PSA: That time I caught a fuel line fire with a rag and a prayer

I was working on a 2015 Freightliner Cascadia outside Birmingham last Thursday. Had the engine running to check for a leak after replacing an injector cup. Fuel sprayed right onto the exhaust manifold and lit up before I could even cuss. Grabbed a shop rag and smothered it out fast, but melted half the wiring harness on that side. Took me 3 hours to splice in new wires and replace the burnt injector harness. Cost me about $150 in parts and a full afternoon. Anyone else had a fire scare that made you change how you test for leaks?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_elizabeth2d ago

That rag trick works but man, it could have gone way worse. I had a similar scare on an old Pete years ago, fuel line split right at the pump and sprayed across a hot turbo. I didn't get to it fast enough and ended up with a full engine bay fire that melted every plastic thing within four feet. Took me a whole weekend to clean up and replace everything, plus a couple hundred bucks in parts and a lot of cussing. Now I always have a fire extinguisher within arm's reach when I'm doing fuel work, and I never test for leaks with the engine running unless I have a spray bottle of soapy water ready to go. Glad you got it out fast, that wiring harness replacement is a pain but beats a totaled truck.

oliver_baker492d ago

Yeah, I used to be one of those guys who thought a fire extinguisher was just extra clutter... but after hearing stories like yours, I'm rethinking that. @the_elizabeth, you're right that a wiring harness is a pain but beats losing the whole truck. Made me grab one for my garage last week.