Must engine bay be sealed off from footwells?
craig1410 - 17/3/09 at 01:24 PM
Hi,
As above, is it necessary to seal off the engine bay from the footwells on a Locost? No problem on the passenger side but on the drivers side my pedal
box is open. As I nearing my SVA date I am starting to get paranoid and although I can't see why it would matter from a "fumes" point
of view, I suppose there is also the issue of fire or boiling water getting on my legs in the event of a fire or burst water pipe.
This is something I will fix (for reasons stated above) before using the car on the road for real but I was wondering if it is a potential SVA fail or
not? I'd rather not add anything else to my ToDo list if it is not required for SVA as I only have two weekends left... 
Thanks,
Craig.
DaveFJ - 17/3/09 at 01:35 PM
Not a problem for SVA... dont know about IVA
The Avon is open by design and passes SVA without issue..... that being said most people, myself included, box it in because we would prefer to sealed
off from the engine bay......
HTH
nib1980 - 17/3/09 at 01:39 PM
mine was open by design, but i sealed it off for my own peice of mind, the thought of fire around my feet whilst pressing the brake pedal to stop made
me nervous.
David Jenkins - 17/3/09 at 01:43 PM
Me too - every possible route from the engine bay to the passenger compartment is sealed on my car.
pewe - 17/3/09 at 02:20 PM
If ever there is a reason to make sure the engine bay is sealed off from the passenger bay it's the sad tale of someone on here who had his feet
drenched in hot anti-freeze coolant and subsequently lost part of one foot due to glycol induced infection!
Cheers, Pewe 
DaveFJ - 17/3/09 at 02:27 PM
But to answer the question posed........
no there is no need to do this for SVA.....!
craig1410 - 17/3/09 at 02:31 PM
yeah, as I said I will seal it off after SVA but I don't need any extra jobs just now... 
I remember one of the guys on the forum had a heater hose burst and scald his foot. Was it Hicost?
Anyway, thanks for confirming this is not an SVA issue.
Craig.
James - 17/3/09 at 02:36 PM
quote:
Originally posted by pewe
If ever there is a reason to make sure the engine bay is sealed off from the passenger bay it's the sad tale of someone on here who had his feet
drenched in hot anti-freeze coolant and subsequently lost part of one foot due to glycol induced infection!
Cheers, Pewe
If it's the story I know of.... it was very nearly fatal!
Renal failure etc. etc.
Take care!
mad-butcher - 17/3/09 at 02:57 PM
don't call them firewalls for nothing
craig1410 - 17/3/09 at 02:58 PM
Yeah but I don't think that accident was caused by the footwell being exposed to the engine bay was it? Wasn't it just that the heater hose
came loose?
Anyway, will be towing my car too and from test and I don't have a heater so should be okay.
Cheers,
Craig.
craig1410 - 17/3/09 at 03:02 PM
quote:
Originally posted by mad-butcher
don't call them firewalls for nothing
I don't expect the bulkhead would stop the fire for long anyway as it is made of 1.6mm aluminium and GRP. Good thing with an open top is that you
can bale out easily...
britishtrident - 17/3/09 at 04:03 PM
quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
quote:
Originally posted by mad-butcher
don't call them firewalls for nothing
I don't expect the bulkhead would stop the fire for long anyway as it is made of 1.6mm aluminium and GRP. Good thing with an open top is that you
can bale out easily...
It would surprise you it gives vital seconds instead of being instantly engulfed in flames.
Sealing the engine bay from the drivers compartment is an MSA requirement for any kind of motor sport use, The MSA scrutineers quite rightly
regard it as a very important safety measure.
designer - 17/3/09 at 06:12 PM
I would never consider driving a front engine car without a sealed footwell.
In the event of a fire the flames would come back like a blowtorch.
craig1410 - 17/3/09 at 06:26 PM
quote:
Originally posted by designer
I would never consider driving a front engine car without a sealed footwell.
In the event of a fire the flames would come back like a blowtorch.
I'm sure I'll be safe enough doing 2 MPH off the back of the trailer and into the SVA centre. Plenty of time to sort out a footwell cover
after SVA.
On the subject of fires, I can't say I've ever seen or experienced a vehicle fire of the type which would cause this sort of effect. Usually
just smoldering electrics or carb blowback setting fire to the air filter. Most vehicle fires start properly once the vehicle comes to a halt in my
experience. High speed airflow tends to blow the fire out rather than fan the flames like you might expect.
Anyway, as said, I DO intend to fit a footwell cover to avoid having my trousers inflate while driving if nothing else - it's not a cool look!!
