runamok151
1 ton status
x2
I used to keep a pair of 5 and 10 lb CO2 extinguishers in my truck. Now I have two of these elements
CK5
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Scenario; engine fire what do you do?
- Thread starter 76zimmer
- Start date
I used to keep a pair of 5 and 10 lb CO2 extinguishers in my truck. Now I have two of these elements
79rustyk10
3/4 ton status
Log onto Progressive, and up my coverage.
I've experienced one engine fire on an early Bronco on a wheeling trip back when I was in college. Everything that should not have been done was done. Too many people trying to help made the matter sketchy for sure.
I agree to have a fire extinguisher in an accessible spot. IF fire is discovered then shut the engine off to kill the fuel pump (mech or electric). Shoot through the fenders and carefully open the hood keeping it low and then shoot it from there to finish it off.
I agree to have a fire extinguisher in an accessible spot. IF fire is discovered then shut the engine off to kill the fuel pump (mech or electric). Shoot through the fenders and carefully open the hood keeping it low and then shoot it from there to finish it off.
I personally have had an engine fire experience it was in a muscle car electrical then melted the fuel lines and turned into fuel fire imo.
Noticed small fire under the vehicle more like light flickering first thought was open hood get extinguisher did not have one on board . Once the hood got opened which I wouldn’t suggest doing if you can help it . As soon as I opened th hood IMO the oxygen stokes the fire and grew fast . I like the spray through the fender wells idea but wouldn’t work well in this case . In a hurry and panic I pushed to a curb and grabbed a water hose ( bad idea with a fuel fire by the way ) which I knew but my car I built was burning luckily I was able to extinguish the fire before The fire department arrived.
Noticed small fire under the vehicle more like light flickering first thought was open hood get extinguisher did not have one on board . Once the hood got opened which I wouldn’t suggest doing if you can help it . As soon as I opened th hood IMO the oxygen stokes the fire and grew fast . I like the spray through the fender wells idea but wouldn’t work well in this case . In a hurry and panic I pushed to a curb and grabbed a water hose ( bad idea with a fuel fire by the way ) which I knew but my car I built was burning luckily I was able to extinguish the fire before The fire department arrived.
All I can relate to you is my real three "life experience" fires.
1) I got home one night and brother was there. We were going out running (cruising) around but I told him I needed to replace the fuel line to the carb before we could go.(told him that the day before.) When I got home he said he'd already replaced it. Struck me as odd since he couldn't change a spark plug. This was on an '67 or '68 Ford Fairlane GT big block. We drove to town about ten miles away when car died and smoke started rolling out from under hood. Not knowing what the problem was, I opened the hood. Top of engine erupted in fire. I beat it out with my hands, batting at it furiously. Turned out he looked in the trunk and found a piece of clear plastic hose and installed that. Fuel ate through it causing fire. He kept yelling for me to get back but it was my only car so I wasn't about to lose it. Had to replace some wiring but I got the fire out without any serious burns After that I kept a fire extinguisher in my cars.
2) Had a '68 Shelby GT Mustang that had electrical fire in engine compartment. Luckily had a dry chemical extinguisher (because of above incident.). Made one heck of a mess but saved the car.
3) Saw a guy on the side of the road with jacket trying to put out engine fire. I jumped out and yelled for the guy to get back. Tried to fire the extinguisher on the fire and nothing happened! (Probably didn't keep up with it's charge thinking they'd last forever.) Yelled, "Sorry buddy,! Get back at it!" Another guy showed up with working extinguisher but by then his engine compartment was TOAST. Realized I needed to keep extinguisher serviced...DUH! Stayed there till it was out. Luckily the guy just thanked me for at least stopping and trying to help. Learned a lesson about regular servicing of extinguishers!
One last thing, later in life I kept a fire extinguisher under my driver's side seat. Was driving down the highway when the vehicle suddenly filled with a plume a white powder. Turned out the extinguisher rolled out the back onto the rear floor and my my toddler saw it, climber out of his car seat and somehow managed to fire that mother off! Luckily he had it pointed at the back of my seat and not at his face (probably would have blinded him.) Lesson learned from that on was to secure it on the front floorboard with mounting bracket to keep out of reach of children and be readily accessible.
Can't fix stupid! (Must run in the family!)
1) I got home one night and brother was there. We were going out running (cruising) around but I told him I needed to replace the fuel line to the carb before we could go.(told him that the day before.) When I got home he said he'd already replaced it. Struck me as odd since he couldn't change a spark plug. This was on an '67 or '68 Ford Fairlane GT big block. We drove to town about ten miles away when car died and smoke started rolling out from under hood. Not knowing what the problem was, I opened the hood. Top of engine erupted in fire. I beat it out with my hands, batting at it furiously. Turned out he looked in the trunk and found a piece of clear plastic hose and installed that. Fuel ate through it causing fire. He kept yelling for me to get back but it was my only car so I wasn't about to lose it. Had to replace some wiring but I got the fire out without any serious burns After that I kept a fire extinguisher in my cars.
2) Had a '68 Shelby GT Mustang that had electrical fire in engine compartment. Luckily had a dry chemical extinguisher (because of above incident.). Made one heck of a mess but saved the car.
3) Saw a guy on the side of the road with jacket trying to put out engine fire. I jumped out and yelled for the guy to get back. Tried to fire the extinguisher on the fire and nothing happened! (Probably didn't keep up with it's charge thinking they'd last forever.) Yelled, "Sorry buddy,! Get back at it!" Another guy showed up with working extinguisher but by then his engine compartment was TOAST. Realized I needed to keep extinguisher serviced...DUH! Stayed there till it was out. Luckily the guy just thanked me for at least stopping and trying to help. Learned a lesson about regular servicing of extinguishers!
One last thing, later in life I kept a fire extinguisher under my driver's side seat. Was driving down the highway when the vehicle suddenly filled with a plume a white powder. Turned out the extinguisher rolled out the back onto the rear floor and my my toddler saw it, climber out of his car seat and somehow managed to fire that mother off! Luckily he had it pointed at the back of my seat and not at his face (probably would have blinded him.) Lesson learned from that on was to secure it on the front floorboard with mounting bracket to keep out of reach of children and be readily accessible.
Can't fix stupid! (Must run in the family!)
I've had fire extinguishers that rode around in my truck so long ,they didn't even fart when I tried using them..those "disposeable" ones suck for that..and none will retain a charge if you only discharge a small amount of the powder or gas...
Despite the "rules" saying never use water on a fire fed by fuel,I have not had my garden hose fail yet to put out a few gasoline fires quickly..
I keep a large box of baking soda in my truck cab,I don't expect that to work as well as a real extinguisher,but its better than nothing..
If I think the fire under the hood has too good a head start--I'd just grab any valuables out of the cab and RUN and let it burn..
My truck is no prize ,it can be replaced,and that is what fire & theft insurance is for...
I probably wouldn't want the task of trying to resurect a truck after a fire even if it was "minor"...once wires get toasted and metal gets all the paint burned off,it'll be a rotted P-O-S in short order no matter how well you try prepping the metal..that smell will never go away either--we had cars that burnt in the junkyard that still stunk like the day it happened years later..
Despite the "rules" saying never use water on a fire fed by fuel,I have not had my garden hose fail yet to put out a few gasoline fires quickly..
I keep a large box of baking soda in my truck cab,I don't expect that to work as well as a real extinguisher,but its better than nothing..
If I think the fire under the hood has too good a head start--I'd just grab any valuables out of the cab and RUN and let it burn..
My truck is no prize ,it can be replaced,and that is what fire & theft insurance is for...
I probably wouldn't want the task of trying to resurect a truck after a fire even if it was "minor"...once wires get toasted and metal gets all the paint burned off,it'll be a rotted P-O-S in short order no matter how well you try prepping the metal..that smell will never go away either--we had cars that burnt in the junkyard that still stunk like the day it happened years later..
I always carry fire extinguishers in my trucks!
I learned a valuable lesson about fires....
Sadly...
I learned a valuable lesson about fires....
Sadly...
there is so much grease on it i think it would help with the fire and add fuel
Do the opposite of this guy.
Did he pickup a gas can? In a desperate situation people do desperate things. I hope he is ok.
I think prevention is important. Check your tranny lines and make sure there is no rubbing and the lines are secure with the factory clips. Replace old fuel hoses. Check fuel lines for leaks and holes. I replaced my fuel lines with inline tube stainless. My od lines looked ok but after taking them out there was ruust inside the lines.
One time in the garage there was a leak near the fuel pump and it was spraying fuel on the engine. It was caught in time before anything ignited. Since then I've been very carefull to check the lines to make sure everything is good.
I've thought about installing a fire prevention system were I would open a valve and fire suppression would enter the engine compartment.
One time in the garage there was a leak near the fuel pump and it was spraying fuel on the engine. It was caught in time before anything ignited. Since then I've been very carefull to check the lines to make sure everything is good.
I've thought about installing a fire prevention system were I would open a valve and fire suppression would enter the engine compartment.
In this video the fire keeps burning even after it looks like it is out.
this could have gone really bad... why don't they tell him his engine is on fire.
Exactly. As much as we all like to see a funny video this really shows what can happen when there is no plan. This guy had no fire extinguisher and had never thought about plan B. He kept cranking but that only works for a backfire through the carb. Had he immediately pulled off his shirt and smothered the small fire, the large panic fire would not have started. Had there been a fire extinguisher handy also no big fire. @76zimmer has done a good thing here making us think ahead so when it all goes wrong we have a chance at doing the right thing.
By all means the first thing you should go is get everyone out of the vehicle to safety, no vehicle is worth risking a life over.
A few years back my father bought a used Jeep CJ and the engine caught fire in the dunes when a friend was driving it. He panicked and got out and ran, my father happened to be behind him and ran over and flipped open the hood and threw a bunch of sand on it and put the fire out before it got out of control.
I think if the fire would of been larger it would of been too late as opening the hood may have made it worse yet.
Ever since then I keep a fire extinguisher in my truck. Just check it occasionally to make sure the gauge is still in the green (just like the boat fire extinguishers). They only last so many years and then they need to be replaced.
A few years back my father bought a used Jeep CJ and the engine caught fire in the dunes when a friend was driving it. He panicked and got out and ran, my father happened to be behind him and ran over and flipped open the hood and threw a bunch of sand on it and put the fire out before it got out of control.
I think if the fire would of been larger it would of been too late as opening the hood may have made it worse yet.
Ever since then I keep a fire extinguisher in my truck. Just check it occasionally to make sure the gauge is still in the green (just like the boat fire extinguishers). They only last so many years and then they need to be replaced.
I have two of the Elements,the large ones. Hope they work as advertised.
Done that, it worked. Old carbed 350 backfired through the old worn exhaust flapper valve thingy on the pass. exhaust manifold. It ignited the caked on gunk around it. Had about a quarter of the 2 liter left for the ride home.
P.s..,when I get my trucks back on the road the WILL have extinguishers ( plural) on board.
That is another thing... keeping an engine clean. My 350 has alot of grease and dirt caked on it. I suppose that can be an ignition source.
I do have a '77 and '79 K5. I have a fire extinguisher in the back of the '79, just for CYA. It's the full size, not the aerosol type.
bigred88
1/2 ton status
As a paid firefighter, I figured I'd chime in with a bit of what I've learned.
First- extinguisher selection. Two main choices- oxygen exclusion (like the halon mentioned earlier or a more common CO2) or chemical disruption (dry chemical). The CO2 works by flooding the immediate fire area with CO2 (or whatever the agent of choice), thereby displacing the oxygen. No oxygen, no fire. Also, these tend to be "clean," meaning they don't leave a residue and they don't damage electronics. But, if the burning materials are hot enough to self ignite, they will burn again as soon as more oxygen is nearby. On a windy day, this can happen very quickly.
The dry chem will interrupt the chemical reaction that creates fire, chemically extinguishing it. These are very effective, and they are persistent, meaning once the fire is out, there is little chance of reignition. Downside is they leave a residue that gets everywhere and takes a while to clean, and can damage electronics. That said, I once accidentally discharged one of these into the cab of a firetruck
, and there was no lasting damage, just a few hours I had to spend cleaning... I think a more concentrated shot directly onto sensitive equipment might do some damage.
If I was only going to have one extinguisher, it would be dry chem, no questions asked. You feel really dumb dumping a CO2 extinguisher only to have the fire reignite 5 seconds later. Done that... If you were going to have two, I would consider having a CO2 (or similar) as the first one to be used (because of it being clean), with a dry chem as a backup (because they're more effective).
If we're talking a shop/garage extinguisher, get the biggest dry chem you can effectively handle, and have it quickly accessible. Don't even consider a CO2- you're not only worried about the damage to your truck, but your whole building. I'll clean up an engine compartment and replace a few sensors any day instead of chancing that.
First- extinguisher selection. Two main choices- oxygen exclusion (like the halon mentioned earlier or a more common CO2) or chemical disruption (dry chemical). The CO2 works by flooding the immediate fire area with CO2 (or whatever the agent of choice), thereby displacing the oxygen. No oxygen, no fire. Also, these tend to be "clean," meaning they don't leave a residue and they don't damage electronics. But, if the burning materials are hot enough to self ignite, they will burn again as soon as more oxygen is nearby. On a windy day, this can happen very quickly.
The dry chem will interrupt the chemical reaction that creates fire, chemically extinguishing it. These are very effective, and they are persistent, meaning once the fire is out, there is little chance of reignition. Downside is they leave a residue that gets everywhere and takes a while to clean, and can damage electronics. That said, I once accidentally discharged one of these into the cab of a firetruck
, and there was no lasting damage, just a few hours I had to spend cleaning... I think a more concentrated shot directly onto sensitive equipment might do some damage.If I was only going to have one extinguisher, it would be dry chem, no questions asked. You feel really dumb dumping a CO2 extinguisher only to have the fire reignite 5 seconds later. Done that... If you were going to have two, I would consider having a CO2 (or similar) as the first one to be used (because of it being clean), with a dry chem as a backup (because they're more effective).
If we're talking a shop/garage extinguisher, get the biggest dry chem you can effectively handle, and have it quickly accessible. Don't even consider a CO2- you're not only worried about the damage to your truck, but your whole building. I'll clean up an engine compartment and replace a few sensors any day instead of chancing that.
