shaheed

so i decide to take the 951 for a spin today, get down to the mailbox and get out to check it. as i get out of the car i hear a loud pop and smoke starts to come from under the hood. pop it and the area under the intake manifold is on fire . turned off the engine, got the fire extinguisher and put it out.

what's the next step here? i'm guessing i should pull the intake manifold and try to assess the damage before doing anything else? what are the chances nothing besides hoses got damaged? car is sitting on the road in front of my house now, its going to be a bitch getting it back into the garage to work on (i have a long steep driveway). does the fact that the fire continued to burn after switching off the ignition indicate that it was fueled by something other than gas? i changed the oil last week and gave the engine a good look over while i was doing it, noting appear amiss, no evidence of leaks or anything.

i'm shell shocked here.

special tool

WTF? What kind of fuel lines do you have?

herrtzeber

wow very similar thing happened to me also a few weeks ago. mine was the fuel frail and it burst the seal on the fpr somehow and sprayed the manifold. if i had to guess i would think your problem was similar. almost gaurantee it was fuel burning, especially if it was only running for a minute.
the risidual fuel that sprayed out would keep burning or a minute even after you cut the ignition. if you did whwat i did and forgot to cut the ignition it would start on fire again even after you blast it good with the fire extinguisher.

shaheed

jim i have SFR braided lines, checked them just last week to make they tightened properly and not leaking. herrtzeber thanks for the tip, i'll check the rail/fpr for a leak in the daylight tomorrow. i did turn of the ignition the minute i saw the fire. but in the time that i did that and when i got the fire extinguisher going the fire never diminished. how much damage did you suffer herrtzeber?

btw does anyone know if engine fires are covered under comprehensive insurance plans? i'm guessing not but i thought i'd ask. really bummed right now...

special tool

Shaheed - did you have the short rail to damper line done, or was that original?

shaheed

the short line is the oem type, but i did put a new one on two years ago when i put the braided lines.

herrtzeber

when mine litup i jumped out thru the hood and had about a 3 foot column from under the manifold where the fuel collected and i ran across the street into a toyota show room and grabbed their extinguisher and ran back out. that coulnd have been much more then a minute or two but it lit up twice more after i blasted it until i realized my keys so turned them off and then put it out for good.

as far as damgage had to replace maybe 4 rubber lines and a few anonymous wires. one was for the hood light. other then that i jst tried to clean all the extinguisher crap off. btw supposedy that stuf corrodes alluminum very badly. get it off if you didnt already.

Perry 951

It depends on what specified perils the policy covers, and the amount of damage. Depending on your deductible, it may not be worth reporting. If you think you may have 150% of your deductible in damage, I would report it. Do not do any work on it before an adjuster sees it if you decide to report it.

NZ951

I am deleting my fuel dampener next week. Less things to go wrong the better.

shaheed

**** i was afraid of that, that stuff is all over the engine bay and even on the hood. how did you clean it? i was hoping i could blast it with some air and it would come off, but i'm guessing thats wishful thinking?

Perry 951

Lots of soap and water. Make sure you have the battery disconnected and senstive areas bagged off with old grocery bags and hose it down. Scrub it up good with a nylon brush and dish soap, rinse, repeat.

If you have a camera, I suggest taking some shots before you wash it all off. It helps with the insurance answer above.

shaheed

deductible is $100, but i can't find any references in the policy to engine fires. guess i'll call them tomorrow and find out.

Perry 951

Your agent should be able to tell you pretty quick what it covers. That's what you pay them money for.
Boy, you'd save a chunk by upping your duduct to $500 and repairing the little things yourself. Something to think about down the road.

David Floyd

That stinks, hope it is just minimal damage

fast951

Shaheed, sorry to hear about the mishap. Take lots of pictures, get the date in some of the pictures (a newspaper with the date on it works). Even record with a video camera some footage of the damage.

Before pulling the manifold off, try to clean the fire ext. residues off as much as possible. Remove intake and replace all fuel lines, vacuum lines and inspect/fix the wiring harness..

Engine should be covered, I think a fire is a fire... However, filing a claim might raise your premium, so it must be worth it.. Of course the insurance might decide to total the car.. Engine fire, hoes, wiring harness, possible engine damage adds up an the insurance company may decide to total it.. Remember, they go by factory prices not RennList used parts prices...