F40 Fire in Odawara (Kanagawa Prefecture), Japan | FerrariChat

F40 Fire in Odawara (Kanagawa Prefecture), Japan

Discussion in '288GTO/F40/F50/Enzo/LaFerrari' started by Terra, May 8, 2021.

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  1. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ
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  2. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ
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  3. PAUL500

    PAUL500 F1 Rookie

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    #4 PAUL500, May 9, 2021
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
    Ouch, time for every F40 owner to have the entire fuel system removed, inspected and replaced as required if they have not already done so.

    30 year old rubber, fuel lines, unions and seals are clearly now perishing at an alarming rate.

    One more for the Phoenix squad! it will no doubt live again, or at least its VIN will!

    Not the greatest of paint jobs, that yellow should have been sanded back to at least the original red, I wonder if any yellow F40 also went missing........
     
  4. WJHMH

    WJHMH Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Well as long as a VIN plate can be salvaged, it can be rebuilt.
     
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  5. INRange

    INRange F1 Veteran
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    The bigger question is: what is the VIN#? With the questionable paint job........is this another "improperly acquired" F40?
     
  6. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Or rather which number will it have once recreated?

    Marcel Massini
     
  7. broshnat

    broshnat Karting
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    Interesting…
     
  8. ttforcefed

    ttforcefed F1 World Champ
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    is it me or do the USA f40s burn much less frequently than the non USA?
     
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  9. miurasv

    miurasv F1 World Champ

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    As I'm sure you know, the US F40s have aluminium fuel tanks, rather than the more perishable bladders that have to replaced every ten years, which is a factor.
     
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  10. ttforcefed

    ttforcefed F1 World Champ
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    noted!
     
  11. PAUL500

    PAUL500 F1 Rookie

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    I doubt something like this would be from a leaky tank though, as that would typically just drip away and be noticed as a puddle on the floor, its more likely to be a split or crack in the system aft of the fuel pumps, with high pressure petrol spraying onto the hot exhaust manifolds, and up she goes.

    Same problem with the 355s, and they have alloy tanks.
     
  12. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ
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    #13 joe sackey, May 9, 2021
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
    With proper regular maintenance, all of this can be addressed, these events don't just happen by accident, they happen because the vehicle has not been thoroughly maintained by the owner and is being used in less than optimum operating condition.

    Correct.

    Correct.

    Meanwhile I am amazed that nobody has already commented that we need another LM clone.

    Just this past week I posted this elsewhere:
    https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/posts/147878239/

    In case the link doesn't work from your device:

    Aluminum fuel tanks for the Eu/ROW F40 being installed by Bell & Sport Classic:

    https://www.bellsportandclassic.co.uk/f40-fuel-tank/

    No affiliation, but obviously of interest to Eu/ROW F40 owners.


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  13. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ
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    Paul, it can be from a leaky tank, you can't diagnose this stuff from the sidelines without knowing all the facts of a specific event, any of the fuel components can cause a fire, lines or defective fuel bladders, exactly the reason why it is recommended they are replaced with a certain frequency.

    USA F40s can catch fire too, but they don't do so anywhere nearly as often, which speaks for itself.
     
  14. PAUL500

    PAUL500 F1 Rookie

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    Whilst I agree that the problem can stem from a range of defective items in the fuel system, it also has to be acknowledged that the 355, itself a mid engined Ferrari v8 with the same layout as an F40 and also fitted with an alloy fuel tank also likes to self combust with alarming regularity, and this is always associated with high pressure fuel spraying into the hot engine bay and nothing at all to do with low pressure fuel leaks from its tank.

    There are what?, 5 times as many ROW F40s as there are US spec ones, so the stats will be at least 5 times as many fried ROW F40s out there regardless of the types of fuel tanks fitted. Plus US spec F40s are used far less than the ROW ones given the sensitivity to mileage the US presents with Ferraris in general compared to the rest of the world.

    Not that long ago an F40 in the UK went up in flames soon after the whole fuel system had been replaced, so defective workmanship not just old components can cause this issue with the F40, and again nothing to do with a low pressure fuel leak from its tank, the hose to the injectors had not been tightened properly.
     
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  15. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ
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    All good points, short summary, make sure your F40 receives proper regular maintenance, and is in optimum operating condition.
     
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  16. Juan-Manuel Fantango

    Juan-Manuel Fantango F1 World Champ
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    #17 Juan-Manuel Fantango, May 9, 2021
    Last edited: May 9, 2021
    God I hate to see that. Anyone know how many have burned? I can think of two within the last year or so, Monaco and this one. I think there was the a "Microsoft" car; was that the one that became the "Linder LM"? That's the one thing I really worry about. Taking ours in for service Tuesday and will specifically ask about fuel lines, etc.

    I also was told there is some kind of pop off value or "some thingie" that one should put a zip tie on. I was never quite clear about this during our conversation. Something about a line or value that can blow open causing the turbo to run away blowing up the engine. I think this happened at Road Atlanta or Road America according to the well respected long time sale agent at Ferrari of Fort Lauderdale. I also was told they sold more F40s than any other dealership back in the day. Funny how my memory is fading...I hear it gets worse. Perhaps someone can tell me if there is something to this other than my foggy recollection.
     
  17. Juan-Manuel Fantango

    Juan-Manuel Fantango F1 World Champ
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    That's what I really hate to hear, another reason I hate belt changes etc and annuals on aircraft. Almost always there is a new blemish somewhere regardless of how careful they are. And somewhere along the way I remember once of a belt breaking after a service. That would not be good.
     
  18. Trax

    Trax Formula 3

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    I was always interested to hear what had happened with that car but I was told that both the garage and the owner had the same insurance company so it was never investigated - but not sure if thats true?
     
  19. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ
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    IIRC the car you are thinking of was a USA F40 being driven hard on Seattle International Raceway, exiting turn 9 the driver lost control and it made contact with the wall, subsequently bursting into flames, the results are below.

    That said, I can think of serious accidents to USA F40s in Vancouver, Denver, Los Angeles and Houston to name just 4 where the car did not subsequently catch fire.

    Of late though, we seem to be seeing Eu cars catching fire whilst simply being driven along, which speaks to a maintenance issue.

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  20. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    They also do much less miles per year.
     
  21. PAUL500

    PAUL500 F1 Rookie

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    If anyone is in need of aftermarket alloy tanks for an F40 then I believe Alpha Performance Fabrication in the UK are the company that actually make most of the tanks for the resellers, something like 20 sets in the last 18 months alone.

    https://www.apfab.co.uk/

    No affiliation, just nice for the guys who make them to get some credit.




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  22. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
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    it should be noted that a euro car, that has NOT been homologated for the usa, should NOT have the usa alu tanks installed.

    a usa oem car, or a row car that has been fully homologated for the usa, will have the steel bars in the doors.
    in the case of a perpendicular encounter with another hard object - like getting T-boned by another car, these steel bars will protect the alu tanks from being crushed and burst.
    in the case of a row car without steel bars in the doors, if you get T-boned, the flexible fuel bladders are designed to simply 'flex' and not burst.
    if you install alu tanks in a row car, the alu tanks have no protection from a t-bone, and will not flex.

    installing alu tanks in a non-homologated row car is dangerous.
     
  23. cluboutrun

    cluboutrun Karting

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    Dont think the cute little extinguisher will make it.
     
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  24. joe sackey

    joe sackey Five Time F1 World Champ
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    Good to know, thanks for sharing.

    The side-collision bars in the doors of the USA car are USA DOT mandated components for the side-collision protection of passengers, not the fuel tanks.

    You'll note that the fuel tanks of all F40s sit aft (rear) of the passenger doors anyway, and that area is unprotected by bars in both Eu/ROW cars and USA cars.

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