

| Subject: | FIRE safety tip for late Bus Westys |
| From: | John Anderson |
| Date: | Thu, 21 Sep 95 16:44:21 EDT |
Here is one to watch for, opened my engine hatch on the '78 while doing some stuff, suddenly smoke, FIRE, from around the main battery. Didn't wait to investigate, ran around to sliding door, ripped the extinguisher off the seat, and dumped a pound or so of dry chemical all over that side of the engine compartment. Well ends up I overeacted as the problem had already solved itself. The hot wire over to the relay for the second battery runs in a black sheath with the relay control wire on the '78. Well on mine, this bundle which runs up the side of the compartment, across the top by the fuel tank vent lines and down the other side to the relay, is not cable tied down as it goes down to the main battery. Runs right beside some f.i. wires that are tied down then runs in their their clips over the top but on the side near the hinge/prop it is not held down. It had worked under the hinge/prop and when I opened the lid, straight grounding of the hot 12 gauge wire from the battery which proceeded to glow red hot, ignite its insulation then fuse itself in two. Now my hot battery connector had been replaced so maybe origionally it was fused at the battery but I doubt it. After reinstalling a new piece of wire, Icable tied everything down solid then put a crimp in ATC style fuse holder with 20 amp fuse right at the battery end, a wise idea when installing anything like amps, lights, etc that you run directly off the battery. Anyway I advise anyone with dual batteries to check out the situation and take whatever measures they deem wise. BTW cleaning up a dry chemical extinguisher from all over a Type 4 powered Bus engine compartment isn't fun. Thank the environmental freaks we can't buy halon reasonably anymore. John ja@coe.wvu.edu
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