[T2] Fwd: Safety Valve

[c.dreike]

 From Ron Dunn,
Thought I should forward to the list.
Chris
64DD Kamper Kit


Try this on for size.


A Safety Valve

I stepped out the door on my way to work one frosty morning to the 
unpleasant surprise of a flat tire on my squareback. I thought about 
changing the tire, but decided to fire up Old Snoopy, my camper. It's 
nice to have a Plan B available in the driveway.

Snoop hadn't been run in over a month, so I knew it would take a lot of 
starter grinding to fill the carburetor bowl. After a lengthy crank, 
with no response, I decided to look for a problem in the engine 
compartment. When I opened the door I was greeted by smoke, heat and a 
bright orange glow like a Saddamized oil well. I really had fired up Old 
Snoopy.

The garden hose was only a car length away, how handy. You aren't 
supposed to pour water on a gasoline fire, but a fine spray will cool 
the fire, and reduce the amount of oxygen, taking away two of the three 
elements necessary for combustion. It worked at basic training in the 
Navy long before this car was born, it should work again. The hose was 
frozen, time for another Plan B, a small fire extinguisher mounted under 
the dashboard.

A blast of white powder aimed at the fuel pump put out the fire, or so I 
thought. Some burning gas had dripped to the ground and was doing its 
best to set everything above it on fire. It took the rest of the powder 
to put that out. An anxious look in the engine compartment confirmed my 
worst fear; a small parcel of flame surrounded the fuel pump. It was 
time to use Plan C. With my hands over my face, I poked my head toward 
the base of the fire and blew for all I was worth. A cautious look 
between my fingers proved what the backs of my hands told me. The fire 
was out.

A quick check of the engine revealed no serious problems, only burned 
ignition wiring and some smoke damage. I was lucky, Old Snoopy; my 
faithful companion for twenty-one years would live on.

The cause of the fire was a break in the line from the fuel pump to the 
carburetor. The fuel supply was limited to what pumped out while 
cranking. If the line from the tank had broken, fourteen gallons of gas 
would have fed a fire way beyond the capabilities of any portable fire 
extinguisher. The cremation of an old friend would have been inevitable.

The idea of a force-fed fire really bothered me. My thoughts centered 
about sitting around a campfire with the camper parked a short distance 
away. A small leak in the fuel line sends gas vapors slithering across 
the ground, below nose level, unnoticed—until they reach the fire. I had 
to find a way to prevent such a holocaust.I remembered seeing an 
automatic fuel shutoff valve on my neighbor’s motorcycle, a Honda 650 
Nighthawk. I wondered if such a valve would work since the Japanese also 
use metric threads. It was an easy job to try a test fit, sure enough; 
the mounting threads are the same as those on my ‘70 model. A vacuum 
line opens the valve; fuel can only flow while the engine is turning. 
Opening suction is about one pound per square inch. There is a sump and 
a manual three position control, off, on, and reserve. The on position 
leaves about a gallon on call at the turn of a handle. With the valve in 
any position, you can clean the sump and lose only the fuel in the sump. 
The off position can be used as a security feature. No gas—no go.

I found a used valve at a motorcycle salvage yard for $15.00. The part 
number for a new Honda unit is 16950-MA6-025; list price is about 
$110.00. That's a lot of money for a small part, but it's cheap 
insurance against a total loss.

Mounting is a simple process since the valve just threads into the tank. 
Place the valve with the handle facing the front of the wheel-well and 
it can be reached without crawling under the car. A vacuum line from the 
intake manifold to the valve is the only additional installation required.

The fire extinguisher was in my camper by chance. Several years ago I 
bought an old fastback for spare parts, the previous owner left the 
extinguisher in the trunk. The most logical place to put it was in my 
camper. There is plenty of room for a small extinguisher in the engine 
compartment, but you can't reach it if there is an engine fire. I 
mounted mine under the dash, the least likely place for a fire. There 
are now two extinguishers under the dash, on purpose, just in case...

On Sat, 28 Jul 2018 17:02:50 -0700 "c.dreike" <c.dreike at verizon.net 
<mailto:c.dreike at verizon.net>> writes:
 > Bob,
 > You should have a valve with at least a 3/16" opening so as to not
 > restrict the gas flow.
 >
 > Chris
 > 64DD Kamper Kit
 >
 >
 > On 7/28/2018 4:50 PM, Bob Pratt wrote:
 > > Thanks Erik,
 > > What kind of shut off valve do you use? I saw one at the FLAPS
 > near by., but it was for a lawn mower. Do you think that's heavy
 > enough?
 > > Thanks again.
 > >
 > > Bob
 > >
 > >> On Jul 28, 2018, at 4:53 PM, Erik Burtis <ewdb92 at gmail.com 
<mailto:ewdb92 at gmail.com>>
 > wrote:
 > >>
 > >> I put the fuel filter and shutoff right near the tank outlet
 > using a bracket attached to the frame.  This limits the run of fuel
 > line that can leak uncontrollably.
 > >>
 > >>> On Fri, Jul 27, 2018 at 6:17 PM, Bob Pratt <ka1dza at verizon.net 
<mailto:ka1dza at verizon.net>>
 > wrote:
 > >>> Hi all!
 > >>> I finally got the engine changed from generator to alternator!
 > >>> The problem I ran into was when I pulled the generator out, I
 > noticed that there was only one thick spacer and two thin spacers
 > behind the fan.
 > >>> When I installed the two thick spacers the way it's supposed to
 > be, the fan bounded up tight against the back of the doghouse.
 > >>> I installed washers between the alternator mounting tin and the
 > doghouse.everything is turning the way it's supposed to now. I used
 > blue gasket material to seal the gap left over.
 > >>> Has anyone run into this problem?
 > >>> Also, does anyone have any thoughts about the placement of the
 > fuel filter and a fuel shutoff valve. I'm thinking about putting
 > them under the the bus up in the frame.
 > >>> Any suggestions?
 > >>> Thanks all.
 > >>>
 > >>> Bob
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