What are these Vanagon engine fires you speak of?  Your world frightens
and confuses me... -MB
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I'm guessing that you have posed a serious question.
Vanagon and Air Cooled Bus engine fires are often started from residual
oil that drips and then cooks down into a tar like substance.
Older engines often have cylinder head leaks, carbs backfire, exhaust
might leak and loose piston to cylinders can cause some fuel blow by into
the oil pan.
Oil that drips can have small amounts of fuel in it.
The fuel is mostly boiled off by engine heat but leaking injectors or bad
float seats can put new supplies in the fuel each time you turn your
engine off.
Engines that 'pop-back' from poor timing, bad points, leaking hoses
produce a fireball that can ignite any oil that has enough fuel in it for
a flash.
I consider fuel line leaks to be the most common cause of Air Cooled or
Waser Boxer engine fires. It is best to keep the fuel lines clean of oil
buildup and inspect them often.
I just theorize that the less fuel there is for a fire the less chance
there is for a fire and this spells clean to me.
Engine fires have long been the most feared event for Air Cooled engines
because in early models the Magnesium Crank Case can ignite. With later
Type IV 2000cc engines the fan shroud is magnesium and it can ignite, I
tend to think the engine fan is magnesium too (from seeing them burned or
melted). At any rate a magnesium fire is near impossible to extinguish.
On 47-79 busses the gas tank is right there with the engine and poses the
opportunity for a fair sized explosion that will certainly total your
bus.
The one hour required each year to give your engine a proper cleaning is
cheap insurance.

Stan Wilder
1983 Air Cooled Westfalia

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