fuel systems,fuel lines,..and fires..., The very next project you should do!!!! Options

[ME733]

Well for what it,s worth I would like to make a comment addressed to everyone about ......FIRES and destroyed cars...After doing some reading on 914 world, and other places it seems to be an unfortunate occurance, too often, that an otherwise beautiful car, just burns to the ground,into a virtural pile of unsalvagable parts.a crispy critter. I would like to recommend that the FIRST PROJECT YOU DO NEXT...is to throughly check every part on your fuel and fuel delivery system to ensure that there are zero leaks,and tight fittings,with new, er,ish, good fuel lines.Do not neglict the gas tank,or fuel pump, and filters..suspect everything, assume nothing... jump in and make your suggestions,and recommendations or comment.

[ghuff]

Well for what it,s worth I would like to make a comment addressed to everyone about ......FIRES and destroyed cars...After doing some reading on 914 world, and other places it seems to be an unfortunate occurance, too often, that an otherwise beautiful car, just burns to the ground,into a virtural pile of unsalvagable parts.a crispy critter. I would like to recommend that the FIRST PROJECT YOU DO NEXT...is to throughly check every part on your fuel and fuel delivery system to ensure that there are zero leaks,and tight fittings,with new, er,ish, good fuel lines.Do not neglict the gas tank,or fuel pump, and filters..suspect everything, assume nothing... jump in and make your suggestions,and recommendations or comment.

I will second this. My lines on my l-jet car looked ok on first inspection but once you move them and clean them up 100% you can see small cracks.

Not good, that is a line that is too few heat cycles and vibration cycles from failing when it is that dry.

I am actually not driving my car until the rubber lines I have are installed and I have a small fire extinguisher to keep in it.

The line routing on my Type IV is retarded to begin with, they run the fuel line across the engine tin and all over.

The cold start injector feed bugs me. I think my cold start injector does not even work.

[jjbunn]

What type of fire extinguisher should be fitted, where should it be attached, and where is the best place to buy one from?

[Tom]

Couldn't agree more! I dropped my engine right after I got the car to repair oil leaks and replaced all of the rubber fuel lines and braided lines under the tank and replaced the fuel filter. Some were in poor condition. It only takes one! At the same time replaced all of the vacuum lines.
Back in the 70's, when I had my first 914, I was going down the road with the top off and myself and my friend kept feeling cool small drops fall on our arms. What the heck we thought. No rain, no clouds. A few seconds more and them we could smell the gas. Key off, drift to shoulder and pop the engine lid. Wow, gas everywhere. One of the small lines from the fuel rail to the injector on the passenger side had cracked and was spitting gas into the air. I had an extinguisher and got it out. Didn't have a fire, thank god. Did have some great electrical tape and effected a repair. Started it up and had no leak, so drove it 5 miles home. Maybe in retrospect, not the best idea, but made it ok. Got all of the necessary fuel line and replaced every rubber line. The car was only 5 years old. Imagine what shape the fuel lines are in some of the cars we are buying now. I have always wondered what would have been the result if I had not had the top off and not felt the drops and smelled gas. Probably a good idea to replace these every 5 years or so.
Tom

[Katmanken]

After having watched one burn from an on the top of the engine gas leak, I can say that if the fuel lines on the top of the engine take a dump, the flaming gas will pour under the car and burn through the plastic lines unde the car. If that happens, there is a lot less chance of stopping it as the gravity fed gas pours from the new lower exit under the engine compartment...

[zymurgist]

A very wise precaution. When I had Babydoll in for a checkup, her owner complained of a strong gas odor. Not a good thing with typical FI fuel pressure. I replaced all the rubber from the gas tank to the injectors, including fabricating some tunnel fuel lines out of truck brake lines from the FLAPS. I even bent some steel lines to fit the shape of the the engine compartment, so it's steel all the way from the short fuel pump lines to the point where the rubber lines connect to the engine fuel lines. No more gasoline aroma and much more peace of mind.

If I had to do it again, I would buy a set of lines from Racer Chris. They weren't yet available when I did this job.

Make sure you get 7mm FI hose where it's called for. 5/16" is almost 8mm and you are looking at leaks.

[1970 Neun vierzehn]

What type of fire extinguisher should be fitted, where should it be attached, and where is the best place to buy one from?

What type of fire extinguisher.......Halon (I'd recommend 2.5 lb minimum)

Where to mount.....in the passenger compartment

Where to buy.....Halon F/E are nor readily available at the usual places that you'd think to go (Lowe's, Home Depot, local hardware store, FLAPS, etc.). I purchased mine at a small local airport in a business that sells, supplies and caters to the light, private aircraft owner. Halon is THE recommended F/E for aircraft and will be non corrosive and friendlier to your wiring and electronics if you need to discharge it.

Paul

[iamchappy]

Halon is stored as a liquid under pressure and discharged as a combination of liquid and gas which flows around obstructions to smother the flame and cool the fire to reduce re-ignition. Halon does not require any cleanup under normal circumstances. Halon systems are accepted by many race sacntioning bodies including SCCA and NASCAR.

AFFF stands for Aqueous Film Forming Foam. AFFF is stored as a liquid and discharged as a foam which covers the area in the spray pattern to extinguish the flames and cool the area to suppress re-ignition. AFFF is non-conductive and non-corrosive, environmentally friendly, and it cleans up with water. It is accepted by most race sanctioning bodies including SCCA, FIA, and IMSA..

[smg914]

When ever I start any of my vintage cars the first thing I do is to open the engine compartment and check for any fuel leaks. If everything is okay I drive off. At the first stop sign about a half mile away I open the driver's door, I then lean out the door (without getting out of the car) and look under the back of the car and look for any drips.

I recommend the HALOTRON fire extinguisher over the HALON. They are supposed to be much less corrosive. $111.00 for a 1.4 pound extinguisher at the local Fire and Safety business.

[ericread]

I agree with al of the above.

However; You shouldn't only check these lines when you first get your teener. For those who drive mainly in the Summer months, a thorough annual review of all your major systems should be scheduled.

Since I use my teener as a daily driver year-round, I schedule a quarterly check for the following:
1. All of the fuel lines
2. Brake systems (including pad thickness and lines)
3. Transmission oil level
4. Check the spark plugs for wear
5. Check the spark plug wires for wear
6. Rotate the tires (if mileage considerations haven't required a previous rotation)
7. Check the dizzy components
8. Check all of the vacuum lines
9. Check all motor mount bolt tightness
10. Check all the engine tin
11. Inspect all internal areas for surface rust
12. Remove rocker panels and check for longitudinal rust/other issues
13. Clean and re-oil the aftermarket air cleaner
14. Check accelerator cable
15. Check speedo cable
16. Look for any unusual oil/fluid leaks

This is in addition to mileage based oil changes and my monthly undercarriage checks.

This may seem to be overdoing it a bit, but my teener is my primary means of transportation, and the reliabiity factor is very important to me.\\

Eric Read

[iamchappy]

You forgot to check your CV bolts......

[ericread]

You forgot to check your CV bolts......

You are soooooo correct. Anybody else have any items to add to my checklist?

Eric

[6freak]

got the wheels off! check wheel bearings.....Tire pressure,tread wear..Lighting system brake lights blinkers..washer fluids& wipers.. motor oil and tranny fluids