sixty9olds

I need some help on locating a fire extinguisher in my car. What is a good location for it that doesn't look out of place, but is easily accessible? What types of mounting locations do most people choose?

Thanks,
Ross

Nilsson

I have mine in the engine compartment.

wmachine

What if you have an engine fire going? (The most common type, I would think?)
I would think right behind the front seat would be best.
Have to admit I keep mine in the trunk, though......

cutlassgal

Mine is also in the trunk, but I've been wondering where others keep theirs as well!!

Olds64

Seems to me the best place for a fire extinguisher would be behind the front passenger's seat (if you have buckets). That way if a fire starts you can reach behind the front passenger's seat, grab the extinguisher, and jump out of the car ready to do combat.

Nilsson

Don't you still have to raise the hood? Engine compartment is the closet
and fastest in case of fire.

I don't want to be fumbling around dragging a extinguisher out of the car in a panic, before you get you key in your
trunk I will have at least the hood up.

Jamesbo

My sister in law keeps hers in the trunk along with her emergency escape hammer.

Makes sence to her so I don't argue.

cutlassgal

RAMBOW

I don't think i'd want to be fumbling with my hood- then try to reach into the on fire engine bay to unlatch my extingusher...

I've seen a few engine fires ont he side of the road- and trying to get your extingusher out would be like reaching into a fireplace to grab one.

I have two little ones behind my drivers seat. Been thinking of getting another standard style one & put it in the trunk.

sixty9olds

I'm not a big fan of reaching into the engine compartment when there is a fire, either. I have seen a car go from smoking to a burning inferno in about 60 seconds.
Sounds like under the seat on the driver or passenger side, is a popular location. What type of mounting system is everyone using? I'm looking for a solution that is the least intrusive to the passenger compartment.

mugzilla

Engine fires are usually minor unless you open the hood and give the fire a nice shot of oxygen ...

wmachine

Really? I've seen engine fires burn a car to the ground without the hood ever being opened.

Nilsson

There is plenty of oxygen to fuel a fire without the hood open. Opening the hood will just direct the fire up and a fire needs more fuel to burn as it has oxygen. Actually raising the hood will allow heat to escape making the fire less intense. I am talking what are normally small and easily contained fires if caught early and quick enough.


I have had 3 fires in the last 40 or so years all caused by backfire through the carburetor and all easy to extinguish causing minimal or no damage, raising the hood in no way made the fire larger or more intense.

Dan Wirth

Had a fire in the generator compartment of my RV (front of RV) about a year ago. My fire extinguisher was on the inside of the living room by the door to the outside; was talking to someone inside the RV when I smelled the smoke, grabbed the extinguisher and put it out with no real damage (fortunately). The ext. was in a conspicuous place, which saved time (and panic).

For the car, I vote for keeping the Extinguisher as close to your driving position as possible, i.e., under the passenger seat for a quick reach.

mugzilla

The one fire I had was when a tune-up mech left some dikes in the eng compartment of my '56 Stude truck, it fell against a spark plug and the frame( I was going to call him about my misfire) . It was next to the fuel outlet and the sparking must have weakened the fuel line and hot pressurized gas was going off with a sound similar to a jet eng noise. When the fire department got there and opened the hood the flames shot up 30 ft. in the air...

I will be very cautious the next time I am in that situation ...

...

Nilsson

Obviously this was a fire situation that you knew you had no control over.
Those are best to let burn baby burn.

Olds64

Interesting posts. We should all make sure we have fire extinguishers in our Oldsmobiles. Oldsguy and I encountered a small fire one time in his 69 Delta 88. The clutch on the AC compressor siezed up and caused the hood blanket to catch fire. Luckily he was able to beat out the flames with a board (he found on the side of the road) before it got too bad.

Bluevista

Do you have any pics of Oldsguy beating his engine with a stick Olds64?

Best thing to do is not have any rubber fuel lines from the pump to the carb to break like I would say 90%? of the older car fires are caused by.

I've always heard to keep the fire extinguisher behind the driver's seat, 5 pounds at least if you want to be serious. A good pair of heat resistant gloves too, those hoods and latches can get a little warm.
You don't want the extinguisher flying around in a crash or hard stop so it should be secured like anything in a car.
The ends can break off if they slide at a hard stop and then you hear this noise and your Astro van fills up with a white cloud and covers everything in white dust and you jump out of the vehicle looking like a ghost.
The few seconds of shock and awe and wondering what the hell it is doing this to me is like days, don't ask me how I know.


I learned at Sohio gas station attendant training in 1969 that you never open the hood of a car all the way when the engine is on fire? I've seen firefighters putting them out and they don't either. It just adds oxygen to make it worse and flare up and do even more damage or injure you.
If you can you crack the hood open stand back and spray the extinguisher into the engine bay through the crack to displace the oxygen.
Once the flames have died down or stopped you very carefully open the hood and if there is any flame aim at the base and sweep back and forth.

I've never had one burn up but have witnessed a few.
I sold my '64 dogdge when I was 17 to a guy and it burned up in his drive the next day, he even had the nerve to ask me for his money back.
That cash was already spent on a chebby chort block.
I was riding around with my high school car gang in a guy's '57 chebby wagon and suddenly black smoked started pouring out from under the hood.
It wasn't a furd so we knew something was wrong so he quickly pulled over and we all piled out.
We were laughing so hard at him running around like a chicken with it's head cut off that nobody remembered to put the fire out, the extinguisher was right there on the floor in front.
It was a 75 dollar car and we felt bad for the guy so we all chipped in and bought a pizza and let him have a slice.

Not a fire but another gang member had a car tap his furbirds bumper when he stopped at a red light when we were all cruising. He jumps out of the car and runs out into the middle of the street and screams "I'm hit!, I'm hit!" as the rest of us took off when the light turned green and drove around him.
It's hard to drive with tears in your eyes from laughing, his name was Dave but his new name was "I.M. Hit" from then on.

cutlassgal

It's hard to read this with tears in my eyes from laughing!!! You "let" him have a slice of pizza!!!!! God, you just crack me up!!!!!

sixty9olds

I like the other story about the black smoke coming from underneath the hood and "knowing" it was a problem because it wasn't a Ford.

More on engine fires- I learned this from a guy that lost a GTO to a fire. You know the glass fuel filters that they sell at auto parts stores? Well, here is something to think about, he broke a belt and shattered the fuel filter and before he knew what was going on he had a world class engine fire. Fuel was squirting all over the hot engine compartment, and the rest is history.

w-30dreamin

The National Street Rod Association Saftey guys suggested to me that the fire extinguisher be within reach of the driver seat so you can grab it as your exiting the car

Run to Rund

I have one on each side, mounted to the roll bar vertical (main) hoop at floor level. If you don't mind screws through the quarter triim, in front of the rear seat bottom would work for those who don't have a 6 point roll bar.