[V8] Audis and engine fires

[Mike Arman]

> [V8] Audis and engine fires
>
> 
> Just keep oil and fuel away from the header pipes -- that's your best bet. 
> 
> Ingo Rautenberg


Not the first time team doorhandle has had problems with this.

Heinkel HE-177 four engine bomber (mid WW2 vintage) had this difficulty as well. Heinkel took a pair 
of DB V-12s and siamesed them in a single engine nacelle (two engines, one big prop) on each wing so 
the airplane looked like a twin but really wasn't.

The "valley" between the exhaust banks of the engines wasn't adequately cooled and ventilated, and 
as a result, the airplanes frequently caught on fire (in flight, of course) and thus quickly became 
extremely unpopular with the crews. They never did solve the problem, and when the war ended there 
was no further reason or opportunity to try.


Undeterred, team doorhandle then went to work for VW/Porsche/Bosch, and more than a few 914s became 
"crispy critters" due to fuel leaks in the injector hoses. There was a short segment of fabric 
covered rubber line between the fuel distribution rail and the injector body, and they often leaked, 
spraying high pressure gasoline around the hot engine compartment. Years ago I had a 914 and I 
caught *exactly* this problem just in time "Why do I smell gasoline? I better look . . . damn!" At 
the time, I bought more than a few 914 body parts from otherwise undamaged vehicles.


I don't know exactly why the A8 in the ad went up in smoke, but I can make a pretty good guess - a 
leak in a high pressure fuel line somewhere - and at high pressures the leak doesn't have to be a 
big one to get a lot of gasoline onto something that will ignite it.

Pre-and post-flight check for Audi - sniff test. Do you smell gasoline? Why?

Best Regards,

Mike Arman
90V8Q