Quote:
Originally Posted by USNA94
Looks like you have proven that the guidance to turn off your engine while refueling has been effective! QED  |
Damn fine point there.
and
Quote:
Originally Posted by USNA94
The autoignition temperature of gasoline is ~475 degrees F
Exhaust temps can vary between 300 and 600 degrees F but are typically found to be around 500 degrees F when running.
So, it is possible that if gasoline spilled on the hot exhaust pipe it could autoignite. It is also likely that turning off your engine would allow the exhaust pipe to cool the 25-50 degrees below the autoignite temperature fairly rapidly.
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From what I read the reason for the varied temperature of autoignition has to do with many variables. The temp of the gas, how much gas is there (thin film vs someone pouring a bucket of it) so I'm still not sure that gas hitting the tailpipe would cause it to ignite. That being said, I'm still going to turn my car off when fueling, this just seems like a really interesting topic.
It's been my experience that typically a rule is set because of an incident. Like when you see the warning label on a hair dryer telling you not to use it in the bath tub, some idiot actually did that and now they have a label, which leads me to believe that something cause this rule to be born. I'm just curious what it was and how it holds true today. All the same thanks for the info about exhaust temps.
-William