Methanol & Fire

[RmvBfrFlght]

Let me put it this way then. I've been on this board for 17 years and I never heard of a fire caused or fed by the alky filled over-flow bottle until today.

I was just stating facts about alcohol storage under the hood. Shit happens.

You could use the windshield washer bottle instead it just won't hold as much. Julio's kit come with the overflow bottle set up for alky.

Either way if your in a wreck say a front collision it could be a problem. I'm with Boxcars the odds are low that something would happen.

Yes I have alky, yes its in the overflow bottle, yes if I get hit in the RF fender it could cause a fire. No I don't drive it everyday. Yes I know the risk.

I agree with everything fast86gn posted. I too run an alky system, in the overflow bottle location.

RemoveBeforeFlight

 

[TR Custom Parts]

I understand what you are saying, but even regular ole' street driving involves fender benders. Has nothing to do with WOT or a high performance car.

You put a gallon of fuel in a plastic container in the right front corner of the engine compartment, and you better hope that it doesn't even get lightly hit. Lets see, plastic container, hot downpipe, hot turbo housing, and leaking a highly flammable fuel.

A Metco spare tire fuel cell is better. But at a minimum installing a firewall on the package shelf and behind the rear seat is a really good idea.

RemoveBeforeFlight

That's how I did mine. Metco tank and the trunk firewall kit I sell.

 

[Turbo6inKY]

Let me put it this way then. I've been on this board for 17 years and I never heard of a fire caused or fed by the alky filled over-flow bottle until today. Now, has it happened other times? I suppose. But it's a very, very, rare occurrence and what you're suggesting is extreme overkill. Some TR owners retain a charcoal cannister because they're just that anal about things. I'm just not one of those people.

Or we retain the canister because we don't like the car smelling like a gas leak?

The thing is, the odds may be low. But they are not zero, and you won't care what the odds were when your car is burning to the ground on the side of the road from what should have been a minor inconvenience. GM refused to put Methanol injection on the car because they couldn't package it under the hood in a way that would pass crash testing, and they couldn't put the tank in the trunk because it would have cost too much.

The owner of the car in the picture I posted is on this board. The odds are a very long way from zero.

I know lots of people on here are running the meth kids using the coolant overflow bottle with no problems. I also know one guy who had a problem, and looking under the hood you can see how such a problem could arise. IMHO, It's too easy to see where it could go wrong and too easy to prevent to not take the few extra steps and deal with it properly.

Plus, you can put a way bigger tank in the trunk and not have to refill as often.

 

[bison]

This is what happens when you keep your alky in the coolant overflow bottle. In this case, one of the oil cooler lines split, starting a small fire. The small fire melted the bottle, and it turned into a really big fire.

Do not store fuel (and methanol is a fuel) in the engine bay.

View attachment 304854

It's against most sanctioning bodies rules to have a motor fuel that is not in a fuel cell. Any drag strip could say you're not running here with that


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[Boxcars]

Or we retain the canister because we don't like the car smelling like a gas leak?

The thing is, the odds may be low. But they are not zero, and you won't care what the odds were when your car is burning to the ground on the side of the road from what should have been a minor inconvenience. GM refused to put Methanol injection on the car because they couldn't package it under the hood in a way that would pass crash testing, and they couldn't put the tank in the trunk because it would have cost too much.

The owner of the car in the picture I posted is on this board. The odds are a very long way from zero.

I know lots of people on here are running the meth kids using the coolant overflow bottle with no problems. I also know one guy who had a problem, and looking under the hood you can see how such a problem could arise. IMYO, It's too easy to see where it could go wrong and too easy to prevent to not take the few extra steps and deal with it properly.

Plus, you can put a way bigger tank in the trunk and not have to refill as often.

I was afraid you'd be here again, today. Anal is anal. You people are like a dog with a bone. You won't let it go. Do we have to listen to your "warnings" again? We have listened to your argument, and you still don't have one. On a side note, maybe your car smells like gas fumes, but mine doesn't and I've been chucking TR charcoal cannisters for 20 years.

Get this, and don't get too worked up, I even drive on the street with fiberglass bumpers. Do you know what could happen?

So, you know one guy who had a problem in spite of the millions of collective miles TR owners have driven with meth/alky in their overflow bottles who never had any issue. You're right. Shit happens, but simply, you have to be able to gauge what's overtly dangerous, and what isn't.

 

[Turbo6inKY]

I was afraid you'd be here again, today. Anal is anal. You people are like a dog with a bone. You won't let it go. Do we have to listen to your "warnings" again? We have listened to your argument, and you still don't have one. On a side note, maybe your car smells like gas fumes, but mine doesn't and I've been chucking TR charcoal cannisters for 20 years.

I think you mis-characterize my intent. You don't have to listen to anything I say. Just scroll past it. Jerk.

 

[~JM~]

Does the temperature inside the engine bay ever cause a vapor-lock or boiling condition in the alcohol holding tank?

 

[robertf]

This is what happens when you keep your alky in the coolant overflow bottle. In this case, one of the oil cooler lines split, starting a small fire. The small fire melted the bottle, and it turned into a really big fire.

Do not store fuel (and methanol is a fuel) in the engine bay.

View attachment 304854

I hope thats not yours. Those front wheels are wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!!!!!

 

[Boxcars]

I think you mis-characterize my intent. You don't have to listen to anything I say. Just scroll past it. Jerk.

I didn't mischaracterize anything. Your position is stupid and it's hard to defend stupid. You're just anal.

 

[jskarateka]

It's against most sanctioning bodies rules to have a motor fuel that is not in a fuel cell. Any drag strip could say you're not running here with that


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Yep. Route 66 Raceway dragstrip in Illinois is a full NHRA track that hosts the top fuel nationals every year. Brought the car there for a test and tune night a few years ago. As soon as the inspector saw it in the overflow tank, it was a no.

Luckily there are 2 other tracks relatively close to me that don't give a crap. One of them doesn't ever even ask me to open the hood.

 

[Rugby]

Have any of yall read the msds for methonal? Flash point is very low in 60deg range but for it to ignite on its own is in the 800deg range.

Not saying thats its unsafe or safe. Thats for your own judgment. I have used straight meth at my last job in the thousands of gallons at a time. We went overboard with safety. Everything had to be no sparking and grounded down to the hose connections.

Will i run it on my car? One day and it will be under the hood.

 

[TurboTGuy]

This is what happens when you keep your alky in the coolant overflow bottle. In this case, one of the oil cooler lines split, starting a small fire. The small fire melted the bottle, and it turned into a really big fire.

Do not store fuel (and methanol is a fuel) in the engine bay.

View attachment 304854

That's not methanol you see burning in that picture. The fact is, it is an OIL caused fire you are using as an example, not methanol. Methanol doesn't burn orange.

I guarantee you an oil cooler line pumps out enough oil to cause a big, big fire. One much bigger than the one in the picture, ask me how I know......

Then ask why I don't have oil cooler lines on my car anymore.

And yes, I'm running Julio's Alky Control System with the coolant recovery replacement tank. I'm not concerned with it at all.

To each his own.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Mine is a 1 gal fuel cell in Julio's custom system. It's d/s ft mtd. No charcoal can.
The cell allows me to use propolene oxide/ hydrazine octane booster.