Oh dear.....please everyone, carry a fire extinguisher in your car.... 
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Oh the Humanity
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Barber
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That's enough to make a man cry....
Grim . What would be the most likely cause? Carb problems or rotted fuel lines?
. What would be the most likely cause? Carb problems or rotted fuel lines?
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rotted fuel lines, mine looked perfect (original too) but kept smelling gas.....after replacing them the smell went away. Sad video.
Wow! That's a horrible sight to those of us that understands the time, money, and love that goes into the "Relationship" we build with our "Outcast" Mustangs! When I was showing my cars at MCA events, there was a mandatory rule of having a working fire extinguisher visible to the judges. Got tired of taking extinguisher inside every time I got home, so started leaving it in the car. Looks from the amount of fire from under dash could of been electrical. I've seen some shade tree splices where two wires were twisted together and taped with masking tape. I'm sure a lot of you have found a lot of the same things. Just remember, the newest of our Mustangs (73) is 42 years old! Now would be a good time to give your fuel lines and electrical a "Once Over" before your start Crusin' this summer. And if you do find your wire harness to be in really bad shape, send it to Midlife and let him restore it. Be a lot easier to pay him than to accept a "Total Write off" check from the insurance company!!
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72HCODE
"My World is Fire and Blood"
the problem is usually you have the fire extinguisher in the trunk. so by the time you get to it, you better just run away from the car.
most car fires are large enough that the small auto extinguisher we all buy will not put out a fire they are basically just to give you time to jump in and rescue somebody or blow the fire out of your path of escape. you would need a Large extinguisher like hung in a building and not many of us are going to keep that inside the car cabin so it goes in the trunk. you should carry a small extinguisher but you you have to mount it somewhere inside the car where you can get to it. that presents a problem because you drill holes and mount it inside the car and it then you have to look at it all the time. the really tiny ones that fit in the glove box are useless.
another issue is you have to remember to inspect them every 6 months because they leak slow and need to be recharged every so often or you have to buy a replacement.
most of the time the fire extinguisher in your car is used to help somebody else in another car that is on fire.
I kept an extinguisher in my trunk with the thought not to save my car but somebody else. it cost about 40 bucks but again you have to keep replacing it like every 1-2 years.
years ago i was welding my floor pan on the passenger side of another car and i caught the undercoating on fire and i didn't know i had right away so the fire was going for about a minute under the car, i unloaded 2 huge wall hung fire extinguishers under the car, called 911 was firing a garden hose under the car until the fire department came it was still burning when they showed up. at that point i didn't care about the car just my house as the car was in the garage. about another minute and i would of ran away from the house.
the whole thing happened in about 2-3 minutes and the cops and fire dept took another 5 to come.
was lucky i had the hose turned on for the water since i washed another car with it about an hour before.
so just remember carry an extinguisher but realize it will most likely help somebody else and not you.
for small engine fires just remember that powder that comes out to put the flames out gets EVERYWHERE and makes a huge mess, if the engine was running with when you put it out it will get inside also.
some car shows have rules about requiring each car attending to have a fire extinguisher in the trunk or cabin, most have banned those plexy or glass fuel 2 or 3 piece filers as they are known fire hazards. no crazy exhaust mods like spark plugs in the tail pipes for flames either.
if you ever went to a track day the race officials will go all over your car and ok you for getting on the track there are a bunch of things they don't allow like very long rubber fuel hoses, some braided lines are not allowed, again certain filters or fuel rails are considered dangerous.
oh ethanol: I've have seen it eat old fuel lines. I have also seen it soften rubber fuel hoses to the point they weep fuel.
i had to replace the soft fuel lines on my car when NY changed from Gas to 10% ethanol.
every couple of weeks because I'm paranoid i take a look at the fuel lines in the front and back of the car just to make sure they are ok and i check for any pooled gas on the intake,,, all that because it happened to me once, i walked into the garage it stunk of gas i opened the hood and freaked out.
i had to change the hoses to ethanol rated ones. and swap the black rubber holly seals for the new ethanol green rubber seals.
most car fires are large enough that the small auto extinguisher we all buy will not put out a fire they are basically just to give you time to jump in and rescue somebody or blow the fire out of your path of escape. you would need a Large extinguisher like hung in a building and not many of us are going to keep that inside the car cabin so it goes in the trunk. you should carry a small extinguisher but you you have to mount it somewhere inside the car where you can get to it. that presents a problem because you drill holes and mount it inside the car and it then you have to look at it all the time. the really tiny ones that fit in the glove box are useless.
another issue is you have to remember to inspect them every 6 months because they leak slow and need to be recharged every so often or you have to buy a replacement.
most of the time the fire extinguisher in your car is used to help somebody else in another car that is on fire.
I kept an extinguisher in my trunk with the thought not to save my car but somebody else. it cost about 40 bucks but again you have to keep replacing it like every 1-2 years.
years ago i was welding my floor pan on the passenger side of another car and i caught the undercoating on fire and i didn't know i had right away so the fire was going for about a minute under the car, i unloaded 2 huge wall hung fire extinguishers under the car, called 911 was firing a garden hose under the car until the fire department came it was still burning when they showed up. at that point i didn't care about the car just my house as the car was in the garage. about another minute and i would of ran away from the house.
the whole thing happened in about 2-3 minutes and the cops and fire dept took another 5 to come.
was lucky i had the hose turned on for the water since i washed another car with it about an hour before.
so just remember carry an extinguisher but realize it will most likely help somebody else and not you.
for small engine fires just remember that powder that comes out to put the flames out gets EVERYWHERE and makes a huge mess, if the engine was running with when you put it out it will get inside also.
some car shows have rules about requiring each car attending to have a fire extinguisher in the trunk or cabin, most have banned those plexy or glass fuel 2 or 3 piece filers as they are known fire hazards. no crazy exhaust mods like spark plugs in the tail pipes for flames either.
if you ever went to a track day the race officials will go all over your car and ok you for getting on the track there are a bunch of things they don't allow like very long rubber fuel hoses, some braided lines are not allowed, again certain filters or fuel rails are considered dangerous.
oh ethanol: I've have seen it eat old fuel lines. I have also seen it soften rubber fuel hoses to the point they weep fuel.
i had to replace the soft fuel lines on my car when NY changed from Gas to 10% ethanol.
every couple of weeks because I'm paranoid i take a look at the fuel lines in the front and back of the car just to make sure they are ok and i check for any pooled gas on the intake,,, all that because it happened to me once, i walked into the garage it stunk of gas i opened the hood and freaked out.
i had to change the hoses to ethanol rated ones. and swap the black rubber holly seals for the new ethanol green rubber seals.
That sucks......
72HCODE is right about the size extinguisher most people carry in their car. Good to use on a small fire or to help you or someone out of their car. I have a Halon extinquisher I used one time and it was on a friends car. Any one that has owned a GM car with a quadrajet 4v carburetor will understand this. He had a 69 396 with 4v Q/Jet carb. The metering rods had been sticking and dumping a lot of fuel on the intake and air cleaner. Went to crank it and backfired. You know the rest. All the fuel on the intake and the fuel saturated air cleaner element burst into a very hot fire. Was able to spray it while it was small and give Fire Dept time to arrive and finish saving his car.
And yes ethanol is another new problem. Most states now have at least 10% ethanol in the gas. There is now a problem with corrosion in the metal lines and "Weeping" on rubber lines on our old cars. When the ethanol started showing up in our area I started having a lot of carb problems with my 85 4v GT Mustang. Had to find ethanol friendly O rings and seals and change my Rubber fuel lines. I started doing like 72HCODE, check the lines and carbs every few weeks on my 85 and Mach 1"s.
And yes ethanol is another new problem. Most states now have at least 10% ethanol in the gas. There is now a problem with corrosion in the metal lines and "Weeping" on rubber lines on our old cars. When the ethanol started showing up in our area I started having a lot of carb problems with my 85 4v GT Mustang. Had to find ethanol friendly O rings and seals and change my Rubber fuel lines. I started doing like 72HCODE, check the lines and carbs every few weeks on my 85 and Mach 1"s.
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Looks like an Ammeter circuit electrical fire to me. I'm not saying the firefighters made a mistake or anything, but they should've disconnected the battery first. If they'd done that, the dashboard wouldn't have flared up the 2nd time.
But you're right: heartbreaking.
But you're right: heartbreaking.
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Ouch that sucks. I hope he had it insured for the right amount of money to replace it.
John J
John J
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Don65Stang
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That's sad, very sad, but makes all the rest of them more valuable if it was a total loss.
pony ride
Member
I have had a 1kg extinguisher in the shed with the intention of fitting it for some time now, after watching this, tomorrow is the day.
I agree that it looks like an electrical fire, I have a battery isolator at arms length so at least the fire doesn't continue to be fed.
I agree that it looks like an electrical fire, I have a battery isolator at arms length so at least the fire doesn't continue to be fed.
Found this on the internet:
"Just after 1:00 PM Wednesday Afternoon, Whitehall Engine 4 was sent to Chestnut Street near MacArthur Road for a reported automobile fire.
Chief 16 went on location and signaled a working fire. Engine 4 arrived minutes later and stretched on the car fire.
The owner of the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 told Newsworking that the fire appeared to have started near the carburetor.
The car was just about to be sold to an individual that was flying in this weekend to pick it up."
"Just after 1:00 PM Wednesday Afternoon, Whitehall Engine 4 was sent to Chestnut Street near MacArthur Road for a reported automobile fire.
Chief 16 went on location and signaled a working fire. Engine 4 arrived minutes later and stretched on the car fire.
The owner of the 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 told Newsworking that the fire appeared to have started near the carburetor.
The car was just about to be sold to an individual that was flying in this weekend to pick it up."
That, and a million other possible scenarios, is why I never drive the car AFTER it is sold. Heartbreaking.
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former owner (25 yrs) of 1973 Convertible, 351c, A/C, RA
"the problem is usually you have the fire extinguisher in the trunk. so by the time you get to it, you better just run away from the car."
I always place mine on the floor behind the driver's seat. But as pointed out, it's only good for a 15 second shot at whatever is burning....sometimes that's all you need if you're quick enough.
Tough video to watch.
I always place mine on the floor behind the driver's seat. But as pointed out, it's only good for a 15 second shot at whatever is burning....sometimes that's all you need if you're quick enough.
Tough video to watch.
Check your fuel system, and check your eletrical.. When I bought my '73 F-350 5 years ago, the rubber fuel hose in the whole truck was spongy and ready to leak from the E-10 gas.
If I hadn't checked over the wiring on my car, it could have been a car-b-que like the video...
If I hadn't checked over the wiring on my car, it could have been a car-b-que like the video...
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Oh yeah, this is what I first did on my car - there were a lot of wires which did not belong there originally and others where cut, loosen, bad spliced together and so on...
I am sad for this owner - horrible scenes for every car lover!!!
I have a fire extinguisher behind my drivers seat...
I keep my extinguisher on the floor behind the back seat too. Just bought another one today to keep in the trunk.
Did some fire training a few years ago at work, something I didn't know was that the powder in fire extinguishers can settle and "compact" inside the bottle, especially from vibration, and may not then discharge properly. A small whack with a rubber mallet at intervals can free up the powder, or quickly tapping the bottle on something hard (like the road surface) immediately before use to ensure all the powder is free.
"Compacted powder - If not serviced or not correctly serviced the dry chemical powder can settle and compact at the bottom of the fire extinguisher. This result in the powder not discharging either fully or correctly when used."
Did some fire training a few years ago at work, something I didn't know was that the powder in fire extinguishers can settle and "compact" inside the bottle, especially from vibration, and may not then discharge properly. A small whack with a rubber mallet at intervals can free up the powder, or quickly tapping the bottle on something hard (like the road surface) immediately before use to ensure all the powder is free.
"Compacted powder - If not serviced or not correctly serviced the dry chemical powder can settle and compact at the bottom of the fire extinguisher. This result in the powder not discharging either fully or correctly when used."
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