Engine Fire - Help!!!

[clnilsen]

Hey everyone...

Well, here's a big cautionary tale (and a few questions to follow). Tonight I had the car running with the air filter off the car and was trying to find the vacuum leak around the new pop-off valve I installed last weekend, per this thread:

Pop-off Valve Popping Question

Well, after several minitues of looking (and spraying) no leak made itself appearent. But, I guess in my frustration I got a little overzealous in my search to try and find the problem, and got a little too much carb cleaner in the airbox. Well, 1 backfire later, and the engine caught on fire.

Fortunately, the garage fire extinguisher was nearby, and I was able to put the car out in seconds. There was no visible damage ( the airbox plastic wasn't even hot). However, even though I was was judicious in my use of the extinguisher (I was trying to avoid a cleanup afterwards) I still got a sizable amount of the white powdery stuff over the engine. The engine was running while this happened, and while I did get it shut off, I'm pretty sure some of the powder has been sucked into the engine.

So far, (after a tall Guiness to calm down - thank God I still had one left in the fridge) I washed and wiped out the airbox, and hosed off the entire engine. I have not attempted to restart the car since this happened. What else should I do to clean up this mess? Do I need to worry about it in the engine? Any other advice (besides don't do it again!)

Also, I still don't have my stupid pop-off valve issue fixed.. but I do know it's not a vacuum leak around the base of the vavle

Finally, let this be another lesson for us all. This week I have been looking at fire extinguishers for the car, and this will cause me to redouble my efforts to find a good extinguisher. I know I would have lost my car, and probably the house if I had not had the extinguisher at hand. Its amazing what goes though your mind and how time slows when you see flame on a car:

"Oh, wow, flame"

... a few seconds later..

"Oh $h!t... FLAME!!!"

and after it's out: "This is NOT going to be cheap."

Thanks all for your support guys (and gals). I know w/o pelican I would be freaking out twice as much as I am now, but I have somehow maintained zen through this.

Thanks!!!

Chuck

[ruf-porsche]

In my previous post to you i said "start the engine and spray a little carb cleaner around the popoff valve.." I guess your little and my little are a little different.

Since you didn't find any leak from the previous posted thread, you should look else where.

A safer way to check for a vacuum leak is to connect a vacuum meter to any of the vacuum line pass the throttle bore. If it is a constant reading, you don't have a vacuum leak. If the vacuum meter is swinging wildly, you have a vacuum leak some where.

Glad to hear that you were able to put out the fire. Had a couple of engine fires in several of my Lotuses. Only lost one car to an engine fire.

Even though the engine may had suck some of the white powder down, clean up the mess and start the engine up, it should be o.k.

[Doug Zielke]

Next time, use plain 'ol water!
Works just as well without the fire hazard.

[Rhinoplasty911]

Hmmm, what kind of extinguisher did you use? Halon, dry chemical or Co2? I can't totally recall but I think I read something about dry chemical extinguishers being bad for Lambda sensors just like silicone sprays.

Anyone heard this before or should I stop mixing crack with my Malt Liquor.

[clnilsen]

Originally posted by ruf-porsche
In my previous post to you i said "start the engine and spray a little carb cleaner around the popoff valve.." I guess your little and my little are a little different.

Yep, it was an increadibly dumb thing I did.. I admit it. I guess I was hoping to find the leak, and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. Hopefully no damage, it was the White powdery stuff (Sodium Bicarbonate I think..) We'll have to see tonight.

Thanks for the advice just the same.

Chuck

[Kurt B]

Can't you find a vacuum leak just as easily by spraying water around the areas and looking for it to sputter instead of speed up?

[clnilsen]

Originally posted by Kurt B
Can't you find a vacuum leak just as easily by spraying water around the areas and looking for it to sputter instead of speed up?

Probably would have been better than my attempt at Porsche Flambe!

While we're on it, is there ANY other issue to check that could be causing the Pop-off valve to act up on cold start? I don't think there's a vacuum leak around the base, so is there anything else I can check?

Thanks!

Chuck

[1fastredsc]

Sorry dude, but when i read "Well, after several minitues of looking (and spraying) no leak made itself appearent. But, I guess in my frustration I got a little overzealous in my search to try and find the problem, and got a little too much carb cleaner in the airbox. Well, 1 backfire later, and the engine caught on fire." in my mind i was imagining chevy chase from national lampoons vacation doing this and couldn't stop laughing. Sorry to hear of the fire, should've used water.

[masraum]

Man, don't ever use carb cleaner on anything that isn't really hard. It'll melt plastic.

Glad everything worked out well.