Dynatech and FIRE
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
From: Detroit
Dynatech and FIRE
UPDATED with Pics
(Freinds Car)
Heres the Story in a nutchell,
05 C6 with 4500 Miles Got Dynatech Headers installed Friday , Monday Morning Clutch goes out and Car Catches Fire. Luckily Off Duty Firefighter passing by puts the Flames out.
Damage, Top of Motor and intake are Melted, Firewall is Burnt and Melted, Clutch and Fuel lines Are gone, hood is Melted, and Cowl Area is Melted.
What do you guys think the Next Step Shpould be? Or do You think Dyntaech Should be contacted and held Responsible for the Damage?
I would be a little pissed. Good luck.
(Freinds Car)
Heres the Story in a nutchell,
05 C6 with 4500 Miles Got Dynatech Headers installed Friday , Monday Morning Clutch goes out and Car Catches Fire. Luckily Off Duty Firefighter passing by puts the Flames out.
Damage, Top of Motor and intake are Melted, Firewall is Burnt and Melted, Clutch and Fuel lines Are gone, hood is Melted, and Cowl Area is Melted.
What do you guys think the Next Step Shpould be? Or do You think Dyntaech Should be contacted and held Responsible for the Damage?
Originally Posted by Dugmole
I would be a little pissed. Good luck.Last edited by 00Veech; May 13, 2005 at 11:24 PM.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,097
Likes: 1
this very same thing has happened to me, except i put the fire out before any MAJOR damage was caused. just some burnt wires and a busted up slave/master cylinder. my car is atm being repaired. call dynatech and explain the story to them. ask to speak with a man named John Buck. its who i have been working with, as well as another person from the forums that it has happened to as well.
im very sorry to hear this
i thought Dynatech was doing everything they could to prevent this from happening to anyone else other than me and Mr. Krantz. i guess they didnt reach you or your friend in time
good luck, and let me know what happens.
EDIT - on a happier note, Dynatech has been nothing but helpful to me so far. i would urge you to be optimistic about working with them. they are very honest and straight forward people. good luck again!
im very sorry to hear this
i thought Dynatech was doing everything they could to prevent this from happening to anyone else other than me and Mr. Krantz. i guess they didnt reach you or your friend in time good luck, and let me know what happens.
EDIT - on a happier note, Dynatech has been nothing but helpful to me so far. i would urge you to be optimistic about working with them. they are very honest and straight forward people. good luck again!
Last edited by smdio; May 9, 2005 at 11:03 PM.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 567
Likes: 0
From: Newburgh Indiana
I am Bob Krantz, the other guy smido was referring to. I, too had the same failure, without the major fire. Fortunately, for me, I live near the Dynatech Headquarters and when they were made aware of the problem they immediately loaded up my car and took it to their factory.
They used my car to study the design and make changes to the system that would alleviate any problem with the fit of the headers. They have worked extremely hard to rectify any problem with their product. They have treated me courteously and have been very professional on making immediate changes to their product based on what they found with the issue on my C6.
I would still highly recommend Dynatech for the quality product they produce. I think smido and I both feel they are excellent to work with.
I know this doesn't make the situation with your vette any easier to take, but I do want you to know Dynatech is a quality company.
They used my car to study the design and make changes to the system that would alleviate any problem with the fit of the headers. They have worked extremely hard to rectify any problem with their product. They have treated me courteously and have been very professional on making immediate changes to their product based on what they found with the issue on my C6.
I would still highly recommend Dynatech for the quality product they produce. I think smido and I both feel they are excellent to work with.
I know this doesn't make the situation with your vette any easier to take, but I do want you to know Dynatech is a quality company.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,097
Likes: 1
im in complete agreement with that statement right there ^ Dynatech's product is indeed top of the line. that cannot be disputed. it is VERY unfortunate that this has happened to you (or your friend i think you said), but rest assured, Dynatech will do everything in their power to fix this situation for you. they are honest people who really want to help, and not just "pretend" to want to help.
although i've been without my car for a while now, i do not regret buying this product from Dynatech. it was an accident, and no one in life is perfect. keep us both updated on the steps you are taking with your car. i will be as much help as i can throughout this process for you, just like Bob was for me
although i've been without my car for a while now, i do not regret buying this product from Dynatech. it was an accident, and no one in life is perfect. keep us both updated on the steps you are taking with your car. i will be as much help as i can throughout this process for you, just like Bob was for me
Pro
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 543
Likes: 1
From: Fullerton California
This has been documented what seems to be several times on this Forum by guys who have installed headers. The person installing them is not protecting the hydraulic clutch line from the heat of the headers (due to close proximity) and it causes it to fail. On the installation of the new unit (I think you have to buy the entire master cyclinder unit with attached line, as reported by another "victim"), they place protective heat shield on the line and isolate it from the header pipe.
Good luck with your insurance company, they may say it was poor workmanship on the installation that caused the failure and resulting loss, and claim the installer is liable. If it is a design error, then you are in the same boat - they may say the manufacturer is liable.
Whichever the cause, hope they do right by you, good luck.
Good luck with your insurance company, they may say it was poor workmanship on the installation that caused the failure and resulting loss, and claim the installer is liable. If it is a design error, then you are in the same boat - they may say the manufacturer is liable.
Whichever the cause, hope they do right by you, good luck.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 5
From: stafford country, va. Avatar: Me on turn 3 @ Bristol (The World's Fastest Half-Mile)
Originally Posted by SA734
This has been documented what seems to be several times on this Forum by guys who have installed headers. The person installing them is not protecting the hydraulic clutch line from the heat of the headers (due to close proximity) and it causes it to fail.
i know it's not much help to the folks that have experienced the problem and I'm glad to hear DynaTech is stepping up and helping out.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,242
Likes: 8
Sounds to me like the product should be withdrawn from the market before someone gets hurt. I'm sure it's a great product, but three serious occurrences in only a few months doesn't sound like a good track record. I'm sure the design can be modified to prevent further occurances, but I would think they'd pull it in the meantime to reduce the risk of having further damages and possible injury. JMHO.
Platinum Supporting Vendor
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 3,665
Likes: 341
I am sure they will get it fixed. The coating of the headers will not do any good, the stainless is the best you can get. The coated headers will get just as hot as the stainless, it may takes a couple of more minutes but it will get there. The great thing about the stainless is when you turn the car off they start cooling very fast. Usually within 30 minutes you can put your hand on them if you need to change a plug or whatever. You can change the clutch line without replacing the entire unit, but if it got that hot I would recommend replacing it the slave also. Go get some Aeroquip fire sleeve, and put the line though it, it will keep it safe from any level of heat.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 21,374
Likes: 1,004
From: Various places in Southern California.
It wouldn't hurt to contact the Dynatech. I'd also contact the person who installed the headers. Does the Dynatech literature address the need to protect other car components from contacting the headers? I've seem similar situations where the manufacturer and installer point fingers at each other.
As far as insurance goes, you shouldn't have any real problem. The standard comp policy doesn't exclude losses caused by faulty mods. It probably won't pay to replace the headers, as standard policies only pay for OEM or equivalent parts, nor will it pay for the part that caused the fire. Once the insurer pays, they will likely subrogate against the responsible party.
As far as insurance goes, you shouldn't have any real problem. The standard comp policy doesn't exclude losses caused by faulty mods. It probably won't pay to replace the headers, as standard policies only pay for OEM or equivalent parts, nor will it pay for the part that caused the fire. Once the insurer pays, they will likely subrogate against the responsible party.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,565
Likes: 5
From: stafford country, va. Avatar: Me on turn 3 @ Bristol (The World's Fastest Half-Mile)
Originally Posted by jabbott
I am sure they will get it fixed. The coating of the headers will not do any good, the stainless is the best you can get. The coated headers will get just as hot as the stainless, it may takes a couple of more minutes but it will get there. The great thing about the stainless is when you turn the car off they start cooling very fast. Usually within 30 minutes you can put your hand on them if you need to change a plug or whatever. You can change the clutch line without replacing the entire unit, but if it got that hot I would recommend replacing it the slave also. Go get some Aeroquip fire sleeve, and put the line though it, it will keep it safe from any level of heat.
hhmmm... http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/80038/
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,097
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by jabbott
You can change the clutch line without replacing the entire unit
if it were as simple as changing the clutch line, i would have my car back by now
unfortunately enough for both me and Mr. Krantz, we had to wait quite a while for our cars to return to us. it APPEARS that you can change the line alone if you simply look at it, but its not possible.
Pro
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 567
Likes: 0
From: Newburgh Indiana
Dynatech delivered my car to a local Chevy dealer to repair the clutch line and slave cylinder. They then picked up my car and took it back to their headquarters and used my car to tweak their headers for a better fit for the 6 speed, which has a larger bellhousing than the automatic.
They called me in to show me the fit after the final tweaking was finished and it looks awesome. Quality workmanship in the products. They are committed to producing high performance exhaust, but also making sure their products are safe.
They called me in to show me the fit after the final tweaking was finished and it looks awesome. Quality workmanship in the products. They are committed to producing high performance exhaust, but also making sure their products are safe.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 5,253
Likes: 50
From: Sandy Eggo Calif.
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12, '16
Originally Posted by jabbott
The coating of the headers will not do any good, the stainless is the best you can get. The coated headers will get just as hot as the stainless.
"Because of its low emissivity and insulating effect, JET-HOT Sterling creates a thermal barrier to protect headers - inside and out - while reducing heat transfer into the engine compartment. But the good news goes beyond protecting headers from thermal fatigue. Plugs, wires, fan motors, water pumps and other heat-sensitive parts get a break, too, in a cooler environment. Plus, power normally increases and safety for racers improves with lower temperatures.
The graph shown to the left, developed independently by a major US automobile manufacturer, shows just how effectively JET-HOT Sterling beats heat. The company's engineering team was astounded by temperature reductions exceeding 300°F when JET-HOT Sterling was applied to standard exhaust components. Car Craft also took a cool breath, after measuring temperature reductions of over 60% on header surfaces following the application of JET-HOT."
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 440
Likes: 0
From: Detroit
Originally Posted by C6VettePilot
Dynatech delivered my car to a local Chevy dealer to repair the clutch line and slave cylinder. They then picked up my car and took it back to their headquarters and used my car to tweak their headers for a better fit for the 6 speed, which has a larger bellhousing than the automatic.
They called me in to show me the fit after the final tweaking was finished and it looks awesome. Quality workmanship in the products. They are committed to producing high performance exhaust, but also making sure their products are safe.
They called me in to show me the fit after the final tweaking was finished and it looks awesome. Quality workmanship in the products. They are committed to producing high performance exhaust, but also making sure their products are safe.
Well, My Understanding is that Dynatech is Giving my Freind the Run-Around and Saying that he has The Wrong Headers
, they Say that The Shop Sold him Headers For An Auto and its the Installers Fault they did however Say They wanted to see pics before they did anything, So I will Post up and Email them Some Burnt C6 Vette Pics Tomorrow and hopefully it will all work out.
Last edited by 00Veech; May 10, 2005 at 11:10 PM.