Apparently they don't now but the old ones did.  Ask Pensioner about that
kind of stuff.

Mike
On 8/29/02 5:54 PM, "Clive Smith" <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM> wrote:

>> Two questions
>> 1.  Do Vanagon engines have magnesium in them?
>> 2.  Wouldn't fire depts know this (if true) and avoid putting water on
> these
>> car fires?
>
> 1) NO, despite it having been said in this list a few times, the alloys in
> the any auto engine, are not magnesium based, they're alumium based, and the
> alloying elements mainly used for casting alloys are silicon and manganese
> (and I can't remember what else).
>
> I may be wrong, but you'll have to go some to prove that anyone would cast
> any significant quantities of mag ally's into an auto engine - for one, all
> the threads would have to have inserts.
>
> 2) The question therefore doesn't arise, but if it did in prepoderance,
> they'd soon find out that mag ally's were being used a lot.
>
> Maybe someone should try setting a (real) mag ally wheel on fire - bet
> that's be a job - then spray it with water.
>
> Clive
> '88 Syncro Transporter
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dan Erlandson" <danoer1@ECLIPSE.NET>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 1:37 AM
> Subject: Re: Fire Extinguishers
>
>
>> Well...  This is what I heard from a former student (I am a high school
> Chem
>> teacher) who was also on the emergency squad in his town.  I can speak to
>> accuracy of the Chemistry aspect of this, but you'll have to fill me in on
>> the accuracy/truth of the story...
>>
>> My former student told me that he was on duty on night when they received
> a
>> call about a vehicle on fire on Rte 287 in NJ.  When they arrived the
>> vehicle turned out to be a Vanagon and luckily no one was injured, but as
>> the fire dept arrived and began to put out the fire the whole thing
> started
>> to really get going... the more they put on it (what were they using ???)
>> the worse it got...  The Van was reduced to cinders (supposedly).  What my
>> student told me was that one of the firefighters said that the engine must
>> have a fair amount of magnesium in it.
>>
>> Ok so here is the chemistry info...  Magnesium (they stuff they used to
> use
>> in the old time disposable flash bulbs) is pretty slow to react at room
>> temperatures with air, water...  Acid makes it react very quickly at R.T.,
>> but turn that water into steam and Magnesium really reacts quickly...
> almost
>> like the floating fire effect if you have ever seen sodium or potassium
>> react with water.  So it is true that if an engine had magnesium in it
> (what
>> % ???) and that engine caught fire, then the conversion of any water in/on
>> the engine to steam would simply accelerate the fire.
>>
>> Two questions
>> 1.  Do Vanagon engines have magnesium in them?
>> 2.  Wouldn't fire depts know this (if true) and avoid putting water on
> these
>> car fires?
>>
>> I'd weigh in on the fire extinguisher question and say any (except for
> water
>> based) would be ok.
>>
>> -- -- Dan Erlandson
>> 99 Passat
>> 91 Vanagon GL
>> Flemington, NJ
>>> danoer1@eclipse.net
>>
>>
>>
>>> From: Steven Dodson <steven@EPOCHDESIGN.COM>
>>> Reply-To: Steven Dodson <steven@EPOCHDESIGN.COM>
>>> Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 11:08:36 -0700
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Fire Extinguishers
>>>
>>> What is the best type of extinguisher for our Vanagons?
>>>
>>>
>>> -Steven Dodson
>>> Kneeland, CA
>>> "Inga" the 87 Syncro
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
>>> Of Larry Chase
>>> Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 8:09 AM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Re: vanagon Digest - 28 Aug 2002 to 29 Aug 2002 - Special issue
>>> (#2002-1044)
>>>
>>>
>>> OK, yah got my attention.
>>>
>>> "extinguisher would have eaten the metal of the engine block".
>>>
>>> What's this about?
>>>
>>> Happy Trails,
>>>
>>> Larry Chase
>>> 85 Westy "RoadHaus"
>>> 90 Westy Syncro ... Soon
>>> Mesa,  AZ
>>>
>>>
>>> - - - - - -
>>>
>>> Date:    Wed, 28 Aug 2002 22:51:10 -0600
>>> From:    Eric Nettles <enettles@IRAKUSA.COM>
>>> Subject: Re: Spare Parts List - Input
>>>
>>> Oddly enough, and just to add debate, I was lucky that the fire
> extinguisher
>>> didn't work when my van's fuel lines went up... The fire was small and
> out
>>> early, but an extinguisher would have eaten the metal of the engine
> block,
>>> doing more damage than the fire did.  'S just what the friendly local
>>> firemen said as they swapped stories about all the vehicles they'd
> burned
>>> themselves.
>>>
>