Member Since: 03 Dec 2005
Location: Leicester
Posts: 238
Can diesel leaks ignite?
Got up this morning to find this……
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Last night when I parked the car I did smell diesel but thought it was the usual fumes from the fuel burner. The last journey was less than a mile so the engine and exhaust were still cold. I looked under the car and there was evidence of a leak but nothing obvious.
When I started the engine this happened…….
I lost about a quarter of a tank of diesel. But what bothers me most is if the leak had sprung when the engine was very hot on a motorway.
Land Rover Assistance were very efficient. The technician arrived and said he had not seen anything like it but he had spoken to his colleagues on route and went straight to the fuel filter. The tank vent pipe was not connected to anything and was fixed in seconds.
My first thought was that the leak was connected to the recent first service but the invoice shows no new fuel filter. Anyway a call to the dealer tomorrow.
I’ll also be writing to Land Rover as it appears mine is not the only one to suffer this problem.
Best check the condition of your pipe fixings. (Martin – do you want to put this in the issues section)
Feels like I've got a proper Land Rover after 13 months of perfection D3 gone for now
14th Jan 2007 9:20 pm
captain_sugar
Member Since: 05 Sep 2006
Location: Hradec Kralove
Posts: 1095
can diesel ignite? Surely. But not so fast as people tend to think. I heard from heating installers that you can throw a burning sigarette into diesel (test is on your own risk...). Nothing should happen. BTW heating (burning oil) = diesel + color additive.
It seems to leak in the back of the car, so I think the risk was nil.
Diesel all so needs another source ie anything rags or tinder anything that will burn i weld on big earthmoving plant and diesel tanks will split dew to vibration we just weld the cracks up no bother.Home of RLD Hidden winch mounts Spare wheel Locks Trailer Body Fabrication [email protected] D3/4 sump plates MY 14 sump plates and the Discovery Sport wheel protectors Discovery 5 wheel locks
more Helsport tents and other things for camping Law of Mechanical Repair:
"After your hands are coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee!"
14th Jan 2007 9:32 pm
DiscoStu
Member Since: 09 Apr 2006
Location: London
Posts: 11412
When my Dad bought a narrow boat shell, the tank leaked when filled with diesel. The builders welded the faulty weld with the tank full, simply blowing out the small fires that started..... Disco 5 HSE Lux
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peyiqaJrmMU
14th Jan 2007 9:52 pm
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50975
Diesel has quite a reasonable flash point of around 144oF, much higher than petrol which is -49oF 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
Last edited by DG on 14th Jan 2007 10:17 pm. Edited 1 time in total
This site is full of information it is to good to believe 8)Home of RLD Hidden winch mounts Spare wheel Locks Trailer Body Fabrication [email protected] D3/4 sump plates MY 14 sump plates and the Discovery Sport wheel protectors Discovery 5 wheel locks
more Helsport tents and other things for camping Law of Mechanical Repair:
"After your hands are coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee!"
14th Jan 2007 10:02 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26757
The danger grows when it gets vapourised. This can be achieved by soaking the deisel into a rag, or spraying as a fine mist. It still would need another source of ignition - flame spark etc, but technically if you were driving fast enough it could vapourise the leaking fuel, and if there was an ignition then it would catch fire.
I don't think a hot exhaust would ignite it even in these circumstances.
The Concorde disaster was a good example of this. Aviation fuel is similar to derv and will not burn very easily in liquid form. Concorde was doing 250mph when the fuel tank was ruptured, the escaping fuel was vapourised in the airstream and the engines were on full re-heat and red hot. The rest is history.
14th Jan 2007 10:09 pm
Bodsy Site Sponsor
Member Since: 06 Nov 2006
Location: In the Clubhouse
Posts: 21361
Gareth, Aviation fuel is similar to Derv...? I thought that aviation fuel had a higher octane even than petrol therfore would ignite much sooner???? there's a couple of fuel guys were on here last week I'm sure will pop up soon.Bodsys Brake Bible
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14th Jan 2007 11:02 pm
ronp
Member Since: 29 Nov 2006
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 15260
only one true way to find out.......anybody got a match???
...... always on the road less travelled 🚧
14th Jan 2007 11:10 pm
captain_sugar
Member Since: 05 Sep 2006
Location: Hradec Kralove
Posts: 1095
Back from Concorde to Harrison's LR:
What if the police presents him the bill for cleaning up the oil trail that led to his house?
14th Jan 2007 11:11 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26757
Avtur is the stuff that standard jets use, and its like parrafin. Avgas is the used is piston engined aircraft, and that is high octane petrol.
Its a while now since I worked on aircraft, and whilst I would not want to mess about with it, I remember my fire safety training included a demo of dropping a lit match into a cup of avtur. The match went out. Drop a lit match onto the same fuel onto a rag, it lit up.
14th Jan 2007 11:15 pm
DG Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50975
No teaching to suck eggs here but Aviation fuel has a flash point of around 100oF ... there are several differing grades and additives that will cause a slight variance however.
Overall, I'm glad that HarrisonB didn't have a "petrol" leak 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
14th Jan 2007 11:21 pm
HarrisonB
Member Since: 03 Dec 2005
Location: Leicester
Posts: 238
Permagrin back
Thanks guys for all your comments. I won’t be doing the lighted match test, well not with mine so we’re looking for a brave owner
You won’t be surprised to know that the Dealer went nowhere near the fuel filter during the recent service. I asked the dealer if they would report the issue to Land Rover. They said that Land Rover Assistance would. Land Rover Assistance said the dealer would. Anyway I will to Land Rover Customer Care.
Now how do I get this cr*p off my drive, how about petrol and a match with the D3 half a mile away
The permagrin is back after the disastrous weekend
Look at these mpg figures today, the first was a crawl in heavy traffic up the M1 through Leic/Notts/Derby over 29.7 miles @ 60mph the second was a leisurely drive back via A roads over 32.5 miles.
D3 gone for now
15th Jan 2007 9:45 pm
kpmclaren
Member Since: 14 Mar 2006
Location: Kingston/Leeds
Posts: 98
Diesel doesn't burn that readily....i've been out camping many a times and have tried to light a fire using diesel fuel (out of desperation)...and I ca ntell you it takes ages to ignite.....
16th Jan 2007 1:21 am
pbhawkin
Member Since: 14 Dec 2006
Location: Mudgee
Posts: 377
When I was in army we used to use empty food tins filled with sand and soaked in diesel to mark out remote landing grounds. I can't remember a problem with getting them to light.regards
Peter
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