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vehicle fires

bobski
remember the day when you poured gas down your carb to prime it if you ran out of gas? things like that....fires were common from stupid things.

how about today? I see a lot of cars on fire on the side of the road. is there more or less fires with vehicles these days? is it caused by failing parts or what?
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Comments

14 comments

Date Votes
  • Sam06
    I have seen a bunch of them driving from NC to GA and back every month. I have also seen several Hybrid cars on fire and one Tesla. I carry 2 fire extinguishers in my car and one in my truck. THe Car is on the highway all the time. I also got a full sized spare and a 2 ton floor jack in the trunk of the hooptiy(07 Camrey) along with a decent tool kit, jumpers and a case of water with other supplies.

    When I was in GA one summer my Dad was in rehab for 2 months. I drove from about 20 miles on 285 everyday and saw a bunch of vehicles on fire. Most were GMC Large SUVs but a few were the new 4 door wranglers. I saw plenty of Teslas in limp mode too.
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  • bambihunter
    I'd say the old cars were likely from less than ideal designs like glass fuel filters, rubber fuel lines, and other things that leak fuel. Now, I'd say those types of things are largely gone, but now, the cars have many times the amount of electronics in them than before.

    A friend of mine was working on his newer vehicle. It would just barely start, sputter, then die. If it were any of my vehicles, I'd pop the breather element off the carb (83 Hurst/Olds), or down the air intake above the injectors to test if it was possibly a fuel issue. On his, we couldn't ever get his opened up in a way that we could pour/spray gas into it in a manner we felt was safe. I suspected it was fuel pressure and that turned out to be the case. With the key on, the fuel pump would run enough and raise the pressure. As soon as the engine started, it couldn't keep up and it died. While I am fairly comfortable with injection (as a non-mechanic), it seems it is getting harder and harder to diagnose issues without an OBD2 or similar scanner.
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  • select-fire
    Electronics and wiring in the new ones.
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  • Smitty500mag
    My dad stopped to help a woman whose car was on fire one time. He took his fire extinguisher and put it out and then instead of thanks she cussed him out. Evidently she had set it on fire for the insurance. :mrgreen:
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  • jimdeere
    When I was in the volunteer fire department, we would get a call that a vehicle was on fire. Upon arriving at the scene, all we would find was a car with a charred rag in the gas filler neck.
    Someone watched too much TV.
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  • TRAP55
    Cars have a lot of features that are hidden in plain sight.
    Later generations have a little sideways pointing arrow on the fuel gauge. That's to tell you what side the gas filler is on.
    The small indent on top of the air cleaner housing where the wingnut is? That's where you pour a little bit of gas with the nut loosened, wait for it to drain into the carb, then tighten the nut, and start the car. That way you don't light the whole thing on fire.
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  • pulsarnc
    36 years as a firefighter. At the start of my career 90% of car fired were fuel based . Now it is more like 95% of the gore involves the cars electronics
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  • buschmaster
    select-fire wrote:
    Electronics and wiring in the new ones.
    I think it's this. occasionally heard about recalls due to faulty electronics catching cars on fire, never heard of a recall due to fuel system catching cars on fire.
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  • TRAP55
    buschmaster wrote:
    select-fire wrote:
    Electronics and wiring in the new ones.
    I think it's this. occasionally heard about recalls due to faulty electronics catching cars on fire, never heard of a recall due to fuel system catching cars on fire.
    2002? Buick, they kept it under the wire for a long time. My Mom had hers less than two months, stopped in the grocery store parking lot, opened the door, and the whole thing went up. Off duty firemen in the space next to her grabbed her out of the car, or it would have been worse than a toasted Buick.
    Anyone own a old VW Bug that didn't catch fire? No recall there.
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  • gruntled2
    I just took my Kia Soul in last month for a recall related to a fire hazard related to I think the catalytic converter.
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  • Mobuck
    So much stuff packed into such small places and when it gets hot, POOF. Another reason is synthetic(plastic) parts. My 1991 Dodge caught fire and burned to a blob of nothing a long time back.
    I smelled gas and opened the hood to check the problem and it ignited. Investigation by my insurance learned that the most likely cause was a 12" flexible pressurized gas line from the firewall to the engine was the suspect. Coupled with the intermittent problem the vehicle had with showing the symptoms of gas starvation, the determination was the 2 layer gas line was separating. When the gas line failed, it sprayed high pressure gas directly onto the exhaust manifold with predictable results.
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  • bustedknee
    I worked with a guy who owned a Chevy Blazer. One day it went "Whoosh!".
    The spare tire on the rear rack was the only part saved by spectators.
    The tire had a cover with "Blazer" imprinted on it.
    I still get a chuckle when I think of it.

    Blazer...get it.
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  • guns-n-painthorses
    The DOT says I have to have a fire exstingisher in my truck. Sorry, if this truck's on fire, it's gonna burn. I ain't no fireman, and I don't want it back.
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  • RobOz
    Think it might be the internet
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