Almost Set Fire To My 205...

[CaptainK 11]

Was going home last night along the A380 dually at 70mph, literally about 5 miles from home. Just cruising along when I lost engine power and it was struggling to stay alive. Dumped the clutch and hoped it'd roll just far enough to get to the top of the hill and then downhill into the junction just ahead. Unfortunately it didn't. Tried to restart the engine thinking it was just a minor fault and hoped it'd run long enough to go a few more metres to the junction, but it wouldn't have it. Then I noticed the fuel gauge was heading south VERY quickly so I stopped trying to crank it and got out (lights and hazards on) and jumped over the crash barriers.

 

Annoyingly didn't have my torch in the car (it normally lives there) so I couldn't see in the engine bay as its dark. Could see there was a ton of fuel all under my car and a small trail behind it from where I was rolling to a stop. Rang the AA. Whilst waiting for them the coppers turned up and using their torch we find the culprit is a loose fuel hose (where it connects to the fuel filter). We temp fix it and go to the junction ahead and switch off and await the AA to fix it properly as the hose clamp and the pipe end was fubared.

 

One pipe alteration and one new hose clamp later and the car was all running fine again, just minus 1/3rd of the full tank I'd just put in it as the fuel pump was just pumping it all out onto the road. Arrgh !

 

On the plus side the Policeman loved my 205 and the fact it was a GTi6 on ITBs and we had a chat about it. Then when the AA turned up the AA guy loved it as well and we were talking about the cars and mods and stuff and how he'd had a 205 GTi before as well etc etc. He kept playing with the throttle and enjoying the sound it made. Good stuff.

 

On the minus side my phone battery was pretty much dead before all this. So my missus got a bit worried and tried to find me, but alas she must have come by (I'd text her to say I'll be home late) just after the Police moved me into the junction. Doh ! So she wasn't best pleased with me....

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

That was a lucky escape Kieran, wouldn't want it end as a fireball just by trying to get a few feet closer to home.

 

More concerning is how it was that bad to begin with, botched repair / modification previously?

 

Graham.

[JRL 14 1 Cars]

im gona check my fuel hose!!

[dumbiron 0]

im gona check my fuel hose!!

 

Not a bad idea, when i was swapping the engine in mine i noticed the fuel feed pipe had a big bulge in it. Didn't take much to pop it either ! Was just in the right place to throw fuel over the exhaust

[muddatrucker 125]

Nearly being in a ball of flames is part of the fun of having a 205 - at least I'm assuming thats why Peugeot lets the 205 spray our legs with petrol when fuelling?

[Anthony 1,003]

There was a spate of 205's catching alight a few years back thanks to issues with the fuel pipes around the filter.

 

Certainly sounds like you were a lucky boy if it sprayed that much petrol out and nothing ignited it

[TT205 42]

Same thing happened to me on my TT a few years ago, makes you think doesn't it. Nearly everytime I open the bonnet I give the hose a waggle where it comes off the filter just to make sure it hasn't worked loose

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

Mine returned from a "Peugeot tuners" once and was popping off fuel hoses. I didn't even consider going back there to get them to rectify it. It was missing 7 jubilee clips in various places

[Anthony 1,003]

Mine returned from a "Peugeot tuners" once and was popping off fuel hoses. I didn't even consider going back there to get them to rectify it. It was missing 7 jubilee clips in various places

F'ing hell - missing one on a fuel line is bad enough, but 7?!

[Chris_Mi 6]

My old Mi sprung a hair pin hole in the fuel line where there was a slight kink near the injector rail.

After several weeks of smelling petrol and checking everything, I realised that there was a slight 'spray' of petrol mist coming from the pipe

Heaven knows how it never ignited in the weeks previous! Needless to say, I changed it sharpish.

 

I pay extra attention to the fuel piping now, no matter what car I'm driving, I'll check it at least once a month!

Edited October 28, 2010 by Chris_Mi

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Hmm, I wonder who that was , never had a pipe pop off but the fuel rail did a while back, no idea why as it's never moved in the 3 years it's been on just one day I saw Fuel coming from the side of the bonnet, Opps

[harryskid 193]

I had a mini cooper years ago and it had twin su carbs and one of the float chambers use to stick and over flow and the quick cure was to give it a clout with a spanner. I did this for weeks and kept thinking i must sort this. On night it stuck real good and i did not notice at once and pumped out half my fuel tank . It didn't half put the sh**s up me , i got it fixed quick after that.

[blessed6383 0]

glad you were lucky mate and nothing bad happened had a similar problem about 5 years ago on my old 205 in swindon just came off a hour journey off the M4 and coming back up the 420 to oxford pug lost power so pulled over in a garage looked underneath the car as it stank of fuel and it was pissing out the bottom so quickly switched her off and grabbed the fire extinguisher ( now lways have 1 in the car just in case) and it turned out the return line had split just by the fuel line at the bulkhead, AA came out cut the fuel line down and i managed to get back to oxford. lucky really as the exhaust manifold must have been hot from an hour on the motorway if in doubt shut it off and check

[jackherer 543]

Petrol can't be ignited by just hitting the manifold, it needs a spark. Obviously it is a dangerous situation to have a fuel hose come off but its not the worst thing that can happen, the brake fluid reservoir (particularly on right hand drive 205s) is a much bigger fire risk.

 

I posted this on youtube a few years ago when we were having the same discussion:

[Rob Thomson 6]

I was navigating on a road rally a few years ago in my mate's Mk2 Escort. We were bouncing down a footpath (as you do) when suddenly the engine died and all the electrics went dead. I jumped out to push us out of the way and noticed the boot lid was hot and there was smoke coming out from around the edge. I opened the boot and was amazed to see that the footpump had come out of the tool bag and had managed to wedge itself between the fuel tank and the battery positive (what are the chances of that?!). There were sparks flying everywhere, the earth strap's insulation was smoking, and there was petrol spraying out through the hole that had been burnt into the side of the tank. I pulled the footpump away, burning a nice stripe across my hand in the process, and then we doused everything down with the extinguisher and shoved an eraser in the hole in the tank to stop the leak!

 

In heinsight we should have just run but it didn't cross my mind at the time. I think we were very lucky that the tank was full and that the hole was burnt through below the level of the fuel, if it had gone through into the vapour it might have been a very different outcome.

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

F'ing hell - missing one on a fuel line is bad enough, but 7?!

Hmm, I wonder who that was

There's no prize for guessing who!

[harryskid 193]

Petrol can't be ignited by just hitting the manifold, it needs a spark. Obviously it is a dangerous situation to have a fuel hose come off but its not the worst thing that can happen, the brake fluid reservoir (particularly on right hand drive 205s) is a much bigger fire risk.

 

I posted this on youtube a few years ago when we were having the same discussion:

 

Very interesting, lots to think about there. I had brake fluid leaking from the cylinder cap on my 205 on one rally event and was pissed off with the damage it did to some paint, didn't think of fire. Also the old top gear was a better motor informative prog than the Clarkson sh*t these days. Antifreeze is also inflameable too.

[CaptainK 11]

That was a lucky escape Kieran, wouldn't want it end as a fireball just by trying to get a few feet closer to home.

 

More concerning is how it was that bad to begin with, botched repair / modification previously?

Yeah for the first few seconds when it started losing power I thought it was just a sensor or a sparkplug playing up and I was trying to rev it out and get me to the junction literally a few more feet up the hill where it was light and safe (instead of being on a dark dually on a corner). But when I smelt petrol I immediately gave up and got out etc.

 

Apparently the pipe in that place had been having a tiny tiny dribble whilst my brother borrowed it for a few months when I couldn't drive. He fixed it back up nice and tight, but it must have come loose again over time for some reason :S Now it has a new bit of pipe and a new clamp so I hope it'll be ok. I'm tempted to get some nice "Samco" style fuel pipes for it now if I can find some (in red).

Edited November 1, 2010 by CaptainK

[jackherer 543]

Is it attached with a jubilee ring or a fuel hose clamp?

 

Jubilee rings tighten in a slight oval shape but proper fuel hose clamps stay round so are much more secure.

 

[CaptainK 11]

Is it attached with a jubilee ring or a fuel hose clamp?

No idea, whatever the AA man put on it. I'll be driving the 205 tomorrow I believe as my missus will be blocking my FTO in on the drive with her car when she gets back from her late shift tonight. So if I remember I'll have a look tomorrow. I suspect the new one is just a normal jubilee ring clamp thingy - the old one certainly was.

[CaptainK 11]

Oh, I checked it this morning and it seems to be a hybrid of both of those pictures above. It has the solid plate bit in the loop behind the screw of the 1st one above and looks "solid" like the 1st one. However, it has the enclosed "screw barrel" of the second one and is notched like the second one.

 

Its still on tight though - every time I've used it since I've checked it and it don't move. I would take a photo of it, but my camera expired a while back and I can't afford a new one.

Edited November 4, 2010 by CaptainK