Fire Hazard

[rfitzpatrick]

What is the main fire hazards for the Model A's?

[alexiskai]

1. Leaked fuel igniting on hot manifold or via backfire
2. Localized heating due to electrical short
3. (rare) overcharging the battery leading to hydrolysis and igniting hydrogen inside the battery case

[Benson]

Gas leak in garage that has gas fired water heater ( attached to house garage is much worse.)

Gas leak in car with gas fired Furnace in garage.

Any car in any location, with no fuse.

Any car with auto reset circuit breaker instead of fuse.
The breaker can reset over and over until it overheats, then it may fail as a short and start a fire.

IBM stopped using auto-reset breakers years ago for just this reason!

[alexiskai]

Originally Posted by Benson

Any car with auto reset circuit breaker instead of fuse.
The breaker can reset over and over until it overheats, then it may fail as a short and start a fire.

IBM stopped using auto-reset breakers in the 30's for just this reason!

Is that a thing? Like, are people using auto-reset breakers instead of fuses? I know there is a breaker product that you can use instead of the fuse in the traditional starter-mounted fuse, but it doesn't automatically reset itself.

[nkaminar]

I was second hand witness to a Model A that burned up when leaking gasoline from the fuel gauge caught fire from a spark at the ignition switch.

[old ugly]

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Originally Posted by rfitzpatrick

What is the main fire hazards for the Model A's?

stupidity !

[2speed]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

Is that a thing? Like, are people using auto-reset breakers instead of fuses? I know there is a breaker product that you can use instead of the fuse in the traditional starter-mounted fuse, but it doesn't automatically reset itself.

Certain circuits on automobiles must be auto-reset. Wipers, electric braking circuits, etc. Circuits that are critical to safety.

[Benson]

Originally Posted by alexiskai

Is that a thing? Like, are people using auto-reset breakers instead of fuses? I know there is a breaker product that you can use instead of the fuse in the traditional starter-mounted fuse, but it doesn't automatically reset itself.

Yes I have seen these auto-reset CBs for sale at Parts stores. Used to be every parts store sold them.

I have seen more than a few discussions on this site and the other two sites over the last 20years, where they were recommended and people stated that they were using them and thought they were the greatest thing ever invented.

Every CB I saw on IBM machines since 1967 were the manual reset type with a red button to reset them. Also used are fuses with "flags" which tripped off to contact a buss bar to turn on a light to show which area of machine the blown fuse was located. At least it gave us an area to start looking for the tripped flag without measuring 100s of fuses to find the problem. Just look for the tripped flag in the area indicated by the red light.

I am not talking about present day "computers". these machines were the electrical / mechanical punch card machines of the 30s 40s 50s 60s and etc. One machine might have several hundred fuses!

Lucky for me the leak in Coupe was minor and only the wires caught on fire.

These flag fuses had a spring loaded plunger which popped out of end of fuse about 3/8ths of an inch when fuse blew, this is what turned on the light.

[Benson]

Originally Posted by nkaminar

I was second hand witness to a Model A that burned up when leaking gasoline from the fuel gauge caught fire from a spark at the ignition switch.

I was first hand witness to an electrical fire in the Coupe while removing the instrument panel in preparation to replace the leaking fuel gauge. Tons of smoke and a lot of stress as the short continued while I found the wrench to remove the battery cable.

The same day, I installed two of those white ceramic 15 amp fuses in parallel and a fuse holder from a VW fuse box.

Model A Parts stores did not sell such a thing in 1963!

[Brad in Germany]

Air filter on a leaky carburetor.

That is what started this catastrophic fire when the engine backfired into the air filter during start up:



Brad in Maryland



.

[Brad in Germany]

Originally Posted by rfitzpatrick

What is the main fire hazards for the Model A's?

Over-engineering the true-fire, flame job on your newly painted Model A hot rod :



Brad in Maryland

PS: Yeah, yeah, I know - I should have left it all factory original !!




.

[Benson]

Here is one discussion about the various circuit breakers on FB from 2013.


https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106241


About post four and type II breaker, does turning off key remove voltage from all parts of the system?

Turning off key on stock Model A only removes the ground from ignition circuit unlike modern cars where key turns off most of the power.

[old31]

Make sure your ammeter wires are tight, taped, and that you have installed tape behind the gauges directly on the gas tank.

This will help protect from having a short should an ammeter wire break.

[Kurt in NJ]

the “dirty leg” hanging down from the gas tank and having a passenger hit it with a foot and breaking it off

A blown fuse on the starter can cause a fire because of generator over voltage—I saw it happen,flames coming out the generator

[Dave in Petaluma]

Years ago I bought a ratty '31 roadster and noticed a bunch of scratches in the ribbing on the dash panel on the driver's side, next to the gas gauge.
It dawned on me that the scratches were wooden match strikes.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Dave in Petaluma

Years ago I bought a ratty '31 roadster and noticed a bunch of scratches in the ribbing on the dash panel on the driver's side, next to the gas gauge.
It dawned on me that the scratches were wooden match strikes.

That would be fun if he had a gas gauge leak...