About one week ago on the NSW North Coast a Police Highway Patrol BMW Diesel caught fire and was written off.
The driver had been chasing a vehicle and followed it onto long grass at the side of the road, and while apprehending the driver the Police BMW caught fire.
Modern Diesel Engines conforming to European Standard Euro5 or Euro 6 have an automatic burning system that clears to particulate filter, usually when the vehicle is travelling at 80 kmh or above, however if the burn is taking place and the vehicle is driven on dry grass or similar fire risk is high.
On the other hand, not driving a vehicle equipped with a particulate filter above 80 kmh when the filter is full can result in engine damage, as was discovered with city based garbage collection trucks.
They should know that !! I had a fire from my old bus / m home petrol generator. The exhaust caught dry grass on fire !! Tell ya didnt need a pace maker till it was put out !! The Rangers had a recall over exhaust design a few years back. Off subject a little . In NZ they have to watch this time of the year birds nest in engine bays . I thought tractors etc ., But no our cheap rental parked for two days had a nest on top of exhaust manifold !! Be aware !!
As far back as '87 petrol cars were fitted with catalytic converters and they were known to start fires because they ran so hot. But even the older cars could start fires, long grass wrapped around the tailshaft and up it went, many a shooting wagon went to the grave that way. A few motorbikes with a fairing that redirect the air over the exhaust have caught fire with gum nuts getting lodged in the exhaust pipe collector.
I bet the bloke who the cop was chasing got a laugh seeing the cop car go up in flames along with all the high tech gear they put in them these days.
The car fix was a full body bash plate fitted underneath the car so there was an air gap between the hot exhaust and anything touching it, but it still had to be cleaned out regularly to stop the build up of paddock grass setting the whole lot on fire anyway.
T1 Terry
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Diesel engine vehicles with particulate filters have a gauge showing how full the filter is, how close to burn-off point. Check before driving on grass is advisable.
Of course driving in long grass with any hot exhaust pipe is best avoided.
