so i start up my car to head out to the bookstore, im quite excited.. (who isnt when they drive these things).. well, all goes well.. it turns on, and i start to back ou, as i turn my head back and shift into first, what do i see but white smoke billowing out from around my hood.. i immediately turn the car off and pop the hood and rush around to the front of the car.

i ordered my fire extinguisher a few days ago, so i was praying to god it wasnt TOO serious.. it was a small fire, just under the tube (forgive the lack of mechanical knowledge) that connects to the throttle body, right above the spark plugs and near the oil filter.. i manage to get the fire out, and hope for the best as i survey the damage.. i cant see any visible damage.. no wires melted through or anything of that nature.. even those cheap black ribbed tubes that were nearby showed no signs of melting..

upon further examination, there was a small oil leak where the car was parked.. toward the right front tire.. im guess where the oil pan is. I also changed my spark plugs yesterday.. and drove the car around fine (IE no fires).. the fire was just under where the tube connects to the throttle body.. there was no gasket there when i removed it, so needless to say there wasnt one there when i put it back on.. is it possible that maybe it wasnt on tight enough?

any help would be appreciated..

 

There are three fuel lines in that area of the engine bay, underneath the elbow. Check those first.

 

Another fire thread! It's an epidemic!!!

 

Did the smoke smell like gas or oil? My oil pedastal o-ring leaked in that area and put off some white smoke, but you could tell it was oil. If it's gas then it's probably one of those three fuel lines.

 

honestly, i dont remember what the fire smelled like.. i was busy getting it put out.. but i really cannot recall a smell, my guess is oil though, because where the fire was there was a residue of something that resembled oil, but had little or no smell to it whatsoever..

its nightime right now, so i will check those fuel lines tomorrow morning, and let you guys know if theres anything going on there..

 

can oil in our cars catch on fire?...im getting some smoking from my turbo area sometimes after hard driving...white smoke that smells like burning oil but i can never find any visible oil anywhere except under the car on my crossmember and oil pan

are there any differences i nthe fuel lines from the 93 to the 94

 

it could be the vapors burning mostly.. oil is largely composed of hydrocarbons which can burn if ignited.. still another important property of motor oil is its flash point, the lowest temperature at which the oil gives off vapors which can ignite

though i couldnt find the temperature at which that occurs..

 

I just went out and brought a 1kg car fire extinguisher

 

good call bro, i definently see the need for them now, mine should be here in a day or so

 

a final update, i took apart the tube and the throttle body, and wiped it down and whatnot.. redid the spark plugs and wiped them down, checked all the fuel lines (it was definently oil) refilled the oil, and everything seems to run ok, drove her around for awhile and i could smell some oil burning, but i figured it was just the topical stuff, as the smell wore off soon as the oil burnt up..

so maybe some spilt oil somehow cought fire, im not too sure, all i know is that when i backed out again, my car wasnt on fire!

thanks for the help gentlemen! much appreciated

 

You're talking about a fire here, not an oil leak.

If you didn't find the source, you should take it to a mechanic who can find the source.

Dave

 

yeah, actually another update, i inspected the engine again this morning, and found a puddle of oil right by the oil filter on the side nearest the engine.. me and a buddy soaked it up with a rag and i started the car.. he said there was a drip from one of the lines back behind the throttle body (nearest the rear of the engine bay).

im looking those up right now on one of the manuals and check those shortly