308 caught fire when pumping gas... VDO

Holly Spontainious Combustion !!

If he was overfilling it ,where would it be drained to ?
the ground near the hot cats ?

Hmmmm

thanks for the Post

 

I think this was posted last year and the conclusion was that the fuel filler neck (rubber hose) was brittle from age and developed a crack - not unexpected in a 28 year-old car.

It was amazing the guy wasn't hurt, though. It scared me enough that I had all the rubber fuel lines replaced in my car during the 30K service.

 

Is it possible that the Gas tanks on a 308 get hot enough for vapors to ingite when pumping gas???
I don't think that a lil drip down to the engine or cats will cause such an explosion. What we saw here must have been vapors igniting. Unless he had a gushing hole and gas was streaming down and out of the short rubber hose as he was pumping gas.

Helmut

 

Yes vapors can ignite.

Houses have burned down when people store gas containers, even lawn mowers, near gas hot water heaters. The vapors from the tank leak out and the flame from the gas hot water heater ignites them.

 

Gas, by itself is very flamable, but the vapors are even more volitile.

 

I think liquid gasoline is far less flammable than fumes. Just last week I saw a television show where they put a cigerette out in liquid gas. I think it was that Mythbusters show where they were dispelling the movie where fuel is leaking all over the ground and the bad guy flicks his cigerette in it to ignite it. I believe liquid gas needs direct flame whereas vapor only needs spark.

 

probably should have replaced the fuel lines during the year and a half restoration.

 

Theroretically--you can't ignite gas. It is the vapor that starts the combustion process. That is what I was told. But where there is gas there is gas vapors.

 

Shortly after I got my 308 I not only replaced all the fuel supply lines I could find, but all the vapor return lines as well.

On my 80 there's a charcoal canister in the pass side wheel well that I wonder how often people replace. I didn't do it when I changed the lines...which I might now look at. It's a part of maintanence you just don't hear about it too much.

 

Thats why a almost empty gas tank is more dangerous than a full one in many cases. When its almost empty the tank is full of vapors and therefore extremely flamable.

It dooesn't look like the flame is shooting out of the gas tank it looks like its engulfing the entire engine imediately which is also strange. As if he had gas vapors all over the engine bay. Its almost impossible that he didn't smell it.

I wonder if the guy had the engine running while pumping gas.

H.

 

He had the right attitude about it!

 

It looks to me like he was never really paying attention to what he was doing... I know I do when fueling... What is he looking at?
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You were told correct, it's the vapors above the gas/liquid that burn.

 

Really....,Ya THINK!!!!

 

R.I.P.

BTW Did anyone else see the kids in the background at the end?

 

Ya know,
Ever since I saw this vid, every time I gas up My 308, I open the rear bonnet.
Just to check the hoses and connections first, and to allow any fuel vapor, if that could happen, to not collect. I'm also always ready to leap to saftey like a f**king gazelle, and I carry a halon extinguiser now. Disturbing....

 

The guy I bought my Mondial from said he knew the guy in the fire and what happened was the small crossover fuel lines got brittle with age and heat. Apparently one ruptered and the car ignited. I heard the car was really nice, it's too bad another piece of Italian history is lost

 

It could very well be a carb fire and nothing to do with pumping fuel. I'm not completely familiar with the Weber carbs on a Ferrari, but I've got dual 40 IDA 3-barrels on my 911. They are known for 'percolating' (boiling) fuel! This happens after the engine is shut down. Sometimes 5 or 10 minutes later. There's a gurggling sound from the boiling fuel in the float bowls! There is a retrofit kit consisting of an insulation spacer that goes between the carbs and the intake manifolds to dissipate the engine heat and prevent this from happening. There have been many a 911 that 'spontaneously combusted' some 10 or 15 minutes after shutting off the car. I am in the habit of lifting the engine lid immediately upon parking my car (particularly after a hard run on a hot day) to let things cool down and allow any fuel vapors to escape. Of course, an on-board fire extinguisher is required equipment in nearly any car over 20 years old.

 

There just had to be such LARGE raw smell of fuel before it ignited to be a fuel line leak. I would even say it would've been leaking on the ground as big as the fireball was. I just don't get it... ??? What was he thinking???

 

Ferrari already thought of that, my 512BB has 4 of the same Weber IDAs and they have a wood insulator between the intake maniford and carb base.