I am the lord of hellfire and i bring you...

[loggyboy]

... extinguisher powder.


Had a little .... accident.

http://www.loggyboy.com/images/MeritMk2/Fire/Fire1.jpg

http://www.loggyboy.com/images/MeritMk2/Fire/Fire2.jpg

http://www.loggyboy.com/images/MeritMk2/Fire/Fire3.jpg

Was in the process of removing the head, there was a little fuel splashed in the reccesses of the manifold and id forgotten to do stage 1 of the Haynes instructions (disconnect battery), managed to earth out the starter motor, which lead to sparks and then flames. My imediate reaction was to do the cartoon blow out the fire... the flames were a good 10inches so that wasnt gonna work, luckily my trusty extenguisher was mounted in the car so i whipped it out and SHHUUUSSHHHH out goes the flames.

Fortunately i cant see ANY damage even to the cables and hoses imediately in the flames path, i gues it was just the fuel that was burning so I must have put it out just in time.

Spent the next half hour hovering all the powder up!!

Lesson learnt.

[Adam]

Could of been much worse.
Lucky you had an extinguisher to hand

[loggyboy]

Yes, the fuel line was exposed so god knows what would have happened if it had found a root along there, however unlikely. Just gotta rememeber to buy a new extinguisher now!

I recommend everyone buys one tomorrow.

[Benn]

Christ, that was lucky.

[Jay]

Ohhh!

[Adam]

Could of been me the other day, i was draining my fuel tank using the fuel pump, had the feed pipe off the rail, pumping into a petrol can.
When i suddenly realised to turn the pump on and off i was putting a jump lead off a battery onto the negative cable on the shell, which usually gives a spark or two lol

[loggyboy]

I found a good way of unfueling it, i removed the pressure release valve of the rail (its the same fitting as a tyre valve) then pushed a tube on to the end of it and that fed in to my petrol can, it ment the fuel wasnt exposed when close to the battery.

[ade]

you still got your eyebrows!?!

[General Baxter]

thats what caused my fire in the cav, lol

small fire, i blew on it, it exploded lol

[novalicous]

i did some thing very similar was breaking a mk3 astra sport removed the plug leads(i save evry thinglol ) disconnected fuel pipes and was going to drain it ,went to remove keys from ignition for some thing but i must have flicked the ignition on for a second and was walking away from the car and relised heat was escaping from the bonnet and thort bugga so my first reaction was to pop the bonnet which made things ten times worse thus me ending up with very singed facial hair lol luckly had a extiguisher in the kitchen

[General Baxter]

i was running in and out the house with a cup of water, lol

iv now got a few large fire extinguisher

[Riggy]

very lucky fella , i too always have a extinguisher in the nova at all times

[General Baxter]

very lucky fella , i too always have a extinguisher in the nova at all times

i have to have one on me at all times by law lol

[~~joycey~~]

I hate stuff catching fire when working on cars its scares the **** outta me ! :(

[mowgli]

a damp rag is a very useful extinguisher..

about the running of the fuel pump. take the relay out & make up a short connecting wire with 2 spades on it. then you can simply run the pump safely at full speed.

I once drained 8 gallons out of my written off 1.2 with the washer pump. once I'd sucked on the pipe to get it primed, it worked a treat....

[Jack]

thats what caused my fire in the cav, lol

small fire, i blew on it, it exploded lol
You heard it here first, Baxter breathes explosions

[andy_017]

I did exactly the same thing but the only thing to hand for me was a bowl full of dirty dish water full of rice crispies and spoons which all went straight over my engine I have since bought a fire extinguisher!

[Stuart]

powder + aluminium + 12 months later = no aluminium :(

[dj_wudgey]

im going to get one off them now like just incase lol

[Emmy]

Yeah you were lucky you put it out in time loggyboy, hopefully there's nothing damaged to much.

[burgo]

lucky lucky boy

[loggyboy]

powder + aluminium + 12 months later = no aluminium :(
Explain, thank you please

[mayhem]

iirc powder is a bitch to the wiring to..

i have a 2,5 litre extingusher in my car (bought it inmediatly after the spanishfly story)

[jimbob-mcgrew]

damn that musta been a close call, lucky u had the equipment and reacted quick :thumb:

nothing worse than watching your pride and joy engulfed in flames and not being able to do anything about it, fires hefty stuff when it gets going.

[mowgli]

if you buy a dry powder extinguisher, do not, I repeat, Do Not test it... the powder gets in the valve & lets the gas out, thus when something is on fire, it will burn.........
I sold 100 9kg's to a haulage fleet in 1994 & the goods inwards man tested every last one.. one day, a lorry set on fire & the driver couldn't put it out....I had major trouble with an insurance claims man until the manufacturer tested them...

even if you only put a small fire out, the extinguisher is scrap......

[Mike]

Ive put a fuel fire out with my bare hands a few times. Silly I know, effective, yes it was.

[Stuart]

Explain, thank you please


The powder in fire extinguishers eats aluminium once introduced to heat :( it takes about a year to do it...

hence why a lot of the elise guys will just let the car go up in smoke rather than put it out as the insurance dosent cover "12 months later the chassis rots due to extinguishing" :(

[Bubba]

The powder in fire extinguishers eats aluminium once introduced to heat :( it takes about a year to do it...

hence why a lot of the elise guys will just let the car go up in smoke rather than put it out as the insurance dosent cover "12 months later the chassis rots due to extinguishing" :(

interesting...didnt know that, what extinguisher do you recommend then?

[Stuart]

a fire engine lol.

Foam or non powder CO2.

I think its a bigger issue on "thin" aly rather than big ass castings, but would you want to risk it?