Saw a truck burn to the ground today, start to finish

[JohnR]

I was at the local steel supplier looking around at the new Milwaukee grinders they got in, when I see everyone running. I look out the window and see 2 plumes of black smoke, and I instantly think a modded diesel is doing a burnout. But everyone starts running, so I head outside with the group of people. Someone's pickup truck caught on fire. He hadn't been to it all day, just randomly started smoking then caught on fire.I was parked next to the fire hydrant, which was about 25' from the truck. Needless to say, I moved my truck.

Took about 10 minutes for the fire trucks to get there and turn it off, but by that time, there was nothing left.

I usually carry a medium sized fire extinguisher in all my vehicles, but I had just done some reorganizing on my truck, and didn't put it back in yet. Poor guy is out of a vehicle, he only had liability on it. I believe it was an 02 f150. I'll post pictures next post

[JohnR]

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[DSW]

Been there, done that... ruins your whole day. ( I'd just pulled my extinguisher out of the my other truck as well) I at least managed to limit it to the engine, but I know a guy who lost his Suburban almost exactly the same way. Sad thing was the guy driving it at the time didn't notice the extinguisher on the tranny hump that could have at least limited the damage.

[tbone550]

When I was a teenager, our farm had an '88 Chevy 3500 w/ 350 TBI engine which had just been rebuilt. I went in to the Co-op to pick up some chemicals, came out and started the truck and smoke started coming out around the pedal area. I popped the hood and ran outside, and saw that the fuel lines were on fire!!! Put it out with an extinguisher and we trailered it home. Turned out the guy who replaced the engine hadn't bothered putting wires back exactly where they were supposed to go and the harness had shorted to ground and started a fire that spread to the fuel lines. They didn't get a chance to melt completely through and let fuel out.

I remember running toward the truck with an extinguisher I'd found in one of the Co-op's warehouses, wondering if the whole truck was going to blow up and kill me like you see in the movies. Thankfully I was spared the theatrics.

[Mick120]

Back in '69, I was on a trip with some mates in NZ in an old '50 Customline Single Spinner.
Got to the top of the Rimutaka Hill and smelt something burning.
The old sidevalve must have been running lean and, the muffler was sitting that close to the floorboards, it had set paper alight under the front seat.
While I ran to the Kiosk at the top of the range (100yds) the others tried putting the fire out....got back with an extinguisher that the Kiosk owner said not to run out, hit the trigger and.... 'poot'....nothing.
We watched the car burn to the ground....quite spectacular at night.

[papaof2]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Poor guy is out of a vehicle, he only had liability on it. I believe it was an 02 f150.

There was a recall on some of the Ford pickups for a similar problem - catching fire while sitting unused. Wonder if this vehicle was included?

[farmall]

Look up "Ford cruise control switch fires". They have a fix (they've had multiple fixes) but I just leave my switch disconnected since if I'm too tired to depress that light gas pedal I shouldn't be driving.

Ford has many areas in their wiring harness which are "hot" at all times. Their history of ignoring the problem is well-documented. Only a cadre of fanbois who blindly worship Ford defend them.

MANY Fords have that wiring and switch, not just trucks.

[Sandy]

Just think about those that have gone up in flames while parked in an attached garage.

[farmall]

Just think about those that have gone up in flames while parked in an attached garage.

That's why I'd never use an attached garage to store vehicles. Fires on all kinds of rides are surprisingly common. I see the results at auto auctions.

[brucer]

typical ford up in smoke..

[Joshfromsaltlake]

When Japanese cars have a problem where the pedal gets stuck by the floormat, it's serious business.

When American cars burst into flame while parked and power-off. It's business as usual.

[bigb]

Originally Posted by farmall

Look up "Ford cruise control switch fires". They have a fix (they've had multiple fixes) but I just leave my switch disconnected since if I'm too tired to depress that light gas pedal I shouldn't be driving.

Ford has many areas in their wiring harness which are "hot" at all times. Their history of ignoring the problem is well-documented. Only a cadre of fanbois who blindly worship Ford defend them.

MANY Fords have that wiring and switch, not just trucks.

The recall consists of an inspection of the switch (located at the master cyl) to see if it is leaking brake fluid. Apparently a leaky switch is the first indication that a failure/fire is possible. If it is leaking, you get a new switch and they also install a fuseable link at that point in the harness. If it is not leaking you just get the fuseable link.

When I got my recall notice it advised to park the vehicle outside and away from any structures until the recall was performed.

[RodJ]

Originally Posted by papaof2

There was a recall on some of the Ford pickups for a similar problem - catching fire while sitting unused. Wonder if this vehicle was included?

I got a "recall notice" for my F150... about 6 years(!) after it spontaneoulsy decided to burn up in my driveway. I was inside watching the news when a stranger knocked on the door and said "Uh, I thought you might want to know your truck is on fire."

Thank God I had coverage for the POS, but it took a month before my ins. co. was convinced it wasn't arson.

Thank God I had not been running errands and left my pup inside.

[farmall]

There was also a second recall on some vehicles, something IIRC to do with the replacement inline fuse.

Mine's disconnected so their brain-dead-design Kapton diaphragm pressure switch does nothing.

http://www.switchfires.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/au...es/27FORD.html

I like my Ford and GM trucks, but also understand that the scumbag bean counters who run auto companies don't care about anything but taking your money and that will never be different. If their excrement breaks, they only care about blame avoidance.

They could have used a MECHANICAL switch connected to the brake pedal linkage and completely avoided that hydraulic switch. They knew Kapton insulation had problems in aircraft, which cost the Air Force millions in F-15 repairs when it was merely exposed to AIR.

[Sparky#1]

Originally Posted by brucer

typical ford up in smoke..

Originally Posted by Joshfromsaltlake

When Japanese cars have a problem where the pedal gets stuck by the floormat, it's serious business.

When American cars burst into flame while parked and power-off. It's business as usual.

Yep !!!!!

[weldsforever]

poor guy though, good thing he is alright. The truck can be replaced, his life cant.

[Joker11]

weldsforever, that is true. it is also hard to grasp when it is one's own vehicle. especially if it is the vehicle that brings home the bacon.
All things happen for a reason.

[fredschrom]

The company I work for builds fuel and lube trucks for the mining industry. The two big hazards 5000 + gallons of diesel, and about 2500 + of other oils, second are the brakes catching the trucks on fire, going non stop in and out of the pits. We are building a 28,000 tank currently, pretty scary if that caught on fire.

[Charleyhorse]

Originally Posted by JohnR

I usually carry a medium sized fire extinguisher in all my vehicles, but I had just done some reorganizing on my truck, and didn't put it back in yet. Poor guy is out of a vehicle, he only had liability on it. I believe it was an 02 f150. I'll post pictures next post

In Germany, it's a law that all vehicles have fire extinguishers. I caught my 92 ford F150 on fire once. About 3 miles from home the truck suddenly started running extremely rich. It could barely get up to around 20 mph and I could see black smoke and soot coming out of the exhaust. As I limped into the driveway and parked, I noticed smoke still coming out from under the truckbed after the engine was off. With a closer look, I noticed a faint orange glow reflecting back from the concrete under the truck bed area. My next thought was that there is a plastic gas tank bolted to the truck frame in that spot, this truck has twin gas tanks. Yikes! I remembered the extinguisher behind the seat, and put the fire out. I was sure glad I had it there, I'd almost forgotten that I had that extinguisher. It turned out that the computer on my truck had failed and was telling the engine to run as rich as possible. The cat converter was red hot, and had started a grease fire. I have a bad habit of over greasing my u-joints, and over the years, a deposit of grease had built up under there, having been slung out of the u joints. I was surprised that the cat could have done that. There's a good reason why there are heat shields around those things.

[farmersamm]

Originally Posted by Joshfromsaltlake

When Japanese cars have a problem where the pedal gets stuck by the floormat, it's serious business.

When American cars burst into flame while parked and power-off. It's business as usual.

I usually put up with your left field comments, but this has gotta get a comeback

American cars have ACTUAL SAFETY RECALLS, where the import dic@heads just let it ride until something serious happens. Toyota is a prime example. Then it makes the headlines, where the American car manufacturers take care of business.

When you're drawing unemployment, enjoy your import ride

[MadMax31]

Bad news.. I knew a guy who had gotten a frantic call from his wife stating their house was burning to the ground. Fire Inspector traced it to his new Polaris ATV which he had just installed a new winch. The solenoid went wonky, wires burnt, gas tank melted and garage went up like a Roman Candle.

My ATV stays in the shed after that ordeal...

[1_black_z28]

Used to work at a racetrack, I've seen car fires and motorcycle wrecks daily.

Ever since then, I always keep a Cold Fire extinguisher in my car.
Nothing comes close(although there are copies)

[chevyman_de]

Originally Posted by Charleyhorse

In Germany, it's a law that all vehicles have fire extinguishers.

Unfortunately that's not true. It does only apply to busses and trucks tranporting hazard material. I have a fire extinguisher in my truck, but it's definitely not required.
A hazard warning triangle, a first aid kit and (for trucks of any size) a high visibility vest are required in Germany.

[blackbart]

I had a case of 4" mortars in my front seat for a fireworks show. I got out for lunch, and I even thought," that is stupid, can you imagine if that truck caught on fire" ha ha ha..... well about ten minutes into lunch, my kid said.... whats all that smoke in the driveway? I said, DO NOT Call the fire dept unless I can empty the front seat. I was able to get all the cases of mortars out, otherwise, it would have looked like disney's 200th anniversary! I was fire chief at the time, so calling the fire dept is redundant...They just page you back on a radio an tell you to put out your own truck. It was an 85 chevy that was doomed to burn from the start. So I guess the moral is ...always listen to that little voice in the back of your head, and if you have good insurance, and a truck full of mortars, next time park it further away from your house and grab a video camera. You can always hope to win the funniest home video contest. Of course video evidence would probably mess with the insurance.....

[JD955SC]

Vehicles will not explode like in the movies.

If you catch the fire early you can usually hit it with an extinguisher and get it out. By early I mean very early in the fire...like when you see wispy smoke of a fire just starting, not boiling black smoke.

Once she's burning good it's useless. They go up so fast it is no use to really try other than to contain the spread. You've got your oil/grease and fuel feeding the fire, plus the burning materials just make it burn real quick (and some plastics and some metals are toxic when burning, you don't want to be close without an SCBA). Also vehicles are trending towards having magnesium components and ya'll know what fun that means...