Engine Fire

Isn't there a braided hose that could be used?

 

I had a kind of similar engine fire in a van i had about a year ago. The fire melted the plug wires down to just cloth and ash though. I repaired all the damage that i could immediately see and thought i was fine but the fire had managed to damage my valve cover gaskets and created a good oil leak that i didn't notice right away. Just a thought but id suggest anyone recovering from an engine fire to keep an eye out for fluid leaks.

 

yes there is. autometer makes kits to convert to braided hose. or you can just get the fittings and make your own kit. its just alot more costly than a nylon tube. also they went to nylon from copper just because its cheaper.

 

Good advice there, sir. I'll be checking out my valve cover gaskets as well as the ones on the carb.


Update:

Got a new coil and cap today. Also found out there's a repair kit for my 8mm Accel wires, so I picked up one of those and some wire retainers. If the car and the garage both cool down enough, I just might install them tonight.

Still haven't installed the copper gauge line yet. Still driving with a pair of vise grips sitting on the intake pinching off the oil line... My plan on that is to fix it Friday morning, when I'll be off work. It's just too damn hot to work that close to the exhaust manifold after I've been driving the car, even after a couple of hours. It sucks. And I really don't like driving it without that oil pressure gauge. I'm still not used to seeing zero on that.

I'm gonna go check my oil right now...

 

I keep wanting to avoid this thread because my fuel regulator from holley has been leaking pretty extensively and I even went it and redid the threads with teflon paste but now it's leaking more. So the car is sitting at my work in the garage and I'm afraid to drive it anywhere.

 

Carry a fire extinguisher, all I can suggest... Every one of us should be doing it. Anybody driving a car that's old or modified should have one.

 

Mashori,

The mention of teflon and gas together bothered me a bit and I did a search. I have only used teflon tape and really felt like gas might dissolve that. Turns out there are several varieties out there ... learned a bit today.

On a bike discussion board, some guys swearing by this. Might be worth checking out ...

http://www.permatex.com/products/Au..._Permatex_High_Performance_Thread_Sealant.htm

 

I believe that's what I purchased (the permatrex). I don't mean to hijack this thread but I do have a fire exting in the trunk (now I'm thinking of leaving it in the cabin for now) and it never occured to me that the gas leaking could cause a fire. May sound obvious but didn't think there was much that could ignite it. anyway, learned some good things from this thread.

 

Glad it wasn't any worse, Drew. A friend of mine had one of those clear fuel filters crack on her VW Bug and spray the dist like that. She wasn't so lucky. It apparently caught fire just before or after she parked it. She was in the house and looked out the window to see it engulfed in flames. Time the Fire Dept got there it was toast. Believe it or not, I actually was able to save the pan and engine. The aluminum intakes melted down, closing off any opening to the engine, keeping anything from falling into it. Of course I had to get new intakes and carb for it, and a dist and plug wires, but it started right up and still runs fine to this day! I put another body on the pan and re plumbed the brakes. It was ready for paint when she sold it.

 

thats very cool!

 

u guys have opinions about those little aerosol can-looking extinguishers? I have the normal one for the trunk and the can type for the cab, but who knows if it even works... (15 bucks is alot just to try a can for no reason). small enough it just sits under my seat tho....
the brand I got is "Tundra" by First Alert.

 

i havent seen those but they would be assuming alot of liability selling a fire safty product that doestn work. so i figure it will work but read every thing on the can to see what its intended use is.

 

yea, it says for auto, boat, home, all that stuff. says it works better than a fire extinguisher on the can, but is not rated by the organization that rates fire extinguishes. looks sketch, but first alert is a pretty well known name.

 

Update:

Gauge line is installed. I was able to do it from underneath. It was tight, but I got it. Found out the old one had been leaking, so I'm glad that's dealt with now. From the fitting back to the firewall I ran it through a piece of vacuum hose to protect it. Probably unnecessary, but it makes me feel better... I am very glad to have my oil pressure gauge back!

Plug wires are fixed up, distributor cap, coil, etc. are replaced. Engine bay is cleaned up. All that's left at this point really is the breather.

 

Fast work.. take one.