Fire Extinguisher...

DorianL

DorianL

solid fixture here in the forum
Staff member
Used mine! Glad it was there...

A buddy of mine just bought a classic Mini... he wanted to try wrenching on my chevy for a day to see what it's like to work on a classic car.

Well, he spilled about 1/2 a quart of ATF next to the trans filler tube and onto the bellhousing. Grmbl.

I start up the motor... and a minute or two later he asks me if there is something on fire underneath the car.

!!!!

Sure enough, I see some flame. Since the car is on stands, I give him a rag and tell him to dash under there and try to smother it.

I darted for the fire extinguisher: passenger footwell, come back and Pssssshhhhhtttttt! poor dude who was unsuccessful at smothering the fire had just enough time to dodge the CO2 cone! Heheheheh...

Very effective!

This is the first time my car catches fire. Thanks "buddy!"

Turns out, some ATF got on the thermal insulation layer I had wrapped around the steelbraid trans cooling lines. The insulation was slightly frayed and soaked in ATF caught fire from the contact against headers...

Anyway - glad I had the extinguisher. Only think I will do differently... keep it outside and infront of the car when I am tinkering on it.

:D

D
 
Glad it was not any worse! Did it cause any damage?

At my parents house about 40 years ago, my brother was working on the in-laws carburetor. Had it off and was working with it on the bench. Son is changing spark plugs and shorts across the starter motor. Engine starts turning over and pumping gas on top the engine. Plugs wires are off so we have sparks and then FIRE. Engine continues to turn pumping more gasoline. Now we have a BIG FIRE.

Burnt the front of the wood frame garage and all the wiring from the dash forward. Got new wiring harness fixed car, painted garage. Everything is normal again and now we have a good story to tell!!! :roll:
 
I can imagine freaking out as the carb-less engine keeps cranking... sparks all over the place... Eeeeek!!!!!
 
Ive ALMOST always had SEVERAL fire extinguishers, mounted near every door in my shop for the last 30 plus years, because IVE seen several freinds shops damaged when little stuff , like that ,that your describing ,quickly got out of control , and when the ready access of an extinguisher, was not available.
garagefire9.jpg

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOSE IF A GARAGE CATCHES FIRE!
co2.JPG

no garage or shop should be without one of these mounted near the door where its easily located in an emergency

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BUCKEY ... Pid=search

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=81&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

http://amerex-fire.com/products/hand-po ... nguishers/

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=81&p=104&hilit=extinguisher#p104

IF you work on cars on a consistent basis and do major repairs or mods its only a matter of time before you'll eventually need one....ID highly recommend having SEVERAL, and a CO2 type makes far less of a mess than the dry chemical style

IF ANYONE knows a good source for reasonably priced 10-15 lb CO2 fire extinguishers please post it, Ive got 4- 15 lb dry chemical versions in the shop, but they make a total mess if used so I vastly prefer the CO2 type but they are hard to locate and expensive
 
http://www.hotrodhotline.com/pr/2011/to ... rage_fire/
another example in an ENDLESS LIST of examples of why you NEED to have at least TWO fire extinguishers in your shop (ONE AT EVERY DOOR FRAME) its NOT A MATTER OF (IF) YOULL NEED ONE!< ITS SIMPLY HOW LONG IT WILL BE BEFORE YOULL NEED ONE BADLY

Garage-Fire-3316-Verdugo-2_1_1_.jpg

Garage-Fire-3316-Verdugo-3_1_1_.jpg

garagefire9.jpg

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU LOOSE IF A GARAGE CATCHES FIRE!

".......after attempting to start the car and it backfired and caught fire. Firefighters made a quick knock down but were unable to save the garage or any of it's contents which included a 1940 Ford Coupe and a mobile trailer sitting near the garage. .......The damage was listed at $30,000 to the garage and $60,000 to it's contents with no injuries to firefighters and the cause is being listed as an accidental backfire from the cars engine."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top