My Clio RS caught fire during its MOT !

[plymcl172]

My car caught fire during its emissions test. Ap it was around the manifold area but they wernt too sure. I am on really good terms with the garage so they found it quite funny. It took ages to go through this test so it was being run a lot with not much air and the exhaust got very hot.

Is there anything around there which could of caught fire? Plastics/heat shields?

Should I be concerned about it doing this again ? are these prone to this under there?

many thanks

 

[Christopher]

Not good!

The sound insulation material is the only thing I could think of that's around there.

I don't think it burns easily though.

 

[plymcl172]

Thanks for that

Maybe that caught I just don't know now !

If anyone else has come across this it would help cheers !

 

[welshname]

How big was the fire? A lot, just a little flame? Just smoking?

 

[plymcl172]

I didnt see it they told me after...... err guess it was smoking def was flames I was told :dapprove:

On a different not it passed with no advisory's :approve:

 

[Josh Youare]

I'd say catching fire would be pretty bad emissions!

Apparently I'm wrong. Congrats

 

[BurnyC]

I'd love to be able to take my car somewhere that would pass it despite it catching fire!

 

[plymcl172]

I'd love to be able to take my car somewhere that would pass it despite it catching fire!

yeah tell me about it ! Was so happy that it passed like that. Proves that if you look after your car it will look after you ! :approve:

The fire thing is strange though. It passed emissions somehow lol

 

[recaro182]

You seem surprisingly chirpy/blase about your car catching fire whilst just sitting there having an emmissions test. Does it not worry you that it might happen again?

 

[plymcl172]

You seem surprisingly chirpy/blase about your car catching fire whilst just sitting there having an emmissions test. Does it not worry you that it might happen again?

I wasnt sitting there I was at home but anyway, yeah I am but how often does your car run for ages on idle while you are not driving it through air ?

Thats why i put this thread up see if its common and see what may have cause it. Will look into it more then.

The garage didnt seem concerned so maybe thats a good thing....

 

[welshname]

My car sits on idle for ages sometimes, never sets on fire.

 

[plymcl172]

My car sits on idle for ages sometimes, never sets on fire.

no I meant with your foot down sitting on high revs.

An emissions test isnt just on idle.

 

[Jaff.]

At a rolling road day once we had a Clio catch fire, was the sound proofing on the bulkhead. Put it out with orange juice lol

 

[plymcl172]

Ha ha brilliant

my Mate used Dr Pepper on his R5GTT once on fire

is the bulkhead near the manifold ?

 

[-J-]

Because V6?

No way the car should have got hot enough to catch fire on an MOT Emissions test.

 

[Jaff.]

Yeah we think it was the manifold that caused the problem. Of course the car got a lot hotter on the rolling road than it would on an emissions test so it may be different.

Bulkhead is the wall between engine bay and cabin, there's sound proofing/heat shield that looks quite flammable

 

[welshname]

Post #15! Win. Just sent this to a group of CS members on FB to see how long till the Vee made an appearance.

 

[Chip-mk1]

I wasnt sitting there I was at home but anyway, yeah I am but how often does your car run for ages on idle while you are not driving it through air ?

Whenever you get stuck in traffic badly?


You need to be getting under your car and working out what actually burned

Do you have an oil leaks?

 

[-J-]

Post #15! Win. Just sent this to a group of CS members on FB to see how long till the Vee made an appearance.

Whoop do I get a prize?

Had to be done, CS standard along with, M3 / Silver Visions / Having it in the twisties etc

 

[plymcl172]

Yeah we think it was the manifold that caused the problem. Of course the car got a lot hotter on the rolling road than it would on an emissions test so it may be different.

Bulkhead is the wall between engine bay and cabin, there's sound proofing/heat shield that looks quite flammable

ideal cheers for that info really helps now when I take a look at it again.

Yeah come to think of it sure the bloke at the garage thought if anything it could of been that. Thats what I was saying just now this would not of happened on the road with air coming in.

Thank god I always carry a fire extinguisher with me, you never know....

 

[plymcl172]

Whenever you get stuck in traffic badly?


You need to be getting under your car and working out what actually burned

Do you have an oil leaks?

I will get under there when I have time and take a look.

No leaks at all.

I park in a private space everyday so that would show me if I had any.

 

[Adam.P]

The heatshield came off just above my manifold on my 172, check that out as that "burnt" the soundproofy stuff behind it but never set on fire.

 

[Austin-182]

Hope the traffic lights on green lads or else!

 

[Chip-mk1]

I will get under there when I have time and take a look.

No leaks at all.

I park in a private space everyday so that would show me if I had any.

Not if it was leaking into the wrap on your exhaust (if you have it) for example.

I was wondering if you have an oil leak to somewhere that could retain the oil.


I know nothing about your car and you havent actually told us anything useful yet.


As standard they do NOT catch fire, so its something either badly modified or faulty on yours to make it do so.

 

[Bren Rogers]

Prone to oil leaks around the rocker cover, which could potentially drip onto the manifold I suppose. I'd want to find the cause personally. I find myself sat in traffic a lot, and I've never had any of my 172s set on fire.

 

[plymcl172]

Hasnt told us anything useful ? sorry Chip :rasp:

Its a 172 bod standard and it DID catch fire- fact ! Its not a lie

I wanted to find this out and I will check all these things out and will update. I have heard of one 172 set on fire on here but was way more serious than mine !

 

[Chip-mk1]

Hasnt told us anything useful ? sorry Chip :rasp:

Its a 172 bod standard and it DID catch fire- fact ! Its not a lie

I wanted to find this out and I will check all these things out and will update. I have heard of one 172 set on fire on here but was way more serious than mine !

Well then it must have a flammable fluid leak or similar if its catching fire and is a standard car.

Ie its not techincally standard anymore, but in some way sub-standard.

Oil and petrol are the most obvious candidates to look for, so check where one of those is leaking.

 

[Dan519]

Had a mk1 catch fire on the dyno before. BBtuning "kevlar heatshield". The resin (same as in glassfibre) is still extremely flamable. Went up a treat. AFF powder everywhere!!!!

 

[plymcl172]

thanks for all the info guys its a great help

after having a look at my car inside the bonnet and outside under it I still cant see what caused this. I have a little oil above the manifold by the rocker cover but it looks old and not likely to spill. The mystery goes on ......

 

[DannyR]

Mine caught fire due to the sound proofing stuff dropping on to my manifold, the manifold was hot though and it wasn't close to a standard car and had been doing some hard driving.

Shouldn't happen on a standard one