fire extinguisher onboard?

**jrkoupe** · 09-18-2018, 12:29 PM

who uses a fire ext in the car.....NOT A TRACK/RACE car.....

my street car(z coupe) has a vcg leak...and just the other day man it was crazy smoking....it was getting on ex mani.........and it was in the cockpit.......it made me think how stupid Id feel that car would burn to ground because I was too lazy to fix it..lol....and it made me think how car is getting old, and an onboard fire ext could be a good idea.

whos using one?........mounted how?........

just saw this:

http://www.thebracketeer.com/buy/bra...yABEgIt6fD_BwE

- - - Updated - - -

vac has one ,......and BK has one

so some1 on this forum used this and liked:

http://www.thebracketeer.com/

**jrkoupe** · 09-18-2018, 01:09 PM

ok...Im doing it

http://www.thebracketeer.com/customer-vehicles/

**zellamay** · 09-18-2018, 01:13 PM

I always have. Many years ago my buddy watched his car burn up because he didn't have one. It was a "small" gas leak that he intended to fix "soon". They are cheap insurance. I've kept it in the trunk, and in that area under the hood that's sealed off from the engine, in front of the passenger. I'd like to mount it in the cab, but there's no room.

**jrkoupe** · 09-18-2018, 01:26 PM

did u look at the bracket I linked?.....it seems ez and tucked away

**s8ilver** · 09-18-2018, 01:43 PM

I've witnessed a few car fires, and for at least one of them, I could have helped a guy save his car if I just had an extinguisher on board.

So now, I do. Photo was just from a mock up. I've since repositioned the clamps (so they can't slice your leg off) and relocated to the passenger seat. I used a VAC mount and some other bits from Amazon to build my kit.

20160821_175421.jpg

**jrkoupe** · 09-18-2018, 02:02 PM

yes..Im convinced I need one.

the coupe has become a bit of a garage queen after 19 yrs and 240k miles. And the oil leak at the vcg is bad.....Ive been slack.
so on sunday I was driving to a hot rod show .....and while sitting at a red lite I actually got smoke in the cockpit....

Man I was nervous the fire had already started.... I shut her down and opened hood w/ huge anxiety...............I was thinking how after 19 yrs and pure love for this car, Id lose her over my slacker ways

**bubbafett** · 09-18-2018, 07:34 PM

It's a great idea, but not if I have to look at it every time I get in the damn car. Put it behind the seat, in the trunk, or maybe even hidden under the hood in one of the back huge spaces to the right or left behind the wheel well.

**dimm6** · 09-18-2018, 08:49 PM

I carry one in my truck. Years ago I had a Mitsubishi Montreal and the oil cap had cracked and just enough oil was able to spray out of it and hit the cover of the exhaust manifold and lit the engine bay on fire. The mini extinguisher saved the day.

**Adker** · 09-18-2018, 10:29 PM

I see some of the extinguisher listed for the bracket are dry chemical type. The dry chemical (ammonium phosphate) is very corrosive to metals, it will make a mess of an engine or tools if not completely removed .It is very fine powder and gets into everything./, Halotron is a gas and costs more but has no cleanup.

**Randy Forbes** · 09-18-2018, 10:36 PM

Same car when I got it (for keeps) releathered seats, and before floormat residue was vacuumed off the floor.

**Z-Thrizzle** · 09-19-2018, 09:02 AM

Thanks for the reminders....I need to fix my vcg and get an extinguisher. Any issues with leaving these in the car parked under the sun?
https://www.firstalert.com/product/a...ated-5-bc-red/

**bubbafett** · 09-19-2018, 10:20 AM

Mythbusters pointed that very thing out one time when they were investigating whether a fire extinguisher in the middle of a fire would explode. Modern fire extinguishers have relief valves and don't blow up, they just leak.

**s8ilver** · 09-19-2018, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by Adker

I see some of the extinguisher listed for the bracket are dry chemical type. The dry chemical (ammonium phosphate) is very corrosive to metals, it will make a mess of an engine or tools if not completely removed .It is very fine powder and gets into everything./, Halotron is a gas and costs more but has no cleanup.

Our Lemons race requires Halon systems next year...not really excited to put that sort of $ in a $400 car, but whatever.

**jrkoupe** · 09-19-2018, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by bubbafett

It's a great idea, but not if I have to look at it every time I get in the damn car. Put it behind the seat, in the trunk, or maybe even hidden under the hood in one of the back huge spaces to the right or left behind the wheel well.

I wont mind eyeballing it at all........and after a few weeks I wont even notice it Im sure

**DimrBimmer** · 09-19-2018, 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by Randy Forbes

Same car when I got it (for keeps) releathered seats, and before floormat residue was vacuumed off the floor.

Hey Randy, that looks very clean and moves with the seat so it won’t restrict any seat movement. What type a mount is it and what is the size of the can? I looked under my seat and looks like you might had to fabricate a cross member there?

**bionicbelly** · 09-20-2018, 08:08 AM

Originally Posted by jrkoupe

did u look at the bracket I linked?.....it seems ez and tucked away

I used that bracket. Worked great, easy install, and very secure.

**bubbafett** · 09-20-2018, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by jrkoupe

I wont mind eyeballing it at all........and after a few weeks I wont even notice it Im sure

If it works for you. But I'm just not made that way, i'm very feng shui and that fire engine red can under my feet in a black/blue interior would just make me want to stab my eyes out. lol

**DimrBimmer** · 09-20-2018, 10:07 AM

Originally Posted by bubbafett

If it works for you. But I'm just not made that way, i'm very feng shui and that fire engine red can under my feet in a black/blue interior would just make me want to stab my eyes out. lol

They have them in black and chrome... you can wrap it in matching blue too

**JustinHalverson** · 09-20-2018, 10:46 AM

Years ago I had a chrome version of this fire extinguisher mounted in my 1983 320i similar to this:

I bought and installed it after I had lawn mower blade, that had fallen off a truck in front of me, puncture my gas tank. I had just filled the tank and it was empty within 1/10 of a mile leaving a trail of white smoke and fumes for the entire distance (I'd guess from the gas being heated by the nearby muffler). Fortunately the gas was never ignited. In retrospect that little fire extinguisher would have been worthless had those fumes ignited. I never had to use it, but it was there for over 10 years just in case. I liked the way it looked. To each his own I guess.

**BladeRunner919** · 09-20-2018, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by bubbafett

If it works for you. But I'm just not made that way, i'm very feng shui and that fire engine red can under my feet in a black/blue interior would just make me want to stab my eyes out. lol

Paint it black! If you're going to carry an extinguisher, it may as well be as accessible as possible.

**Randy Forbes** · 09-20-2018, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by bubbafett

If it works for you. But I'm just not made that way, i'm very feng shui and that fire engine red can under my feet in a black/blue interior would just make me want to stab my eyes out. lol

Yes, far better to put it in an inaccessible place when you MOST NEED IT, like a engine compartment or trunk engulfed in flames.

Seriously, it happens, and the car's a write off.

**robrez** · 09-20-2018, 11:08 PM

https://bmweba.com/eba-01-29-9-789-901/amp/
I’ve yet to muster the energy to install mine, but I’ve bookmarked the instructions.

**z3forlife** · 09-21-2018, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by Randy Forbes

Yes, far better to put it in an inaccessible place when you MOST NEED IT, like a engine compartment or trunk engulfed in flames.

Seriously, it happens, and the car's a write off.

this is the same reason you should keep one in your bedroom too. So you can get out of your house if necessary.

**DimrBimmer** · 09-21-2018, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by z3forlife

this is the same reason you should keep one in your bedroom too. So you can get out of your house if necessary.

I keep one in the bedroom, but for different reason!

**Vinci** · 09-21-2018, 08:44 AM

An ABC extinguisher is a good option if your goal is to save someone's life, but not to save the car. The powdered agent in ABC extinguishers is corrosive and will destroy electronics. If you spray it in your car, it may not be burning after, but it's going to be ruined all the same.

The alternative is a "clean agent" extinguisher. This used to be Halon 1211, but someone decided that that wasn't "green" enough and a bunch of less-effective alternatives have sprung up since. All of them are far more expensive than an ABC extinguisher, but they will not do more damage than the fire already did.

I keep a 13-pound Ansul Cleanguard (FE-36 clean agent) unit in the garage for car-related stuff. I'm sure it cost someone a pretty penny, but I found it new on Craigslist for a song. If you're in the market, keep an eye out for people selling boats or datacenters that are closing. Clean agents are used very commonly in both situations.