Definitely not the way to start a Saturday...or any day for that matter. Yesterday I realized I needed to add a quart of transmission fluid after I went for a little cruise. My funnel was too big and I didn't wanna make a mess by trying to pour the fluid down the dipstick, so I said I'll just wait till later to take care of it. I left the dipstick halfway out of the hole. Fast forward to this morning...I wanted to get out early to hit the car wash to get the car cleaned up for this afternoon's "daddy-daughter" dance. To make a long story short, the fluid burped out of the dipstick hole and hit my headers and caught fire. I only caught it because I just happened to pull into the nearest gas station to get a little paper funnel to add the transmission fluid. When I stopped, I noticed some smoke...then saw the fire when I popped the hood. I frantically yelled "FIRE!! I NEED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!" to the attendant that was outside cleaning the grounds. He ran inside and I swear it seemed like an eternity for him to find an extinguisher. None were posted outside. His coworker came and handed me the extinguisher and the small flames were out just that quick. It was a scary moment. Luckily there was no real damage other than a bruised ego. The fire was the fluid burning on the headers. Nothing else was really damaged...I just have some residue to get rid of from the extinguisher. Fun times.
Glad you got it out without any major damage, that had to scare the crap out of ya! Fire is one of my biggest fears playing with these old cars. Hence why I have an extinguisher in the floor directly behind the driver's seat in them. I can grab it quick if needed!
And now you know why most organized car shows require a fire extinguisher in order to participate. Go get one and get it in your car...cheapest insurance you'll ever own.
Definitely a lesson learned. I will be putting one in the car TODAY. Thank goodness I stopped at the gas station.
When I had my Wildcat appraised, the appraiser first asked if I had an extinguisher in it. He refused to even look at the car after I told him I didn’t. A quick drive down to ACE hardware solved that issue, and I’ve kept one in my cars ever since.
It's the same when you are in a accident, the time seems to slow down and you just can't seem to do anything about it. Just watch as it unfolds before you..
I have several Amerex Halotron extinguishers. In the garage and in the cars. http://amerex-fire.com/products/halotron-i-clean-agent-extinguishers/ These are terrific for knocking down a fire in seconds. They are "clean", as they leave no residue. I have fought aircraft fires, cooking grease fires, grass fires, electrical and car fires and have used CO2, Purple K, dry chemical and Halon. Halon was the most effective and least post-fire clean up. The dry stuff will produce dust clouds, and you will breath it and get it in your eyes. It comes out with considerable force. (I shot a flaming 12 inch skillet full of frying chicken up an 8 foot wall and it hit the ceiling with enough force to break the sheetrock and scatter hot chicken all over the entire kitchen, and yes, I got spattered) I hit the pan from about 5 feet away with a 5 lb bottle. Purple K was the worst (like sticky powder and paste) and the dry chem was right behind that one. This was on a 1967 Squareback VW engine fire. Never got all that crap out of the car. CO2 is clean, but if you have a fuel fed fire or persistent, you will find yourself beating the flames with the empty bottle, and "ain't nobody got time fo dat". Halitron has replaced Halon, (Thanks EPA) and is the same family of chlorinated chemistry and will produce phosgene as a by product of contact with fire/high heat, so be mindful if using in a shop, or that you do not breathe the offgassing component. I also like battery isolator/disconnects on older cars. Thanks for a good reminder of how quickly things can go badly.
Good info/insight, TrunkMonkey. Being in the aviation aviation field, I’ve always assumed Purple K was the best way to go. Thanks for presenting this POV
Important thing is to match the extinguisher to the type fire/fuel and environment to he encountered. What works in on the side of the road vs in a garage with door closed is a big difference. Even if all other things are the same. Think through every scenario, then decide best/worst situation. If you ever are faced with a "bad day", you will be a few moves ahead.
Scary stuff, glad it wasn't too serious of a blaze for you. I installed a Co2 extinguisher in my trunk a couple of years ago for one of those "just in case" moments. Painted it with Eastwoods "Buick red" ceramic paint as a test spray subject....
Maybe Teslas should come with them, although it’d need to be a big one! https://sputniknews.com/science/201806191065532289-tesla-car-fire-reaction/ Patrick
While better than nothing, I prefer to stay away from dry chemical extinguishers...corrosive. When EPA banned Halon in '94, I went with FE-36...might try Halotron next time around... ...it's not Tesla but battery technology. Anything using that tech is subject, and fires are hard to extinguish. Fire departments are getting specialized training.
