xp 96 caught fire

[jasonham41]

Hi all this really has me stumped, i pulled the carbs and cleaned the filters put all back together and found it to start on the button but was missing at low revs. i killed it to go do something else and when i came back 5mins later it refused to start so i pulled the front plug and layed it on the block to check spark as soon as i cranked it the thing fired right up but as fast as my eyes could see the spark the whole inside of the ski caught fire like when petrol flashes up and engulfed the whole garage for a second it was a hell of a thing which also removed my eyebrows and was generaly fairly painfull, the inside stayed alight and bloody difficult to put out. the ski didn't smell at all like petrol and hasn't as far as i know had anything sprayed in there but everything was covered in it. any ideas as to what caused it would be greatly appreciated as i could do without a repeat. cheers Jason.

 

[Bills86e]

Same thing happened to Richard Prior. He did not read his Shop Manual.:lol:

The two grounding lugs are for secureing the spark plug wires. Its a safety feature. Your ski may need new needles & seats.

 

[jasonham41]

Same thing happened to Richard Prior. He did not read his Shop Manual.:lol:

The two grounding lugs are for secureing the spark plug wires. Its a safety feature. Your ski may need new needles & seats.

grounding lugs??? i had the plug layed on the block, i wanted it to spark, what do you mean by not reading the manual?? is there something that tells me why the whole inside was convered in flamable shit??

 

[bigJake]

Hi all this really has me stumped, i pulled the carbs and cleaned the filters put all back together and found it to start on the button but was missing at low revs. i killed it to go do something else and when i came back 5mins later it refused to start so i pulled the front plug and layed it on the block to check spark as soon as i cranked it the thing fired right up but as fast as my eyes could see the spark the whole inside of the ski caught fire like when petrol flashes up and engulfed the whole garage for a second it was a hell of a thing which also removed my eyebrows and was generaly fairly painfull, the inside stayed alight and bloody difficult to put out. the ski didn't smell at all like petrol and hasn't as far as i know had anything sprayed in there but everything was covered in it. any ideas as to what caused it would be greatly appreciated as i could do without a repeat. cheers Jason.

I belive that it is the gasoline vapor, not the actual gasoline that is flamable (if you can make that distinction), gasoline vapor I also believe is heavier than air and therefore would settle in the bottom of your hull. (that's why on boats they have an exhaust fan that you are supposed to run after fueling before starting the boat). so you start out by saying you were working on the carbs, possible any gas spilled into the hull that may have evaporated and the vapor still there? you also say you didn't smell anything, but you kind of get used to a smell after you've been exposed to it for awhile and don't notice it anymore. (otherwise my wife would have left me years ago ).

 

[RFoster130]

Yeah that was the vapor igniting and causing a flash fire. Thats why boats have a fan in the engine compartment. Even if you dont have a gas leak, there is probably residual gas from working on it and any old gas that may have been spilled. That is very much combustible.

 

[SethG]

Not only spare vapors are the culprit but I had a situation on my 95 where I found that gas was getting into the exhaust. This caused the ski to not want to start after it had already been ran. Just a thought perhaps. But the cause was that the carbs and filters were not properly rebuilt/reinstalled (not done by me). Might be worth double-checking.

Either way it presented a possibly dangerous situation like you just described.

 

[jasonham41]

well i guess i just hope its all burnt off, im away at the moment but i will try again at the weekend with suitable extiguishers close by. i only had water last time and whatever it was floated like petrol on top of the water on fire and out the drainplug. There was abit of a dodgy gasket when puting the carbs back to the manifold which could cause the missfiring but should tecnically not cause the fire as it is undervacum and shouldn't allow fuel to pass through also it seemed the only area of the ski not on fire was the carbs and head.

 

[stevexp2]

1. You should be doing this outside and not in a closed garage
2. If you are going to check for a spark inside a closed box (the ski) where fuel has dripped and spilled then at least get a fan and have it blowing inside the ski to disperse any vapors
3. A capful of spilled fuel can fill the inside of the ski with explosive vapor - you added the spark so it's going to turn into a bomb very quickly

 

[colochoclab]

"Am I missing an eyebrow??" - Adam Savage

-Lab

 

[jasonham41]

"Am I missing an eyebrow??" - Adam Savage

-Lab

lol it was alot like that actually.