Just got the worst call ever from my buddy with a fc..


FPD caught on fire (it was JUST replaced 2 months ago)


Engine bay = char



This sucks.


Thats all I got right now, I'm at a loss for words. Now both our 7's are broke!

 

 

:-( is right...


We both just moved in together, furnished the apt yesterday EVERYTHING was going as planned then this had to pop off...

 

you should post pics to scare everyone into replacing theres

 

Once he gets back to the apt I'll take pics. Who can host? Or can we just post them?

 

From the sounds if it he just did replace it.

:heart: banjo bolt

Did he at least have good enough insurance to cover it? I know I upgraded mine after my co-worker's Saturn turned into a puddle of melted plastic out of nowhere.

I hope the rotary gods smile upon him and a good condition sub-$1000 FC shows up for his purchase.

 

I always use http://www.imageshack.us . Copy out of the text for forums box that's just below the picture after posting.

 

banjo bolt

 

OK--I'm sold. I've been following the banjo bolt/PD discussion on this site for some time, but was never quite convinced to modify mine. If the PD in this thread was only 2 months old, but still failed, it makes it mighty hard for me to generate any confidence in the original unit on my car, and I don't see much point in replacing it with a new unit that's only slightly more trustworthy.

 

Not to open this can of worms again, but instead of just fitting a banjo bolt, just use an aftermarket pulsation damper. Lots of info in the archives.

 

If the PD was replaced two months ago (as Travisty says in his first post in this thread) the PD was probably not the problem, but rather an incompetint mechanic and an unaware owner (that didn't notice the fuel smell).

A new 2 month old PD is not going to fail. Don't blame the design or car for a incompetint mechanic. In fact I would bet money that it was a leaking fuel rail or loose hose before the PD (well unless he was clueless and used an old PD instead of a new one).

 

i would have to agree with icemark...unless whoever installed it messed around with the pd or didnt install it properly then i dont see why it would fail, however, these parts ( the "new" pd ) are just lying around on shelves and are STILL 16 years old...although not used they have been there a long time or are they produced on a regular basis for our cars still? ...i think this was stated in the pd/banjo bolt thread aswell..

 

This morning I had just reread the thread about the Pulsation Damper vs the Banjo Bolt Modification..I did the Banjo Mod on both my 88's with so far no ill consequences. I understand both sides of the controversy concerning this Mod.

What I did along with the BANJO BOLT Mod was to coil an extra foot or so of fuel line coming out of the primary where the PD "WAS". In my opinion this extra hose acts as a "shock absorber" of sorts that is perhaps more effective than that small rubber diaphragm in the PD.

I'm going to find that thread and repost (it is in the Archives) the link.

BTW...I don't have to worry about failed PD's any more...

 

PS...I totally agree with Icemark on this one.....110%

 

Only YOU can prevent FPD filres!

 

Was the replacement PD new or used?

 

That's much worse then the "evil PD". That extra hose adds an extra foot or so of soft, leak-prone rubber hose. Anywhere it rubs it can easily wear through. And if the hose extends above the hot areas of the engine, you heat up the fuel quite a lot...

 

My, my, my. I'll try and restrain myself this time. I'll only ask those above: when was the last time you heard of a "fuel line leak" fire, versus the last time you heard of a "fuel pulsation dampner leak" fire.

Opinions are like a*******, everybody has one. Based upon **MY** experiences I make the recommendation to get rid of your PD for a banjo bolt. No one has proven that the PD removal will tear anything up, others have proven that it works fine. I see no use in spending money on something largely unnecessary.

FWIW most newer cars do not have a PD, including my wife's millenia. No domestic EFI car that I've ever seen had an FPD including my s-10 and my denali.

OFf topic, but the millenia/KLv6 does happen to have a variable intake system similar to vdi/6 ports, which I thought was of interest.

 

That's why I went to a S5 FPD and got a S4 rail and Aeromotive FPR.

A S5 is internal so even if it fails and does nothing it will not leak outside.
So the S5 is your best replacement item.

If you plan on going parallel or custom fuel setup then a S4 rail is good because of the threading.

 

^ that true?

 

My RX-7, my mom's Oldsmobile, etc. Though neither one actually caught on fire, fuel was dripping directly onto the exhaust manifold. It is just luck that I caught them both in time.

I know the 'Olds did, and the last piston car I worked on, a turbo Dodge Daytona, certainly had one.

But I think this would qualify as "re-opening the can of worms", so I'll stop now.

 

Not at all. The S5 PD is integrated to the rail, but it can (and does, though less often) fail in ways that makes it leak internally.

 

I just spent like $200 on a new PD from the dealer I don't need to be hearing this sh*&!
I can't accept that Mazda would design and sell something with so much potential for fire.
Human error or not a new and proper PD.

 

I do agree with Aaron and should have been a littl more specific....I encased the fuel line in armaflex type conduit so that the fuel line is shielded away from direct contact....regular inspections of the shielding give me opportunity to correct any abrasions before they reach the fuel line....Very good point, Aaron.

Also, I use a 300 lb psi hydraulic/fuel line stocked at a local hydraulic supply....goood stuff and only 1.38 per foot....

 

whats a PD?