Engine lid fire risk ?

[DevonAid]

I found the condition of ALL of my flexible (petrol) fuel lines was appalling when I removed the tank a while back. They were all hard and very brittle - literally falling apart in my hands - and these are continually carrying fuel around the van. Replaced everything to be safe (flow and return pipes).
It is highly recommended that if in doubt, ALL hoses are replaced - stop our lovely campers going up in smoke (not to mention personal risk). The 2-bob fire extinguishers generally carried on board are no match for a fuel fire.
Plenty of previous helpful threads on this forum to guide on correct fuel line size, use of proper fuel clips etc. Do it for peace of mind and occupants.

[weldore]

also,if you have a fire in the engine bay,
1.who would be daft enough to open that lid,
2.would you be able to open it in the first place....
a fire extinguisher would be no use at all.it is proberbly the most important thing to do,is to make sure your fuel lines are safe
so why am i here typing this when i should be under my van making it safe for my family

[pocolow]

Still not got any 7mm fuel hoses, any ideas where to get them from? Decent ones that is, ie not cloth covered.

[jason k]

also,if you have a fire in the engine bay,
1.who would be daft enough to open that lid,
2.would you be able to open it in the first place....
a fire extinguisher would be no use at all.it is proberbly the most important thing to do,is to make sure your fuel lines are safe
so why am i here typing this when i should be under my van making it safe for my family

1 no one hopefully

2 yeah

3 a fire extinguisher will work, i put my van out when it had two to three foot high flames coming out of the rear vents

i now carry two extinguishers

[Bowton Lad]

Still not got any 7mm fuel hoses, any ideas where to get them from? Decent ones that is, ie not cloth covered.

There's nothing wrong with the rubber cloth covered fuel hose provide it's good quality. VW fitted that type of hose for years. The good stuff usually has some print on it such as B.S.**/**** ie. the relevant British Standard. The stuff on your van could be between 17 & 30 years old!

[weldore]

also,if you have a fire in the engine bay,
1.who would be daft enough to open that lid,
2.would you be able to open it in the first place....
a fire extinguisher would be no use at all.it is proberbly the most important thing to do,is to make sure your fuel lines are safe
so why am i here typing this when i should be under my van making it safe for my family

1 no one hopefully

2 yeah

3 a fire extinguisher will work, i put my van out when it had two to three foot high flames coming out of the rear vents

i now carry two extinguishers

how long was it till your eyebrows grew back

[jason k]

eyebrows were fine it was the undercrackers that were the problem!!!

whenever i drove it for a while after i was staring in the mirror at that rear vent i can tell you!!!

the only signal i had something was wrong was a missfire and it was only by chance that i noticed the flames so early!!! very very scarey!!

[Mr Bean]

My worse fear is electric petrol pumps. I won't use one in my boat - Hot frod 16ooXflow - for obvious reasons but you don't have any choice with fuel injection. Unless of course the ECU knows the engine isn't turning and switches it off. Even then you can lburn a lot of petrol before you tumble it. My mates wife stalled, got a push to the side of the road without turning the ignition off and by that time flames shot up through the the inside of the windscreen babe in back and all! They had to get the kid out and watch it burn. French car anyway so no loss. In theory if you kill the ignition the fire will not be fed with pumped fuel.
Cheers
Wolfie

[AngeloEvs]

Thinking about it, I suppose you could fit an LPG control unit (not expensive) and connect it to control the electric fuel pump instead of the LPG solenoids. Using it in the LPG position would prime the carb for a few seconds (whilst the ignition was on) and then switch the pump off untill the engine has started. Hide the switch unit, flick it to petrol or the mid position and you have disabled the pump and the van too! Alternatively, fit a switch and do it manually for a couple of quid!

[Flibbertigibbet]

My worse fear is electric petrol pumps.
Wolfie

what worse than chip pans ?

[phade]

Still not got any 7mm fuel hoses, any ideas where to get them from? Decent ones that is, ie not cloth covered.

There's nothing wrong with the rubber cloth covered fuel hose provide it's good quality. VW fitted that type of hose for years. The good stuff usually has some print on it such as B.S.**/**** ie. the relevant British Standard. The stuff on your van could be between 17 & 30 years old!

The first thing I would never use is any form of braided hose. They will only hide the fuel hose's condition its self (eg. perishing, cracking, leaking, etc) and the result from that could be dangerous to say the least.

The only fuel hose to get is synthetic yarn fuel hoses, which conform to BSAU or DIN standards. Avoid cheap non-BSAU/non-DIN fuel hoses at all costs!!! You should be able to get BSAU/DIN fuel hoses from your local motor factor (usualy 5.0 mm or 7.0 mm from the fuel tank).

If anyone is struggling to get a fuel hoses which is BSAU or DIN compliant, then there's a seller on eBay ( eBay ID 44nmj ) who sells Goodyear fuel hoses, which are rated at 90 degrees C external temperature.

[156silver]

Having just read this thread and just bought a T25 two things come to mind;

1 - Be very very careful when opening lids, hatches, number plate access, etc as you're suddenly exposing air to the flames. Agreed?

2 - Make sure your fire extinguisher is close at hand. Mine has been mounted in the rear of the van but it will be moved soon to somewhere more accessible to the driver/passenger!!

Be safe and if in doubt, let it burn and claim on the insurance.