3 ms·

> I haven't heard of mechanic setting regular cars on fire when repairing them though. You clearly haven't been around many repair shops or performed your own

> I haven't heard of mechanic setting regular cars on fire when repairing them though. You clearly haven't been around many repair shops or performed your own auto maintenance. It's not that hard and does happen from time to time. Another thing to think about is how many times have I heard of stories where a mechanic or oil change tech forgets to tighten something, oil or fuel leaks, drips onto the hot exhaust manifold and starts an engine fire... while driving.

dsfyu404ed 8y ago
>Another thing to think about is how many times have I heard of stories where a mechanic or oil change tech forgets to tighten something, oil or fuel leaks, drips onto the hot exhaust manifold and starts an engine fire... while driving. The properties that make engine oil last thousands of miles without breaking down in the conditions you find inside an engine also make it very hard to ignite if not mixed with something more flammable (trust me, I've tried, it won't stay lit on its own). Fluid based vehicle fires are usually the result of transmission fluid or power steering fluid which are more flammable. Fuel based fires are pretty rare (for how flammable gasoline is) because safety standards all but require OEMs to over-build the fuel systems. Also due to the nature of engine designs (you kind of need the exhaust ports on the head so the manifold goes somewhere therabouts) it's quite rare to have a situation where it's possible for an engine oil leak to reach exhaust system parts in any appreciable volume. Remember, if you're losing that much oil the car will likely stop for other reasons long before it catches fire.
- acranox 8y ago
  It can, however, create so much smoke, that you won't be able to see much in front of you as the smoke pours out from under the hood, and leaves an oily film all over your windscreen.
monkeynotes 8y ago
My brake callipers pinched and caused a fire, a bone-headed mechanic or DIYer could cause this problem with a bad brake job. There are so many, many ways a car can go wrong and kill someone, battery-tech or otherwise.

dsfyu404ed 8y ago

>Another thing to think about is how many times have I heard of stories where a mechanic or oil change tech forgets to tighten something, oil or fuel leaks, drips onto the hot exhaust manifold and starts an engine fire... while driving. The properties that make engine oil last thousands of miles without breaking down in the conditions you find inside an engine also make it very hard to ignite if not mixed with something more flammable (trust me, I've tried, it won't stay lit on its own). Fluid based vehicle fires are usually the result of transmission fluid or power steering fluid which are more flammable. Fuel based fires are pretty rare (for how flammable gasoline is) because safety standards all but require OEMs to over-build the fuel systems. Also due to the nature of engine designs (you kind of need the exhaust ports on the head so the manifold goes somewhere therabouts) it's quite rare to have a situation where it's possible for an engine oil leak to reach exhaust system parts in any appreciable volume. Remember, if you're losing that much oil the car will likely stop for other reasons long before it catches fire.

acranox 8y ago
It can, however, create so much smoke, that you won't be able to see much in front of you as the smoke pours out from under the hood, and leaves an oily film all over your windscreen.

monkeynotes 8y ago

My brake callipers pinched and caused a fire, a bone-headed mechanic or DIYer could cause this problem with a bad brake job. There are so many, many ways a car can go wrong and kill someone, battery-tech or otherwise.