 fire stories I read about were attributed to rubber fuel lines. Whatever the cause of the underhood fire may be...if you got rubber fuel lines that get burned up...then your gonna have a nice supply of gas to add more fuel to the fire...steel lines would prevent this from happening.
Another good fire prevention tool is having a battery cutoff switch and using it!
:cheers:
Another good fire prevention tool is having a battery cutoff switch and using it!
:cheers:
:iagree: Make sure to run stainless steel fuel line with those Earl's type connectors.
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Instructor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 229
Likes: 1
From: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (BBShark)
I agree with the battery cut-off, but also using a metal fuel filter is a good idea( I had a plastic one that almost melted)
[Modified by Pacha, 8:08 AM 3/2/2004]
[Modified by Pacha, 8:08 AM 3/2/2004]
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 184
Likes: 0
From: boulder wa
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (Pacha)
i have been told that the air pump cools cats and if the stove pipe gets blocked or something goes wrong with it that it will super heat and catch fire so theres another thing to look out for :eek:
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 30,995
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From: Ontario
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (BBShark)
This is anecdotal but the one that scared me several years ago was a leak at the rubber S-hoses at the frame/fuel pump junction. The cracks in the rubber were at the pump end and you could hardly notice them. And they are deceiving: while you are driving the pump is under pressure and the leak is carried away by air movement and underhood heat. And when you park the pump is not under pressure and the leak quickly dissipates from heat. One day on a Sunday afternoon drive one of those hoses finally let go when the Wife and I parked for a picnic. The hose went from weeping to a rapid drip. I took a pen knife and cut off the rotted end, re-attached the hose and limped home. Keep in mind that hose was gasoline was weeping gasoline back to the hot passenger side exhaust manifold for some time. That car is fortunately still with us today. Check your rubber takes on a new meaning in this context!
Copyright Paragon.
Copyright Paragon.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
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From: Orange Park Florida
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (paul67)
Some time ago a friend of mine was an inside claims adjuster for GEICO, and he said the greatest cause of fires was.......
Holley carbs....
followed way down in percentage by Qjets....
end of story.....
of course if a FI system developes a leak with 40 psi or so feeding it....
you get one hell of a fire.....nothing new there....
GENE
Holley carbs....
followed way down in percentage by Qjets....
end of story.....
of course if a FI system developes a leak with 40 psi or so feeding it....
you get one hell of a fire.....nothing new there....
GENE
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 1
From: VetteMOD
St. Jude Donor '05-'07
Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (mrvette)
Are the Holley carb caused fires due to unregulated fuel line pressure? I see a lot of people with Holleys in cars with electric fuel pumps and no pressure regulator. Seems like it could be a problem.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 16,945
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Re: Car Fire Prevention Tips Needed (BBShark)
Every older car I have ever owned always got the fuel lines replaced first before driving, I have seen a couple of cars, some real nice ones burn to the ground. Most of them were really nice on the outside but their engines usually had rubber hoses everywhere that were as old as the car and bubba' ed electrical systems too.
