Under the bonnet fires

[humax300]

I'm always checking the emergency scan sites and noticed that there seems to be a noticeble number of car fires,not the trash and burn ones and wonder is it due to alternators breaking down, I know that my motorcycle has a large fuse between the battery and regulator to prevent a regulator breakdown dumping into the generator,all cars that I know have not a fuse between the battery and alternator and wondered if it would be a good idea to install something to prevent this.

[gordon_s1942]

Most modern cars have alternators that put out quite high currents when running, far more than the old generator ever could or even cars 15~20 years old with alternators did.
it might be just me but I tend to think most modern cars run 'hotter' than they used to and with the engine bay jammed packed with everything, somethings got to give.

While the vehicle may not have what you think is a fuse, I would be very surprised if the first part of the lead from the Battery isnt a 'Fusible Link' which is designed to melt out if too heavy a load occurs (short circuit).
Godzilla could advise on this as he is both involved in the Motor Trade as well as a mad REV HEAD too.

For Car owners it could be a good idea to carry a pair of heavy duty bolt/cable cutters to cut the lead if possible if a fire occurs as well as a couple of bottles of Coka Cola because if at room temperature, when shaken they emit a foam you could spray over a fire.

[lsemmens]

I like the coke idea, but that could introduce a whole new realm of problems. like corrosion. .

I had an under bonnet fire some years back. Lifted the bonnet to see what the smoke was about, and promptly raced to the boot, pulled out a jerry can and threw petrol on it! Insurance paid out. Reason, I made a stupid mistake and grabbed the wrong jerry. Petrol was in a 10L red can, water was in a 20L green can. I showed the assessor, and was honest about it so the company was happy to oblige. New car needed, of course.

[gordon_s1942]

Isemmens, consider the option of putting out a fire before it totals everything or worrying about if the medium used ie Coke or PEPSI (I forgot how foamy room temp Pepsi is) may cause corrosion to the paint work?

Better a rusting car than a burnt out wreck methinks !!!

[whitey66]

I like the coke idea, but that could introduce a whole new realm of problems. like corrosion. .

I had an under bonnet fire some years back. Lifted the bonnet to see what the smoke was about, and promptly raced to the boot, pulled out a jerry can and threw petrol on it! Insurance paid out. Reason, I made a stupid mistake and grabbed the wrong jerry. Petrol was in a 10L red can, water was in a 20L green can. I showed the assessor, and was honest about it so the company was happy to oblige. New car needed, of course.

Lucky it wasn't one of your mates on fire .

[WhiteOx]

You'd need a fair bit of Coke to put out a car fire.

[lsemmens]

Isemmens, consider the option of putting out a fire before it totals everything or worrying about if the medium used ie Coke or PEPSI (I forgot how foamy room temp Pepsi is) may cause corrosion to the paint work?

Better a rusting car than a burnt out wreck methinks !!!

Of course the coke is the lesser of two evils. I'd probably use Soda Water, though, Same effect, less sugar.

[allover]

An article in the Sun Herald yesterday about under bonnet fires said the Glycol? the additive put in radiators is actually inflammable, so if you have a radiator leak it could go up in flames

[bob_m_54]

The Glycol in the additives is far too diluted to catch fire.

[loanrangiel]

The Glycol in the additives is far too diluted to catch fire.

It would be the Ethylene component that catches fire and i have heard of cases where hot coolant that has sprayed over a hot motor has exacerbated an engine fire.
Modern engines run hot to help cut down emissions.

[bob_m_54]

Something I didn't consider was the "pre-mixed" or use straight from the bottle coolants.
Something like AC Delco Dex Cool, according to the MSDS, has a percentage of Ethylene Glycol 60-<100 %, and has a flashpoint of 115°C (minimum) and is classed as Not Flammable. But it is usually used in a mix ratio of around 50% with water, so that would make it even less flammable. What about the use straight from the container coolants, are their Ethylene Glycol as high? or pre diluted to bring it down to a similar level?

[RedXT]

Fire extinguishers are cheap thease days I carry at least 1 in all my cars

[bob_m_54]

Fire extinguishers are cheap thease days I carry at least 1 in all my cars

Just hope you don't have to rely on it to put out a fire that, isn't just a dry fuel fire in an area that you can cover and smother with the dry powder. Unfortunately, if it's a fire being fed from a fuel line leak, spraying fuel around the engine compartment, best course of action is to make sure you have your insurance details handy.