Near Tragedy Averted

ronbgone

ronbgone

Member
Driving up sommersville road in antioch today my '69 800B stalled and smoke began pouring out from under the hood. I popped the hood and was greeted with 18" high flames! I propped the hood up and pushed her through the intersection. I tried to smother the flames with my leather jacket but was not effective. Just then a sweet lady from abby carpets brought me a fire extinguisher. After quickly extinguishing the flames, I discovered that at some point a section of rubber fuel line had been placed where a metal line should be.

What happened next is why I love my Scout so much. I replaced a fuel line, a heater hose, 2 radiator hoses, and all my plug wires, about an hours work. She fired right up and took me home running better than before the near fatal fire. I'd like to see someone drive a new car home within a few hours of an engine fire lasting longer than 2 minutes!

Just an amusing foot note, more than one bystander yelled for me to stay clear of the burning vehicle and let the fire department handle it. As if a binder would stand down when their baby's in crisis, lol
 
let the fire department handle it.
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Yeah, self reliance is a rare thing and oftentimes the assistance takes over and there's nothing one can do except follow orders for "their safety".

Glad to read the rig just got a scorching. I hope you get an extinguisher for your road side safety kit; who knows someday it'll be your turn instead of a lady.
 
let the fire department handle it.
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Sure - handling it yourself works well when you drive something made out of metal, there's not much to burn except the fuel:)

I wouldn't try that trick on anything built today. The fumes from all the burning plastic will mess you up. As someone who's had inhalation related lung damage (not from a car fire and, thankfully, fully recovered), I can assure you it's worth avoiding. That said, on a Scout I'd probably be doing the same thing you did.
 
Glad you and your Scout are ok!

As a firefighter if that was a newer vehicle I would have abandoned it and waited, up wind and up hill, for firefighters with scba's to put the fire out. The plastics in new vehicles are extremely toxic, plastic fuel tanks blow out and even the tires can make quite a bang when they blow.

I came close on my Scout when the cheap aluminum center bolt on a clear fuel filter failed and fuel started spraying all over the engine compartment. Fortunately it was only a mile from home and it wasn't hot under the hood yet.

Stay safe!
 
Indeed, be safe. Unlike you, my Scout is prety much dead in the water after my barrel roll. But, I'm gratefull to have walked away from it on my own accord furtually un-scathed. Coulda used that young lady with her fire extinguisher though.

Happy thanksgiving
 
Nice save! You had a guardian nice lady on your sholder. At all times I keep a keddie in each of my trucks and one in the kitchen, you never know which gremlin will jump out.
 
Very lucky one you are I like how it runs better now very funny mayby I should light mine up see it it helps ha ha ha
 
As to the safety issue, as binders we all know the three position tank selector petcock. I had already put that into the center, static, position thus knew the fuel source was protected and fire localized to wires and hoses.

I did offer to pay the cost of recharging abby carpets fire extinguisher to which the nice lady replied "happy thanksgiving, don't you worry about it".

Lastly I have added a fire extinguisher to my Scout's travel box. I'm just glad this occurred in town prompting me tool up accordingly, not on some lonely mountain trail where I could lose the rig and Have to walk out.

Thanks for the tips and support guys.
 
If your 3 position fuel selector valve is like mine = 68 Travelall, moving the switch to the 'center' opens the valve to 'both' tanks. My 'main' tank is 19 gallon and the 'aux' tank is 13 gallon. So, I could choose 'either' with the switch, or 'both' by moving the selector to the center, like one larger 32 gallon tank. This can also be used to transfer fuel from one tank to the other by just moving the vehicle so it sits with one tank higher than the other. Let 'gravity' do its' thing! When the little 'o' rings in the valve get bad and don't seal, you can run out of gas if one tanks goes empty, as the pump will suck 'air' easier than fuel. If fuel is available in one tank, 'tipping' the truck and centering the selector valve, will allow fuel to flow through the valve and into the empty tank.
 
bill bennett said:
if your 3 position fuel selector valve is like mine = 68 Travelall, moving the switch to the 'center' opens the valve to 'both' tanks. My 'main' tank is 19 gallon and the 'aux' tank is 13 gallon. So, I could choose 'either' with the switch, or 'both' by moving the selector to the center, like one larger 32 gallon tank. This can also be used to transfer fuel from one tank to the other by just moving the vehicle so it sits with one tank higher than the other. Let 'gravity' do its' thing! When the little 'o' rings in the valve get bad and don't seal, you can run out of gas if one tanks goes empty, as the pump will suck 'air' easier than fuel. If fuel is available in one tank, 'tipping' the truck and centering the selector valve, will allow fuel to flow through the valve and into the empty tank.
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I wasn't aware of that, I know there are 4 nipples on mine I assume the center one would be for an optional 3rd tank in back between the frame. Mine center position nipple is empty and nothing happens when I put the selector there, apart from the engine stalling due to lack of fuel.
 
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