R56 Question about turning the car off to get gas

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Apr 4, 2007 | 07:54 PM

#26

Robin Casady

6th Gear

Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 7,578

Likes: 5

From: Paradise

Quote:

Originally Posted by xbook

One thing I would like to add to this discussion. True cell phones and bullets thru your gas tank may not ignite the fuel. But, remeber kids, liquid gas does not catch fire or even blow up, it's the vapors that do. But, as mentioned above a static spark can ignite the vapors that rise from a fuel tank. Often it has been found that the simple act of sliding out of the seat of your car can produce enough of a static charge to ignite fuel vapors. The safest way to prevent this is to touch your car again after you have gotten out of your vehicle, to emit the static electricity that was just "created". Once you have done this, you can be pretty close to certain that you have emitted any charge your body may have stored up, and it is then safe to grab for the fuel pump.

And yeah you could go ahead and say something like "well, bu bu bu Mythbusters"....uh huh, just keep on saying that while you are getting your 3rd degree burns taken care of. If you have ever seen a burn victim, you will do EVERYTHING in your power to never have that happen to you.

Better to be safe than sorry...

Actually, the Mythbusters said pretty much what you said. A polyester clad person slids their butt out of their SUV, leaves the door open and doesn't touch the car, walks on rubber sole shoes, goes to grab the gas pump that has just finished filling the tank, Zap! If there are enough fumes around, one roasted polyester person. Conditions have to be perfect. Significant fume leakage at the tank (California mandates fume recovery systems on pumps for air quality so that would have to be faulty for it to happen here), no wind to blow fumes away, dry conditions for static...

What the Mythbusters did say was that a cel phone wont ignite gas fumes. And that Hollywood scenes of blowing up a car by shooting the gas tank are totally bogus.

Apr 4, 2007 | 08:41 PM

#27

Greatbear

Moderator :: Performance Mods

Joined: Mar 2003

Posts: 5,427

Likes: 6

From: A Den in Maryland

In the gas station fire video, it appeard that the victim was filling portable gas cans sitting in a pickup bed. This situation is very conducive to static sparking and subsequent fire, especially if the truck has a plastic bedliner. Always fill portable tanks while they sit on the ground. Placing tanks on the ground/floor/pavement helps to discharge any static built up on them.