Page 22 - Transporter Talk - Issue 147

Transporter Talk No 147
THE MECHANIC
The Mechanic features some technical talk every issue and welcomes member submissions.
With the summer holidays looming and everybody planning their travels and holidays, have you planned your maintenance and checks of your VW in as much detail? It is very important to keep your van maintained properly, but with the hotter weather and longer than usual journeys; even the most well maintained engines can su er problems, such as perished or split fuel hoses. Something such as a split fuel hose could mean really bad news for classic (or even modern) VW camper owners.
Every summer there are reports on social media of at least one classic VW that has caught re and been lost. Although good maintenance and preparation should prevent this, there is always that small chance and a re suppression
system will provide extra insurance against losing your van to a re.
Fire suppression systems are now readily available and vary in function and cost.
There are manual systems that operate using a lever and cable to activate the suppressor and there are also automatic systems. Automatic systems are preferential as they require no input from the driver to activate.
Within the automatic suppressor range there are two main systems that prove to be the most popular.
The rst one is a cylinder (much like a re extinguisher) that is mounted in the centre of the engine bay over the engine and if a re occurs in the engine bay, the vial over the nozzle melts, releasing a gas agent at 240 psi. The nozzle is designed to ensure 360° dispersal, meaning that the gas will completely ll the engine bay. The gas is released at -19°C so will cool down the engine bay helping to prevent any re-ignition of petrol vapour. This system is a small scale version of what is used within oil rigs.
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