Did all A's come with a gas tank spark arrester

[PepeLoco]

Or was it certain years, or a dealer add on, etc.
Do you see any real benefit to having one?
Thanks,
Pepe

[Mike V. Florida]

Yes, they all came with them.
Yes, since the tank and gas is right there, a spark could be a problem without one.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

I always wondered what's the scientific explanation of HOW a screen STOPS a flame, Mike, in the windy city, help us.
Bill W.

[Kevin in NJ]

Energy absorption.

The flame front is heat energy. If you take away too much heat then combustion stops. This is how you put out a candle by blowing it out. Too much air removes too much heat and combustion stops.

The flame hits the metal and it looses heat rapidly and goes out.

But what prevents it from acting like a candle and just keep burning in the hole fed by the gas vapor.

Then there is the issue with needing the 14 to 1 gas air mix. You have burned out the gas and depleted the heat. So any new gas vapor will not be in the right mix to burn so the fuel goes away at the same time.

I hope I got the physic right.

[JOHN CT]

How many people use them ? Are they necessary ? I took a poll at are club meeting and about 50% use them some of the guys didn't even know what thay were

[harleytoprock]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Well, motorcycle fuel tanks don't have spark arresters and they don't blow up.

[emf]

I would guess that the screen is not there to distribute a flame. If there is a flame, it's too late... I think, rather, it is there to act as a ground plane to eliminate the spark from static electricity.

Frank

[ericr]

I started a thread here once based upon a reminiscence of an old-timer that he used to see a travelling salesman unscrew the gas cap and hold a match there. It simply produced a blue flame like a gas stove and then he extinguished it by putting the cap back on.

Maybe this was just another travelling salesman legend.....

[marc hildebrant]

I have one in my Model A.

It's a safety feature that Model A engineers felt was needed. Why would you think that it's O.K. to remove it today ? You are still filling the tank with gasoline.

Marc

[katy]

Don't use a match to see how much gas is in the tank, use a lighter.

[TerryH]

They did come with them, but I have owned 2 A's for many years, both without them. Most owners I know do not use them, and I have never heard of an instance of a gas tank fire caused by not having one. Many folks think they make it difficult to re-fuel and remove them.

[Keith True]

Gas pumps don't make static electricity like the did in the old days.When I hauled gasoline years ago I would park at the rack,hook up the hoses,then walk around to the other side of the trailer and hook the ground clamp on.In that short time of filling I would get a spark when I hooked the clamp on.I can't pump gas in my A at any station here in town if I use a screen.When I pull the trigger on the nozzles the initial blast of head pressure is so much that gas blasts up under the visor.

[Oldbluoval]

Keith, yep, me too! Had to ground a big gas hauling tank.

I had read somewhere the screen was a static arrestor and nothing more. I sure put them back in.

[Sparky]

Kevin in NJ got it right. They are still used in industrial fuel and chemical cans today, like this one:

http://www.justritemfg.com/products/...lame-arrester/

[Fullraceflathead]

It was one of Henry Ford's Inventions. In the event of a roll over or car is on it's side. It will prevent a possible explosion. I put one back in mine as it was missing when I bought it. If you pump gas slowly, medium speed, I have no problem filling up my gas tank on my 1928 Model A.
Look inside a modern cars tank fill pipe. You will see a baffle that basically is doing the same thing.

[Fullraceflathead]

I think the people having trouble filling up there tanks are using the Reproduction screens. The Original Screens have more holes than metal. The Repo's don't have that many holes so I bet they are a BIG restriction to rapid fuel flow.

[mot]

back then most men smoked and when they filled the tank they would lean over and check to see how full it was
i saw a guy check a battery on a 56 chevy that was being charged
he had no eyebrows for a while
ive seen two roadsters burn totally up ,nothing salvageable
and they both had full tanks of gas
never blew up

gasoline trucks used to have a chain hanging down to the ground
supposedly to "drain" off the static electricity
the chain was exciting to watch at night throwing off sparks
they later went to rubber straps with wires embedded in them to "drain " off the static electricity

[Mike V. Florida]

http://gascansafety.org/gas-can-safe...flame-arrester

[TudooR31]

There's a gizmo in the supplier catalogs called A's Tank Syte.
Heat bent plastic mirror fits over gas opening; lets you see fuel level
while filling without leaning over.
Still takes some patience to get a full tank through the spark arrester.

[PepeLoco]

Originally Posted by marc hildebrant

I have one in my Model A.

It's a safety feature that Model A engineers felt was needed. Why would you think that it's O.K. to remove it today ? You are still filling the tank with gasoline.

Marc

Good question Marc. I don't want to remove it, but replace it. Mine did not have one when I bought the car.
Pepe