No joke — a fire extinguisher can save your life
Question: I read your recent list of recommendations on what to keep in your trunk. Well, not only do I always carry a fire extinguisher in my vehicle, I’ve given one to all my children as well.
I have had to put out car fires on two occasions. The first time was during a severe winter. My car at the time, a Lancia Beta sedan, featured a J-shaped tube over the oil pan, and the cold weather caused an ice plug to form in the tube, which in turn, forced oil into the manifold and caused a fire. Luckily, I had the appropriate type of extinguisher on hand.
On the second occasion, a Buick Roadmaster I was driving experienced an alternator fire. A truck driver waved me to the side of the road and told me my car had sparks flying out from under the hood. I took a look, and the bright-red alternator, with flames behind it, was quite startling. But again, I had the right type of extinguisher on hand and was able to douse the electric fire.
The truck driver had wanted to throw snow on the fire to put it out. Not a good plan with an electric fire! I had it towed, and the next morning the garage man asked if I had started the car since using the extinguisher. “Of course not!” I said. He commented that 95 per cent of men would have and therefore would have damaged the engine.
Extinguishers don’t cost a lot of money, but a fire in the engine compartment can cost a very great deal.
Margaret L., Sidney, B.C. Answer: Cool story, Margaret! I’ll throw one in as well.
During a business trip to Nashville, my wife and I narrowly missed being hit head-on by a drunk driver, who then careened into a rock wall. The front of his car erupted in flames, and he was still trapped inside. Several of us attempted to extricate the driver, but the driver’s side door was jammed and the instrument panel was wrapped around his right side. He was so tightly pinned, we couldn’t even attempt to pull him over the seat and out one of the rear doors. Were it not for a passerby with a fire extinguisher, then another, then another — ultimately six or seven — to douse the flames, which kept returning, the man would have been toast before the fire department arrived.
Fire extinguishers suitable for vehicle and home use are typically ABC-rated, meaning they work on ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids and electrical incidents.
On a small extinguisher costing $20 or less, one might see a rating of 1A:10B:C or 2A:10B:C. The 1A means the device has the equivalent of 1.25 gallons of water for combustibles. The 2A has 2.5 gallons. Both are good for 10 square feet of coverage for a flammable liquid or electrical fire. One might also see a 5B:C with no combustibles ability. I run a 3A:40B:C at home and in my tow vehicle and a 2A:10B:C in every other vehicle.
The typical ABC extinguisher uses a dry chemical fire retardant made up of monoammonium phosphate. The powder coats fuel and components and interrupts the chemical reaction of the fire. A difficult-to-clean dusty yellow residue is left behind.
When using an extinguisher, remember the acronym PASS. Pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher, which will release the handle lock. Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire. Squeeze the handle. Sweep the extinguisher from side to side. If an under-hood fire occurs, open the hood only a few inches (if safe to do), sweep the opening and get away!
Q: My Honda dealer has told me that the cover on my catalytic converter is rusting on my 2009 Honda CR-V and I need to replace it at the cost of $200. Could this be a factor in my vehicle passing emission testing? Should I get it replaced?
C.G. A: The cover you mention is a heat shield. It helps keep combustible materials from contacting the hot catalytic converter. The car will run fine with a damaged or missing shield, and it has no effect on the emissions test. As long as your check engine light is not illuminated, your vehicle will most likely pass. Yes, you should get it replaced before it starts rattling and driving you nuts.
Brad Bergholdt is an automotive technology instructor at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, Calif. Readers can send him email at under-the-hood@earthlink.net.