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ron rice (24.17.87.171)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 24, 2004 - 3:45 pm: | |
In Seattle there was a bit of excitement as a crown school bus on a field trip had what the media called an electrical fire but I watched the clip last night on the news and that detroit in my opinion was running away (burning its own lube oil) and then overflowed and started the fire under the bus. The link to the new article would be www.komo4.com scroll down to find the bus article.
We are just thankful that the students and driver were able to get off the freeway and evacutate to safety. The sad part is that this crown was nearing the end of her service life and will probably be thrown away or parted out to the remaining few crowns in schoold bus service. |
Henry R. Bergman, Jr. (Henryofcj) (63.224.197.10)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 3:57 pm: | |
Thank you for the news tip. The key here is the color of the smoke and the fact that the kids complained that the smoke burned the back of their throats. Wiring?
Sounds like an electrical short/fire to me. These things happen. School buses undergo (usually) an extrememly tough inspection program. Sad another Crown is probably toast.
Too bad an alternator shorting out can cause the resulting bedlam. The good thing is that no kids seem to have been badly hurt. Thank goodness for that. |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat) (68.7.217.217)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 - 2:28 pm: | |
I put the photo on my site to always remind me what I NEVER want to see on my Crown!
http://www.heartmagic.com/crownfire.jpg
It does look like electrical...at least at first... the flames are quite a ways behind the engine and fuel system, on the other side of the bus, exactly where the battery compartment and starter wiring is.
That's also the area that catches most of the grease thrown from the front driveshaft slip joint if it's overgreased, which most Crowns I've seen are.
Because the driveshaft is so short and at almost maximum U-joint angle, it gets a lot of action and that action pumps grease out of the overflow hole more than normal. Every skoolie Crown I've seen in the junkyards has a ton of wadded up grease in that area.
It also looks like the pavement is on fire... that could be because in that same area are the oil filters and fuel lines. My guess is that electrical started it, burned some grease, oil or fuel lines or filter housings, and then all hell broke loose.
Other than that there's not much in that area to sustain a fire (gee, isn't that enough!!), well, there is the plywood undersides of the floor...
Pressure wash your bus bellies, you Crown people!!!!
gary |
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