VW Van Fire

Gee thanks, now i *really* want to sort out all the unfused things connected direct to the battery now :-/

Anto.

This is a good reminder that now is a good time to recheck all you feul line connections

...and to put on the correct factory clips if they're not on their now...

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini De-Luxe 1964 Austin Mini Super De-Luxe

Which clips?

Tom

There's clips?

Get a 30 Amp resetable breaker, and wire it between the battery and regulator, under the back seat.

Install Bob Hoover's wonderful fuel line bulkhead for under $5. Pretty good fire insurance.

and carry a fire extinguisher. and to set off most fuel spills there needs to be a spark, look for high voltage leaks at night . "If I can not dance, I want no part in your revolution." Emma Goldman

The factory fitted "crip-on" clips to ALL the fuel lines where they connect. Without these the fuel line runs the risk of coming loose and falling off.

You should also replace all of the flexible fuel lines annually.

Remember that the fuel lines go under the car too, not just in the engine bay (fuel tank to metal pipe, and metal pipe, to engine bay metal pipe, which is above the gearbox. ALL should be replaced and ALL should have clips...

I fitted jubilee clips to the places that don't show, whereas for the engine bay I fitted factory style "crimp-on" clips as in the photo below:

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini De-Luxe 1964 Austin Mini Super De-Luxe

C'mon, Howard - that's really stupid. Good quality hoses last 15 or 20 years.

Now that is a top idea... do you mean a mains voltage one, or can you get

12v?

Cheers Anto.

-----------------------------------------------

Sure they do. But most of the stuff being sold today for air-cooled VW's is as anonymous as your address.

Still running a regular distributor? Generator instead of an alternator? Then your engine compartment is an ozone-rich environment that is capable of failing a natrual rubber hose in less than two years.

Use the thumb-nail test on any hose subjected to heating, replace if too hard; use the flexure text on all others, replace if there is ANY evidence of surface-checking. Unfortunately, order new hoses from one of the dwindling number of after-market VW suppliers and you've no way of knowing how long the stuff has been laying around nor where it came from. It could already be twenty years old.

So you err on the side of safety and tell folks to replace the flex lines every year, knowing that most won't... but some will and the others will at least get the idea that there is some hazard associated with old hoses, be they twenty years old or not.

Veedubs like to catch fire; they're very good at it, even though the cause -- and the cure -- has been known since about 1958 (ie, failure of the breast-tin grommet). And so long as most VW owners tend to be immature (regardless of their age) and spend more time calling each other names rather than maintaining their vehicles, it's a good bet they'll go right on catching fire and burning up.

-Bob Hoover

breast-tin grommet? Ok, whats this, and how can i check it??

I'm only had my '71 Type 2 for two weeks... And I'm totally inexperienced mechanically...

Cheers Anto

It's where the fuel line comes in to the engine bay from the front of the car, it pokes through the sheet metal that is in front of the engine.

I think the concern is that the grommet gets worn and as the metal cuts through the grommet, it starts to wear on the fuel line. Leads to a rupture and lots of fuel spewing all over your hot engine.

New grommets here:

;)

They're cheap, put a couple into your next order so you have some handy.

============== using

for gas is also stupid.

NOT replacing the hose with a piece of metal tubing where it goes through this sharp metal bit is also stupid.

Being afraid to say that something is stupid when it really is stupid, is also stupid.

And how can you say "most VW owners . . . " when it's only ME that's saying stupid things are stupid.

That's also stupid.

For the reasons Vduber mentioned, I replace mine with quality parts every year... For the sake of £1 (~US$1.50) and 10 minutes of my time, it's worth it!

-- Howard Rose

1966 VW Beetle 1300 Deluxe 1962 Austin Mini De-Luxe 1964 Austin Mini Super De-Luxe