Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Yesterday, I actually took my pajero off-road - well sort of. We went to Peak Alone, near Cobargo on the Sth Coast of NSW. As often happens down this way, there was a lot of dead timber over the road, and my car has a nasty habit of picking some up and jamming it in various parts of the chassis.

We finally got to Wandella Fire tower - glorious views from there - worth the trip. I smelt a faint burning smell there, but could see nothing. There was a clanging from the exhaust, but nothing to really be concerned about. Came home up Wadbilliga trail - hard work getting up there. Could smeel faint burning, but no smoke visible.

Today, I crawled under the car to fix the exhaust rattling and pulled out a stick. The end of it had been charred because it was firmly jammed against the catalytic converter. Now, what would have happened if I had been driving through dry grass or spinifex? Anyone had a fire caused in this way?

Another thing - I saw that the cable to oneof the rear wheel ABS had been pulled out of its brackets and was hanging loose, so it was worthwhile pulling the stick out to find that one.

they operate at several hundred degrees and can set dry grass on fire, in actual fact I think i drove a suby or tercel or some other such bucket o shit and it had a warning sticker inside saying dont park on grass as cat will set fire to it!

Saw a good pic of a newish prado that had spinifex caught on the cat and burnt it to the ground.

You see the occasional pic of vehicles modified for use in scrubby country - the exhaust isn't run under the car.

My Falcon ute (XA 351) is very low and if I park on (mowed)grass when its hot it leaves 2 dead patches!
Most 4wds have a heat shield around the cat to try to prevent grass fires.

But exactly that heat shield is what's causing the problems as the grass/scrub gets stuck between it and the cat/exhaust....

The best thing is to have enough space around the cat/exhaust so nothing can get caught and build up.

Just my 2c worth

as far as i know you can legaly run a 4wd without a cat for this reason (only what an exhaust shop told us and the truck passed inspection without 1 )

cooter wrote:as far as i know you can legaly run a 4wd without a cat for this reason (only what an exhaust shop told us and the truck passed inspection without 1 )

Wrong, what is your "truck"?

Depending on the vehicle category & the weight, 4WD's have to comlpy with the same ADR's as your average family car. You were lucky or the ADR doesnt apply to your vehicle.

This is stirring up a few replies. My main point in raising this issue is "Has anyone actually had a stick catch fire under their vehicle"?

i had a stick of eucalyptus wedge under my engine bay, right where the extractors meet the single pipe, just before the cat... it was only small, like 10mm diameter and about 300mm long, wedged in the pipes... it never caught fire though because i smelt it and smoke came out the bonnet in a carpark! (all be it the day after i'd been offroad). Once i opened the bonnet i could see the stick smoking on the pipes - way too hot to get my hand in there so i did my shopping, then removed it =)

Smelt nice though - very homely.

date wrote:This is stirring up a few replies. My main point in raising this issue is "Has anyone actually had a stick catch fire under their vehicle"?

it would be highly unlikely to "butrst into flame" add in a bit of a oil leak .. and who knows.

mkpatrol wrote:

cooter wrote:as far as i know you can legaly run a 4wd without a cat for this reason (only what an exhaust shop told us and the truck passed inspection without 1 )

Wrong, what is your "truck"?

Depending on the vehicle category & the weight, 4WD's have to comlpy with the same ADR's as your average family car. You were lucky or the ADR doesnt apply to your vehicle.

not my truck but i helped build it and took it to the exhaust shop car was a 95 hilux with a 4l quad cam passed rego no dramas engineered and all

Loanrangie wrote:Saw a good pic of a newish prado that had spinifex caught on the cat and burnt it to the ground.

Yep, plenty of those photos gettin round.. the Playdo one was a series of photos from when the fire was first noticed.. extinguishers, panic, shell.

cooter wrote:

mkpatrol wrote:

cooter wrote:as far as i know you can legaly run a 4wd without a cat for this reason (only what an exhaust shop told us and the truck passed inspection without 1 )

Wrong, what is your "truck"?

Depending on the vehicle category & the weight, 4WD's have to comlpy with the same ADR's as your average family car. You were lucky or the ADR doesnt apply to your vehicle.

not my truck but i helped build it and took it to the exhaust shop car was a 95 hilux with a 4l quad cam passed rego no dramas engineered and all

NA category (commercial vehicle), if the GVM is under 2.7 tonnes then it is required but if it is over 2.7 tonnes then its not required (ADR37/00 apliccable at the time of manufacture of the vehicle).

one of the guys i knew had grass catch fire that got stuck under his car. on a v8 rangie he thought his stereo caught fire coz smoke was coming threw his radio so he threw a bucket of water in it. lol caused a couple of spot fires that he managed to put out! they were hunting in long grass paddocks! so he was flogging the car.

sounds like the paj needs a lift and some bigger rubber

cooter wrote:

mkpatrol wrote:

cooter wrote:as far as i know you can legaly run a 4wd without a cat for this reason (only what an exhaust shop told us and the truck passed inspection without 1 )

Wrong, what is your "truck"?

Depending on the vehicle category & the weight, 4WD's have to comlpy with the same ADR's as your average family car. You were lucky or the ADR doesnt apply to your vehicle.

not my truck but i helped build it and took it to the exhaust shop car was a 95 hilux with a 4l quad cam passed rego no dramas engineered and all

My old 1997 Rodeo 4wd didn't have a catalytic converter from the factory. Commercial vehicles of that time didn't need them.
My 1994 Discovery (up to 99) doesn't have one either.

mkpatrol wrote:

cooter wrote:

mkpatrol wrote:

cooter wrote:as far as i know you can legaly run a 4wd without a cat for this reason (only what an exhaust shop told us and the truck passed inspection without 1 )

Wrong, what is your "truck"?

Depending on the vehicle category & the weight, 4WD's have to comlpy with the same ADR's as your average family car. You were lucky or the ADR doesnt apply to your vehicle.

not my truck but i helped build it and took it to the exhaust shop car was a 95 hilux with a 4l quad cam passed rego no dramas engineered and all

NA category (commercial vehicle), if the GVM is under 2.7 tonnes then it is required but if it is over 2.7 tonnes then its not required (ADR37/00 apliccable at the time of manufacture of the vehicle).

so does this mean i can legally remove the cat that is on my 93 gx 4.2 rx?

i remember watching some show a few years back i think it was that bush tucker guy,
it had a segment on what to do if the grass thats caught under your car catches fire, he said fire extinguishers are only good the first time it happends, the second time and your screwed(coz its run out) so he uses one of those pressure garden sprayers filled with water.

Utemad wrote:

cooter wrote:

mkpatrol wrote:

cooter wrote:as far as i know you can legaly run a 4wd without a cat for this reason (only what an exhaust shop told us and the truck passed inspection without 1 )

Wrong, what is your "truck"?

Depending on the vehicle category & the weight, 4WD's have to comlpy with the same ADR's as your average family car. You were lucky or the ADR doesnt apply to your vehicle.

not my truck but i helped build it and took it to the exhaust shop car was a 95 hilux with a 4l quad cam passed rego no dramas engineered and all

My old 1997 Rodeo 4wd didn't have a catalytic converter from the factory. Commercial vehicles of that time didn't need them.
My 1994 Discovery (up to 99) doesn't have one either.

Same thing, for MC category vehicles under 2.7 tonnes GVM it applies, over it doesnt. It all ther in the ADR.