Ever had your car catch on fire? My story w/pics.

jkarolyi · 03-21-2006, 02:06 PM

Beautiful black 1994 VW Passat GLX VR6 with 70K, all options including BBS wheels and Recaro seats, a bargain at $5000, Installed a sweet $600 Hella headlight kit about a week before the incident:

Full coverage insurance you say? Don't need it...I've never had a car accident in 15 years driving! Never thought about the car commiting suicide. three months after purchase:

(crappy pics from my cel phone) Fuel system fire. Bottle of Evian spring water and a T-shirt were no match. I can't remember if I cried when I saw those Hella lights melt away, but I sure felt like it.

$5600 lesson learned: Fire extinguisher in every car, and if you smell fuel vapors, even a little, find the source and fix it NOW!

Anybody else have their car catch on fire? It's a pretty scary experience.

Seahawk · 03-21-2006, 02:25 PM

Wow...sorry for your loss.

I had the bolt back out of the carb on a '66 Volkswagon Beetle, spill fuel on the manifold and catch fire.

I was at a stop sign and the guy behind me just sat on his horn, and yelled, "fire, fire, fire"!

Took me probably three long seconds to process the fact that it was my car on fire...thank god my father insisted we all had fire extinguishers in our cars (to this day, each of my cars has a FE aboard).

The unique thing about the Beetle is that the engine cover latch is low, way below the air vents where the smoke was billowing. It was still cool enough for me to lift and use the extinguisher. Damage was resticted to wiring.

I have thought about how difficult it is to get the hood open on my front engine cars...could be interesting.

Again, sorry for your loss...beautiful car.

teenerted1 · 03-21-2006, 02:37 PM

yes i have. but everything turned out OK

was getting a '64 bug ready to drive when i got my drivers license. was in the family from day one but hadn't been on the road for about 5+years...

dad and i were installing a new exhaust and must have missed a fuel line somewhere...started up and a little fire got going...had sand on hand threw it on and stopped pretty quick...

luckily we kept sand in buckets in there for cleaning up the oil that thing always leaked....

didn't get to bad just melted some of the rubber around the engine tin...found the fuel line problem...and never loOKed back. ran OK for a couple more years even with all the water getting on the engine and the other multiple holes inside....

sorry no pictures, happened over 20yrs ago long before digital anything...

Rick V · 03-21-2006, 03:07 PM

I had my 78 Celica ketch fire from a botched stereo install. I was so frigging glad I paid a "profesional" to do the job
My 67 newport drop top also had a fire under the dash, this was due to just old wires and a (found out later) shorted amp meter.
I was driving both cars when they smoked, I would never wish that drama on anybody.

Sorry to here of your loss, Just think 20 years from now you will be telling your story to someone who is going through it.

Jims5543 · 03-21-2006, 03:20 PM

RX-7? Are you kidding? They are famous for self igniting.

I always have a fire extinguisher in that heap. The habit carried over to the Porsche. The Audi? If it catches fire I will watch it burn to the ground THEN call the fire dept.

dad911 · 03-21-2006, 03:42 PM

Fire started from the Hella Kit? Looks like they should have included heavier guage wire and some relays & fuses!

I'd have a chat with the supplier of that 'kit'.....

jkarolyi · 04:05 PM

This happened about six years ago, so I'm over it. I've always had good luck with cars, so I don't let this one instance bother me. I posted it because someone on the tech forum just had his 911 burn, and I wanted to remind everyone to carry an extinguisher in their car.

The kit was direct from, and completely made by, Hella. The fire started in the back where fuel lines run near the spark plug wires. I found out later that the fuel lines get a lot of heat on Passats because they're above the exhaust manifolds, and develop pinhole leaks (hence the vapor smell). One stray spark from a plug wire=disco inferno.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

Happened to me. I had a 1967 hardtop camper that I'd just painted two weeks prior. I had to pull the engine to fix the oil cooler seals, and when I pulled the gas line, gas shot all over my droplight. You can guess the rest.

Jared at Pelican Parts · 03-21-2006, 05:25 PM

a more interesting question woud be, have you ever set your car on fire intentionally?

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
Those droplights are only good for attics - use flourescent lamps under the car...

Yup, I know that now...

They still sell those damn things at auto parts stores, too...

pwd72s · 03-21-2006, 05:55 PM

This might be a good time for Wayne to explain his line of fire extinguisher mounts and 2.5 pound Halon extinguishers...5lb. even better, but pretty large for inside the car mounting. I recently installed a brey-krause mount in front of my 911's passenger seat. (edit) I've seen ads for LED drop lights lately...anybody here buy one yet?

legion · 03-21-2006, 06:17 PM

Yep.

One Less 'S'

Joeaksa · 03-21-2006, 06:20 PM

Like Seahawk, had one catch on fire and have had a extinguisher in every car for the last 35 years. Put out several fires while driving around for others who did not have one on board.

Best $15 insurance policy ever!

Joe A

pwd72s · 03-21-2006, 10:36 PM

$15???? Joe, you must not have priced the 2.5 pound Halon units lately. Still, if you need one, cheap...

Jay Auskin · 03-22-2006, 02:33 PM

I had a car in front of my apartment way back when get started on fire. I was on the third floor, and the flames were up to my window. Truly phenominal. There were some drug dealers cars parked in front and behind it. The goal, of course, was for someone to indirectly start their cars on fire. I think it would have done it if I hadn't called the fire department. It was a shame as the owner of the car was a poor family.

jim72911t · 03-22-2006, 06:53 PM

Yup. My '72T caught fire the first week I owned it. What do you get when you mix old cracked fuel lines with old, arcing plug wires? You guessed it.

It was really quite a surreal experience. The car was parked in front of my house on a fairly busy street. I had just driven it around the block a few times, and was pretty happy with my purchase. I go back out to start the car to move it into the carport, and it wouldn't fire. Keep cranking, nothing. Next, I see some smoke in the rear view mirror. Didn't know what to think at first, so I walk around to take a look. Flames were shooting up from the left side of the engine!

So, I panic. I run to get the hose (stupid, I know), but realize that it is in the back yard. I run across the street in hopes that they might have a hose that would be long enough to cross the street and douse my car. No luck. I'm getting really panicked at this point. (Didn't even think about the fire extinguisher in the garage). With thoughts of watching my new car burn to the ground right before my eyes, I run back across the street. Just as I get there, a guy in an old F250 pulls up, grabs a fire extinguisher from behind the seat, and puts out the fire.

My Porsche guardian angel.

All I could mutter at the time was "thanks," and with that, he was back in his truck and gone. Never got his name, never was able to buy him a beer, never saw him again.

The damage was truly minor. The whole episode took less than 30 seconds.

I think that guy kept me in Porsches for life. Thanks.

(oh, I have a fire extinguisher now

)

Jim

RoninLB · 03-22-2006, 08:53 PM

bumper shocks and air bags can explode by fire. The bumper won't go far and a good approach is 45deg and never stand where it can slam into your knees. Older air bags exploding have sent shrap metal 20ft. Batteries explode but everyone knows that. Disconnect the negative as disconnecting the positive may still leave cap voltage available.

RoninLB · 03-22-2006, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jared Fenton
a more interesting question woud be, have you ever set your car on fire intentionally?

why you ask ?

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

I drive a 32 year old car, of course I carry a fire extinguisher at all times!

fastpat · 03-23-2006, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jkarolyi
Beautiful black 1994 VW Passat GLX VR6 with 70K,

Anybody else have their car catch on fire? It's a pretty scary experience.

No, but not for lack of trying. One of the injectors on my '72 CSi sprung a leak between the plastic and metal portion of the injector body, pumping raw fuel all over the top of the engine. The smell tipped my off, and that's when I decided to replace all six injectors, @ $175.00 each.

I'd already replaced all the rubber hoses, the main culprit in engine fires these days. If the rubber in the fuel system is more than 7-10 years old, you're on borrowed time.

And yes, that applies to our P-cars too.