engine catching fire....common?

When a Ferrari burns, people take pictures and post them on the internet.

When a Ford burns, people drive by cursing the traffic jam.

 

That silver F430 looks so beautiful, even on fire.

 

I've got an F430 for sale. This deal is HOT HOT HOT!!!

 

There is a very good thread in the tech section somewhere about engine bays and fire's. Some really good solutations.

After reading the you can guess what I bought..........

 

btw that 599 GTB caught on the second pic was totally brand new; the owner has just got cruised out of the dealership and was on his first journey

 

This sometimes happens when you don't buy the "extended warranty" at time of purchase. The salesman pushes a secret red button behind his desk, signaling someone in the shop to program the car to self-destruct at a safe distance from the dealership.

 

Any kind of fuel or oil leak onto a hot engine will do it. Happens to everything from Ferraris and Lambos to Fords and Hondas.

This is why I have a fire system in every car I own. My life, and cars, are worth more than $500 for a halon tank and some piping.

 

LMAO!!! Great post!

 

This thread poses a good question. I had the impression only the earlier Ferraris had this happen to them, that's why I saw some people putting fire extinguishers in their cars, but seeing these NEW Ferraris on fire really chills me. What is going on here? I had a Vette years ago and I never heard of people putting fire extinguishers in STOCK cars.

 

Many concours are based on SCCA concour rules and a fire extinguisher is required. Also many owners take part in track events. Almost all require on board extinguisher to play.

 

I have never seen a car that caught on fire in a manner similar to the burned Ferrari pctures posted on the internet.

This just doesn't happen to other cars as far as I can tell. Modified hot rods sure. But factory civics?

Maybe its because the engine bays are so much tigher?

Having the engine behind the driver also means they might not see a problem devolping and pull over in time?

 

I think Ferrari, Porsche and Lambo fires are most common a few months before the first major service is due.

 

I bet we'll see those cars on Ebay soon, low mileage, just need a little TLC etc.

 

Just 3 weeks ago a local doctor here in south florida was driving his 360 and the engine caught fire. He didn't have an extinguisher and the car was totaled. The worse part of it was, his insurance company is refusing to pay for the damages saying he is not covered for engine fire jsut collison. That sucks.

 

The fire is a bonus, it's Ferrari's way making sure salvaged titles do not end up on the roads.

Here's the ENGINE FIRE discussion in technical;
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123045

 

He should have driven into their building while he had the momentum.

Great thread RacerX, thanks!
Wes

 

because you haven't seen it doesn't mean anything. i have seen many makes burn up the same way. my next door neighbor had a 7 series bmw. he went into a store, and when he came out his car was burned to the ground. what good is pulling over on time? most people don't have fire extinguishers. if your squirting gas or oil onto hot exhaust manifolds, your car is going up and there is little your gonna be able to do about it. i've only seen about ten pics of ferraris burning. out of the 100,000 + they built, not bad.

by the way, there is a known problem on the 430 were a seal or a hose gives up(can't remember which) and it squirts oil right onto the exhaust system.

 

Other cars burn up... I have personally seen a Jeep Grand Cherokee and a VW Bug (new) burn up. I did just as was suggested earlier in this thread and drove by cursing the traffic jam.

The third time I saw a vehicle engin fire, it was a Freighliner truck with a loaded trailer that ran into the car I was in before rolling onto its side. Nothing is more exciting than a flaming semi-truck taking out the car you are in.

 

30 some years back a friend and I were driving his 68 Pontiac with a 400 big block. The fuel line to the carb came off and leaked fuel all over the engine and caught on fire. We pulled over and opened the hood and threw sand on the motor. It was a pretty good fire, but we got it out and still were able to drive it home. Mostly it cooked some wires but they were still intact. It didnt even burn the paint. But if we had let it go another minute it would have been a different story. The point is that a fire does not necessarily mean the car is lost. But it does have to be caught rapidly. Back behind your head in a Ferrari it could probably get away from you before you seen anything.

You guys who dont think other cars burn should go looking at salvage vehicle sites, or visit salvage yards. They all burn, it dont matter who made them. Corvettes are no more immune than a Pinto. But the 308 will probably have something installed by spring. Its a darn shame to keep seeing this happen.

 

I have personally seen a Jaguar XJS, 2 Chrysler minivans, a buick and a VW scirocco (sp?) burn to the ground. Exotic cars make the news when it happens to them.

 

The designers of the pinto would be proud.

 

I have no idea if the stats indicate a higher percentile of exotics burn but have 1st hand knowledge of several Ferraris. Friends TR cat fire, not total but substantial damage. The current owner of my former TR had his 308 burn to the ground. Joey Kramer? Of Aerosmith had his 355 catch fire while fueling at a gas station down on the Cape. I personally cannot think of any friend or associate that owned a Porsche, Corvette etc that caught fire. But that could be due to my poor memory as well!