One way to prevent engine fires

[zerotofifty]

[E1]

[Xevin]

Great story E. Thanks for sharing.
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Keep on Busin'

[E1]

Five Stars on this idea.

Another kit for vendors?

One thing worth noting about the nylon fuel lines… after our total-loss, sixty- to eighty vertical-foot rollover in 2018, a nylon fuel line had sheared and was POURING gas onto the exhaust.

The only thing that kept it from immediately burning down was that we’d driven a scant half-mile after a twenty-minute shutdown to get two coffees. That three-minute stop after being full-hot took twenty because of an insightful, life conversation with the store’s Korean owner.

Ten days later, we returned to that store to thank the owner for the talk, and to tell him we’d crashed right after meeting him. He said “THAT WAS YOU?!!!” and I told him he was almost the last person we’d ever seen alive.

This was a powerful, human moment. He immediately teared up with the moment’s gravity, as did we, and we hugged for a good minute.

I apologized that the crash had wasted our coffees, and showed him my Yeti cup, now full of dents and scratches from the crash. He told me to fill our cups, then looked at us with a smile and said “No Charge.”

All this to say that in life, sometimes it pays to engage with people and see what they’re all about.

Thanks and Love to that corner storekeeper in Lyons, Oregon. I am drinking coffee from that same cup right now, a daily reminder I’ll never, ever replace.

Hope to see him again sometime, surely he’ll never forget this incident — and obviously, nor will we. If anyone knows this place, please say Hello and Thanks Again for us, I have a strong feeling he’s still there.
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1984 Westfailure/2.1 Digijet/5.43 Ring & Pinion/Peloquin/D-rated BFG KO2s
AI has spoken to further illiteracy, to steal, to cheat, and to replace humans

"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere." — Colin Chapman

[Tbob]

Heres a couple of thoughts about fires in our vans. One thought is that the nylon fuel lines run along the frame of the van, and in the event of a fire, I wonder if they melt and then gravity allows fuel from the tank to flow out, fueling the fire with gasoline, which is obviously not good. So when I refurbished my 1985, I made and ran all new metal fuel lines, with the engine end higher than the top of the fuel tank. I did both the pressure and the return. There is no easy way to make the fuel tank end higher than the top of the fuel tank, so I didn't, but I felt that was an acceptable compromise, as the fuel tank is several feet away from the engine, there most the fires are.
I have watched as Volkswagens(especially vans) when they had an engine fire, it often ended in total destruction of the van, and I wonder if that may have been because of the fuel in the tank gravity feeding the fire. Most vehicles have their fuel lines go into the top of the tank, so they can't gravity feed fuel. I just tried to duplicate that concept.
The second thing I do with all my waterboxers when I replace the fuel hoses is make a small bracket and move the fuel pressure regulator from its psition right next to the distributor(distributors are known spark event locations(!), and move it back and mount it to the left hand side upper transmission bolt. It's further away from the distributor, and maybe thats a good thing. I have so idea how many engine fires, if any, were caused by that proximity, bey it was easy enough to move, so I did.
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1969 Deluxe, owned since 1973
1973 Westfalia, owned since 1983
1980 Westfalia, watercooled conversion
1985 Westfalia, stock!
1986 Westfakia, Audi I-4 conversion
A couple of trucks and a couple of Jeeps

[E1]

Regardless of the thread title, the OP was asking about stopping a fire — or at least, preventing it from getting worse.

[markswagen]

our fire l believe was caused by those plastic fuel injector rails.
as they were the ONLY un-upgraded part of the system.
l have a plan to solve the other issue, testing is required.

[zerotofifty]

Despite this thread's title, the discussion has little about fire prevention.

The fire prevention issues are easy to deal with, and are pretty basic. Good hoses, good hose clamps, no cracked injectors, eliminate the gasoline bulkhead fitting, safe wires, proper fusing. Get these all correct and you go a long way towards fire prevention, much more so than with fancy fire extinguishing systems, fuel and battery cut offs.

Do take care of the basics, then drive with peace of mind, all the other extinguishing things come second.

[DanHoug]

[Sodo]

[a914622]

Ops forgot

The machine tool systems used a pressure switch/relay . Bottle full up to pressure power switch on. Bottle empty, no pressure, power off. I don’t think that would be to hard to do right at the battery or at the starter.
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87 gl powerd buy 2.5subaru
75 914 getting 2.2t subaru scratch that SVX subaru

[a914622]

YES there is a bottle extinguisher style that is activated like the blazecut but more power behind it.

When I was selling machine tools some materials needed the system to get insurance . Some systems added 5-10k to the machine. Probably why you done see them in the automotive ind. a google search shows 5-6 companies now selling machine tool extinguishers.


Additionally air craft still use a halon system. Again they are spendy.. I think a 10oz is like 300 bucks.

And yes I can’t believe the money spent on tinsel for the vanagons wile fuel lines are engorged. I would think an all metal replacement would be best👍

Jeff
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87 gl powerd buy 2.5subaru
75 914 getting 2.2t subaru scratch that SVX subaru

[DanHoug]

[E1]

Said it a few times, but…

There’s a great product opportunity for a specific, user-installable onboard fire extinguisher system for VW buses… and a second product for a no-brainer power shutoff.
_________________
1984 Westfailure/2.1 Digijet/5.43 Ring & Pinion/Peloquin/D-rated BFG KO2s
AI has spoken to further illiteracy, to steal, to cheat, and to replace humans

"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere." — Colin Chapman

[DanHoug]

[Sodo]

[DanHoug]

[markswagen]

they only work if the driver remembers that there is one there.
l have them on all of our vans.
the flames etc freaked out the wife, and she got out of the van as quickly as she could, not remembering there was a cut off.
by the time l go there it was too late.

[4Gears4Tires]

I really like the battery cut off switch within reach of the drivers seat. But how to know to flip the switch as soon as possible?

I wonder what the effort would be to rig a smoke alarm safety switch to an alarm? Something like this? https://www.fcfnational.com.au/blog/smoke-alarm-smart-switch
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'87 Syncro Ferric Oxyhydroxide Superleggera Edition
'85 Westy Sciuridae Domus Edition

[dobryan]

And this is why I have a battery cut off switch within easy reach from the drivers seat.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

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