Dangerous not just for a car, but the driver as well: A Cautionary Tale
We've all been there...You back out of the garage as you head to work and suddenly a fresh, ugly fluid stain is staring you in the face. This usually leads to you running down the normal list of questions in your head:
Where is the leak coming from? How much is this going to cost me? How long can I go before I need to repair this problem?
One question that we don’t always ask ourselves is: Can a fluid leak be dangerous not just to my car, but to me as well? The answer to this question is an emphatic YES!
A number of years ago I was driving one of my father’s cars, a Porsche 996 (pictured right), when I experienced this first hand. This vehicle, while still under the new car warranty, started developing an issue with the hydraulic system. Out of the blue and at very low mileage the steering pump began making a distinctive whining sound while turning the wheel, a sound with which many of us are familiar.
As I waited for a service appointment at our dealer, some two weeks out for their first opening, I topped the system off with a dash of hydraulic fluid. I knew this was a closed system and it would not be low without some sort of a leak, but as I saw nothing on the ground or engine, I brushed it off as 'seepage' and waited for our appointment.
On a warm summer evening, just before this appointment, I drove the car to my house so I could take it to the dealer the following Monday. During this drive my underestimation of this leak came to a head. As I made a sharp turn, I first noticed the car abruptly lose hydraulic pressure in the clutch and steering. I then looked over my shoulder to find a heavy trail of fluid on the ground starting from mid turn. I quickly pulled over and walked to the back of the car, where to my horror I found fluid streaming to the ground, flames coming from the leaking fluid, and a puddle that had formed!
My call to 911 gets answered just as my shock at this situation is really starting to settle in. The rest is history. This 'seepage' went from being a small leak that I couldn’t even see to the cause of a fire that wrote off this nearly new car. The hydraulic fluid, which I now know has a low flash point, had leaked onto a turbocharger which can reach a temperature of 1800° F.
In the end, this fire was caused by a simple hydraulic line connector and could have easily endangered my life, that of my passenger, and even my home had this happened as I made the sharp turn pulling from my driveway into the garage.
The moral of this sad story? Do not ignore evidence of a leak or any symptoms that may indicate one. While a leak may appear small and seem like nothing to worry about, that can change without a moment’s notice. Not all leaks can cause your car to catch fire, but a number of them can and the others can lead to other unpleasant results. In the coming weeks I will be posting a follow up on identifying fluid types, diagnosing leaks, and other complimentary subjects.
About The Author: Ray Muratori
Ray comes to FCP Euro with ten years of experience in the auto industry. He started out opening and operating one of Connecticut's first mobile auto detailing businesses and moved on to buy and sell Highline European cars on the Internet. Ray has a very strong background with BMW, Porsche and Mercedes product and is eager to use his knowledge to help customers with all their auto part needs. He can be reached at raym@fcpeuro.com
