Near miss - Possible engine fire?

[97octane]

Coming to work this morning and as I pulled in to the office car park, I was met with the lovely smell of an autumn bonfire and then smoke pouring from the bonnet...
Eeeek!
Bonnet up, fire extinguisher in hand, expecting the worst...

A single large chestnut leaf smouldering on the exhaust manifold.

I've not come across this before but how much of a danger are leaves in the engine bay? I do try to avoid leaves getting in but occasionally they do - it's autumn after all. Could they actually cause a serious engine fire?

[2Munkys]

I know what you mean; I was lucky to get away with this one. Turned out to be medium sized maple leaf. No more Autumn Autoing for me!

[97octane]

You are kidding, right? (Backdrop to that picture isn't exactly Cornish!)

[clive f]

97octane said:

You are kidding, right? (Backdrop to that picture isn't exactly Cornish!)

Hmm, doesn`t exactly look like a griff either

[V8 GRF]

Favourite holiday snap perhaps?

[97octane]

So, back to the matter in hand, chaps. Do you check your engine bay every day before you set off? How much of a risk is a stray leaf on the manifold?

[2Munkys]

97octane said:

So, back to the matter in hand, chaps. Do you check your engine bay every day before you set off? How much of a risk is a stray leaf on the manifold?

No, and not a heooj one.

[Chimjunkie]

I park under a series of giant pine trees and always have pine needles around the car. I leave it covered for this reason. If i dont have the cover on then i will check the exhausts before heading off. I am planning a plumbed in fire extinguisher as my next project. One nozzel around the fuel pipes and the other? Not sure yet. Where do fires start in the engine bay of a TVR?

[V8 GRF]

Chimjunkie said:

I park under a series of giant pine trees and always have pine needles around the car. I leave it covered for this reason. If i dont have the cover on then i will check the exhausts before heading off. I am planning a plumbed in fire extinguisher as my next project. One nozzel around the fuel pipes and the other? Not sure yet. Where do fires start in the engine bay of a TVR?

All have potential from split fuel pipes spraying fuel around the engine bay and onto hot manifilds and electrical shorts but with the Speed6 it seems to be blowbacks into the air box are common.

[LordGrover]

V8 GRF said:

All have potential from split fuel pipes spraying fuel around the engine bay and onto hot manifilds and electrical shorts but with the Speed6 it seems to be blowbacks into the air box are common.

Common? I've not read that before ...

[V8 GRF]

LordGrover said:

V8 GRF said:

All have potential from split fuel pipes spraying fuel around the engine bay and onto hot manifilds and electrical shorts but with the Speed6 it seems to be blowbacks into the air box are common.

Common? I've not read that before ...

...common seat of the fire is what I meant, not that the fires themselves were common.

If you look at a lot of pics of burnt out S6 cars that have been put out before the fire totally destroyed the car it appears that the airbox is the seat of the fire.

[BIG DUNC]

We have a lot trees round us. Never been a problem for the Griff as it lives in the garage.
Mrs Dunc thinks the garage is too much hassle, so prefers her scooby to sit on the drive.
Whenever I open the bonnet there are loads of leaves on the intercooler. As she drives down the road every morning, any leaves on the bonnet are blown into the scoop.
It doesn't seem to do any harm, but I always remove them anyway.

Weekly routine at our house.
British cars : Add oil, add water, charge battery.
Subaru : remove leaves from top of intercooler.

[RAFBOY]

Qoute "All have potential from split fuel pipes spraying fuel around the engine bay and onto hot manifilds and electrical shorts but with the Speed6 it seems to be blowbacks into the air box are common."

I had exactly that last year, left her warming up only to find a column of smoke comking from the bonnet on my return, luckily caught her in time before any real damage was done, damaged the bonnet release !! moral of the story take a look at your fuel pipes for cracks when you do your weekly checks !!!