Another fire caused by power steering cap coming off

[95Viper]

Members, Posted on the other website is another fire incident caused by the power steering cap coming off. Our HiPo Engineering Vent Tube is now sold through Archer Racing and is at Viper Days events...and Roe Racing.


It can't be said too often: check and tighten down those power steering caps!

A friend of mine here in Jax (doesn't post on the boards) came home from an evening of driving around town with some other Viper guys. Luckily he habitually lets the car cool down outside before garaging it. He smelled something funny from the kitchen, and when he walked outside he found the front of his Viper in flames.

The car isn't totaled, but the damage is fairly extensive. Imagine what could have happened if he'd parked it in the garage, then went to the other end of the house.

 

[SneakyPete]

Poor petsnake, he has had some bad luck lately

 

[95Viper]

SneakyPete, Is that the one in California? Do you have any leads or pics on who it was?

 

[VinR1]

what causes the fires?? if you dont mind me asking...

 

[joe117]

The power steering fluid cap comes off, falls onto the hot exhaust and catches fire.
That causes other things to burn. It's fairly common.

I was thinking of drilling a very small hole in the edge of the cap and clipping on a fishing leader that would in turn clip to something else that wouldn't let the cap fall down very far.
I'll probably not act on this until mine catches fire.

 

[sbkim]

If this is common issue, why isn't there a TSB or recall on this? I mean come on - cars catching on fire??!?! I say that's really more serious than cars not producing HP they advertise...

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

The power steering fluid cap comes off, falls onto the hot exhaust and catches fire.
That causes other things to burn. It's fairly common.

I'm not sure it's the cap that catches fire. It could be the power steering fluid splashing onto the hot exhaust. My cap came off 4 years ago when the car was new and was never found. Luckily I discovered the missing cap within a mile or two of it happening as I had just had the hood up twenty minutes before and was showing the engine to somewhere else shortly after. After that incident, I used to check/tighten the cap every time the hood was open or at least once a week. There are several ways to fix this problem by attaching something to the ****** on the cap. A nice clean way to do it, which I did this spring, is to buy the product mentioned above which Craig manufactures. It's easy to install,working well, and looks good.


Steve

 

[LTHL-GRY]

I saw pics of Keiths (Petsnake) car today... The power steering cap was still in place although you can tell that area is where the hot spot of the fire was... Must have been a fluid leak. The cap was melted to the tube.

 

[Cudaman]

JT was Keith's fire that bad????


Cudaman

 

[LTHL-GRY]

Its pretty bad but not totaled...

I'll get the pics to post here.

 

[FLX109]

How can we prevent this from happening?


FLX109

 

[95Viper]

How can we prevent this from happening?


FLX109

Call Archer Racing or Roe Racing. They sell the inexpensive kit to fix.