95 850 turbo Up in flames with pics

[renzo86]

Wow... I'm thinking about not using my T5-R as a kid hauler. It needs a lot of maintenance.. I'm glad your son made it out of that mess!

Perhaps, we should start a post with the specific components that need to be double checked in order to stay out of a potential fire hazard. Even though these cars look good to us and we love them, we have to understand they are old and they need way more maintenance than a usual oil change.

Stay safe everybody! And definitely I'll be happy to join a new posting for safety!

God bless!

[KllewT5]

It can happen to anyone no matter the car.

http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread ... the-ground



Defective rubber hoses tend to be the culprit in most cases (brake fluid reservoir leak/power steering fluid leak/engine oil leak/coolant lines). Just replace any and all rubber hoses with silicone, especially if that hose sits atop a hot spot.

[KllewT5]

And be careful using exhaust header wrap. I haven't used it BC I have an RMS leak and wanted to wrap my downpipe due to drone. Once oil gets soaked enough in that wrap, a bonfire will ensue once my 16T spools.

Can't wrap until I take care of that rms..

[jrobles007]

My 94 850 with 204000+ miles has had three fuel leaks in the past two years. First leak was from a fuel injector. The fuel rail is held on by two bolts. The driver side bolt was not secure as the threads had stripped in the intake manifold causing one injector to leak as it was not sealing good. It was only leaking under pressure. Used a bolt one size bigger and have not had an issue in a year.

Second leak was the O ring that seals the fuel line where it enters the fuel rail. I had replaced it when I removed the intake manifold to do a PCV replacement. The Cheap NAPA 0 ring deteriorated in a year. I believe the DA at NAPA did not sell me a fuel rated O ring. I replaced it with a Volvo O ring. I have noticed that my fuel line secures to the fuel rail with a small screw that hold a clip against a grove on the fuel line. Not a very secure method. I have seen later models with a nut built into the fuel line that bolts onto the fuel rail.....if I keep my 850 I may look into converting mine over, if possible. Wonder what type the 95 has.....

Third leak was from the fuel pump top (rubber gasket) not seating properly. Used petroleum jelly to properly seal it.

I am hyper vigilant with my cars and will immediately feel or smell anything out of the ordinary. As soon as I smelled fuel I began inspecting the engine. I was lucky with the injector leak as I originally did not find the leak and still drove it. It was spraying a very fine stream of fuel, barley visible. I felt it in my hand as I began looking around. Had to do so with car running, leak would stop with car off.

[cn90]

Most rubber hoses are bad at 14y/150K, whether from age/mileage/heat.

I suspect the fuel rubber hose that runs below the chassis to the rear of the engine. This hose is:
- Under 40-60 psi pressure
- Carries fuel
- Next to exhaust system

Anyway, does anyone have the PN for this fuel hose, maybe a good preventive maintenance for everyone.

[KllewT5]

Isn't that hose metal? Only rubber hose is at the top of the motor, goes from the metal fuel line to the fpr.

[osman]

Yes, the only part of the fuel line that is rubber is the return line from the Fuel Pressure regulator, and is about 3" long.

[socompsp]

auto trans? if so i think i can tell you with near certainty what happened. you said the fire seemed to have started near the battery. well in that same general location are the transmission cooling lines. the metal fasteners DO/WILL go bad eventually. my c70 has 189k miles on it and three months or so ago one of the lines blew off (thankfully just blocks from my job), and spewed fluid everywhere. i notices a trail on the ground that followed my steering adjustments. not to mention the trail wasnt in front of me lol. but when i parked it and popped the hood, 3/4 of the engine bay were soaked. now as i said, thankfully, i was only driving to the store half mile away, and it blew when in sight of my work. the motor was still just warming up. if i were on my 30 min commute home, the motor would have been real hot. so what im trying to get at, is that most likely one of those lines blew and spayed flammable fluid everywhere. ive read here some think it was a gas/fuel system failure. i disagree for one simple reason. if gas were to go everywhere, it would have been an instant 5 alarm fire. your son noticed smoke and smell and had time to pull over. trans fluid will smoke as it heats up then catch fire. im truly sorry you lost a great car. i am also very grateful your son is unharmed.

so regardless if what i stated turns out to be the real cause, just know it is still VERY possible, and everyone on this site should inspect the integrity of those fasteners, weather they are the plastic or metal ones. just a prime example of how a small seemingly insignificant component can cause huge issues.

PS: if you ever do get to go see the car, check the amount of trans fluid it has in it. (if the yard didnt already drain and crush it, or if you are even concerned enough to do so)

EDIT: now that i think about it, an easier way to check is to see if the hose is still attached to the radiator. if they are burnt and gone as i suspect, see if the metal fasteners are still on both ports of the radiator. happy hunting

[rspi]

I seen a 850 burnt from front to back the other day at a salvage yard. I took a few pics of it. When I looked closely at it, my guess would be that the battery are was burnt the worse and that is where the fire started.

I will go back and see if those tranny lines are connected.

[rspi]

The other day I did a PCV replacement. I started the car a few times and all seemed ok. The next morning, I decided to drive the car 2 miles to the store and then 20 miles to see if it had more power on the freeway. Well, when I arrived at the store I was blessed to have parked upwind from the store. I got out of the car and when I walked in front of it, I was taken back by the strong fuel odor. Long story short, one of the fuel injector seals split and sprung a massive leak. It was pumping fuel down the intake manifold.

I drove it back home but I was afraid that it could catch fire. I do count my blessings.