Car fire in boot

Car fire in boot

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Discussion

nickdavenport

Original Poster:

4 posts

255 months

Saturday 2nd August 2003
quotequote all
Have any Tuscan Speed 6 owners experienced a fire in the boot caused by the exhaust pipe nearly touching the underneath of the car????
I have just had this happen and I have heard from another Tuscan owner that this may not only be a design fault, but it is obviously very dangerous as it catches fire right under the fuel tank.

plipton

1,302 posts

265 months

Sunday 3rd August 2003
quotequote all
Jeepers. Sorry to hear about that!!

Do you have any pix so we can see how close the exhaust is to the offending bit of fibre glass (will check mine later to see if it's too close)

grimbo

122 posts

257 months

Sunday 3rd August 2003
quotequote all
Cheers Nick,i just checked mine and it has been getting very hot there.The exhaust on the drivers side is an inch and a half clear of the bottom of the boot but the passenger side is about half an inch.That one has turned it crispy and flaky.
It looks like the bracket needs to be lowered as from the rear one hangs slightly lower.I think i'll be getting the tools out and levelling them up,or down as the case may be.
Mine is a 2000 year one so i guess it's been like this all the time.But it had definately scorched it.
Thanks again

martvr

480 posts

278 months

Sunday 3rd August 2003
quotequote all
Saw you pulled off on the side of the track with the boot on fire Nick. It looked very scary and sorry to see all the damage.

Little comfort I know but I guess you were able to pull over for a bit of fire marshalling help. I assume all the fire extinguisher powder was theirs or did you have your own? It doesn't bear thinking about if the tank had gone up.

Good luck with the repairs. Not trying to make light of the situation but did they black flag you because that was one of the reasons quoted for using it?

nickdavenport

Original Poster:

4 posts

255 months

Sunday 3rd August 2003
quotequote all
Very lucky that car did not go up in smoke urging al Tuscan drivers to buy a fire extinguisher please reply
many thanks

21tvr

655 posts

263 months

Sunday 3rd August 2003
quotequote all
Nick I really felt sorry for you, and you where very lucky that it didn't develop further from 'fire in the boot' to 'fire in the hole'
(I was the bloke speaking to you just after you were recovered to the paddock)

I looked at your exhaust ( we are talking about the last bend before it goes into the rear box) and it was(is) fitted such that on the passenger side it's about 1/2" off the boot bodywork. Every body should check there cars and make sure there is greater clearance than this

Obviously with the high temp generated by the track day it caused the flamable areas inside the boot (maybe also the underseal/or waxol on the outside) to ignite

Yes, Martin is right it would be a sound idea to carry a fire extinguisher, and not in the boot! But where do you fit it ?????

I hope the insurance company do you right as the fire obviously started on the A54 well away from any circuit!!!!!

Simon

all black

182 posts

269 months

Monday 4th August 2003
quotequote all
Ive attached the extingusiher to the passenger seat slider handle (with cable ties) so it moves with the seat...

Very secure, out of the way and easy to get to in an emergency



>> Edited by all black on Monday 4th August 08:59

jamer

1,329 posts

298 months

Monday 4th August 2003
quotequote all
this happened on one of the very first Tuscans sold and I haven't heard of it since. The very early Tuscans needed an exhaust modification as the pipes `grew' an inch when they got very hot and then touched the fibreglass under the boot.

I was sure that 90% of these early ones were recalled but i could be wrong. It's worth checking what year this one was that had the fault.

Hope that helps - it it makes anyone feel better that is only the third one in three years I have heard about.

andyvdg

1,537 posts

290 months

Monday 4th August 2003
quotequote all
I was gobsmacked when I saw your car. Didn't you open the boot and find flames were coming out! I think you said the point of heating was just under the petrol tank. As I said at the time I think you're very lucky. Is your car an older model - I think you had the original style wheels on it if I remember correctly ?

Is it possible to describe the modification so people with earliest Tuscan's can check to see if it has been done ?

Cheers,

Andy.

Graham

16,369 posts

291 months

Monday 4th August 2003
quotequote all
Nothing new here my 85 tasmin has a 8 inch square hole in the boot where the exhaust has burnt through over the years, how the carpet never caught fire i'll never know...

Nick Elliott

2,410 posts

288 months

Monday 4th August 2003
quotequote all
The exhaust cans were a lot closer to the body on the early models, first one I drove the cans were actually banging around on the body work at idle, I belive thats when they fitted the studs to enable height adjustment.Had a quick look at mine this morning L/H has about 20mm clearence R/H has about 25 mm and both sides are at the bottom of the stud adjustment.

As for fitting fire extingushers anyone with a L/H drive Tuscan may be able to tell us where factory/dealer fit them as they are mandatory in most EU countries

Nick

21tvr

655 posts

263 months

Monday 4th August 2003
quotequote all
Have Igot this wrong ?

Nick it's not the cans that did the damage but the actual exhaust tube as it runs down under the car and makes a 90deg turn before it enters the silencer box

....my cans alost hit the fibreglass, where is the stud ?

Simon

Nick Elliott

2,410 posts

288 months

Monday 4th August 2003
quotequote all
This thread mentions the 'L' shaped hangers/adjuster's

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=47648&f=5&h=0&hw=exhaust

Although the picture is now missing.

From memory they raise/lower the exhaust can & the pipe into the back box you are talking about.

Nick

No 1

225 posts

257 months

Tuesday 5th August 2003
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Nick

Little consolation I know, but I also saw you on Saturday and felt for you, that's really bad luck. How old is the car - is there any way you can get TVR to cover the repair costs, assuimng it's a standard exhaust.

Hope it doesn't put you off track days as Saturday was my first, and I really enjoyed it.

Will you keep us posted with how you get on, ie. repair costs, insurance problems, TVR's generosity...

andyvdg

1,537 posts

290 months

Tuesday 5th August 2003
quotequote all
I had a look around the rear of the car whilst its tyres were being replaced today. I didn't realise the back boxes were hung on the outside just before the cans start, as well as the L shaped hooks before the back box. I think it must be the L shaped hooks which determine how close the pipe gets to the bodywork at that point.