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Topic: Coach Fire (Read 709 times) previous topic - next topic

Coach Fire

Someone on Facebook Foretravel Owners Group posted a video of the that caught fire in the engine compartment.  Just wondering what could have started the fire? What could have been done to avoid this?  What went wrong in the engine? I would like to learn from this incident.
John

https://www.facebook.com/groups/922563977854351/permalink/1544650675645675/
John & Carm Morales

"We travel not to go anywhere, but to just go.  We travel for travel's sake.  Our great desire is to move."

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #1 –
Very hard to day but it pays to take a look each day while on the road for anything loose, leaking, seeping. Hot turbo or exhaust manifold and diesel, hydraulic fluid, etc don't go together. Checking for hoses that rub on each other is important. I lost a couple of hoses that way. The oil could have caught fire but didn't. I posted a video last year of a newer coach by the side of the road on fire. One member had the exhaust pipe come out of the turbo and caught the compartment on fire and only noticed it in the rear view mirror. They just had time to get out. Good to have a plan if something like this happens.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #2 –
Pierce,
From the video on Facebook It looks like the coach was parked. From the looks of the image it seems the fire was mainly at the front of the engine.  Thanks for the advice.
John
John & Carm Morales

"We travel not to go anywhere, but to just go.  We travel for travel's sake.  Our great desire is to move."

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart –
  They just had time to get out. Good to have a plan if something like this happens.
To paraphrase a song line: "If your coach catch fire, and there ain't no water water 'round, throw the jellyroll out the window, let the gaull dern coach burn down." Only thing I'd add, besides the jellyroll. is the cell phone to scream for help.
1993 U-240 "La Villa Grande"..CAT 3116 w/ Pacbrake PRXB...Allison 3060 6-speed..
Previous: 1983 Airstream 310 turbo diesel, 1979 Airstream 280 turbo diesel
                                      Build # 4297
                                      PNW natives
                      Home base:  'Cactus Hug' (Ajo, Arizona)
                        DW Judy & Chet the wonder dog
                        Full-Timers 'Sailing the asphalt sea'

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #4 –
Quote from: John Morales –
Pierce,
From the video on Facebook It looks like the coach was parked. From the looks of the image it seems the fire was mainly at the front of the engine.  Thanks for the advice.
John
It may have been parked but the engine compartment always has potential hazards for fire whether in motion or parked. A stuck starter motor even burned one up. I did get rid of all the black installation in the compartment and installed backerboard everywhere I could to minimize the hazards but you can never eliminate them.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #5 –
If your fuel lines were replaced by Bern;d; you might want to check the type of fuel line clamps used in the installation. I had a major fuel leak from the return fuel line when the hose clamp failed. I informed Bern'd and he agreed that the clamp was  the wrong one.
Owner needs to know which clamp is the correct one.
The left clamps are the recommended ones and the right clamp is the one installed that failed.
John
1998 U270 34'

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #6 –
What went wrong here is that the owner did not install a fire suppression system in the first place. Cheap insurance against problems like these.
Bob & Kathy
2007 Nimbus
Full Timers
Retired Charter Bus Owner/Operator

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #7 –
Turns out that he was at a bank.  When he was exiting someone ran out to tell that the coach was on fire.  They concluded it was an electrical fire.
John
John & Carm Morales

"We travel not to go anywhere, but to just go.  We travel for travel's sake.  Our great desire is to move."

Re: Coach Fire

Reply #8 –
 One person said electrical but they blame everything on electrical.

  1996 U320  M11 motor.
2014 ih45  (4th Foretravel owned)
 1997 36' U295 Sold in 2020, owned for 19 years
  U240 36' Sold to insurance company after melting in garage fire
    33' Foretravel on Dodge Chassis  Sold very long time ago