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on jan. 16, my wife went to pump gas into my 2001 civic ex and flames came bursting out from the fuel tank. i took it to Stockton honda and they claim that it was due to STATIC ELECTRICITY, so i had to pay for any repairs. this is B.S. cause my wife closed the door behind her and touched the lid to the fuel tank, and besides, the cap is made of plastic. my point is that Static would have been discharged by the time she opened the cap. I was wondering if anybody else experienced this, or can give me a better(more legit) answer? oh.. by the way, contact me if it happends to you in the future.
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I sometimes get a little static charge when I shut my door but I haven't set my fuel tank on fire yet.

 
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It is very unlikely that a static charge would ignite gasoline fumes. Gas is flammable, but not very volatile, it has a low flash point. I would argue with the dealership, or least call up Honda.

You could demonstrate to them that you can put out a lit cigarette in a cup of gasoline(dip it in), to show that it probably wasn't static that did it.

 
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you shouldnt cross-post

 
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don't talk to your dealer, call american honda dood, they have had so many problems with the fuel systems on these cars it is RIDICULOUS.......


my 01 was classified as a lemon because of carp like this

 
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Was it a stormy day with lightning or anything? I know that at the airport, planes aren't allowed to refuel while it's lightning to prevent such things from happening.

 
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sorry about that i would be very mad..[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-mad.gif[/IMG]

 
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"It is very unlikely that a static charge would ignite gasoline fumes. Gas is flammable, but not very volatile, it has a low flash point. I would argue with the dealership, or least call up Honda. "
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hey I don't know where you got that but its not true at all....GAS is very very very volatile.....why dont you get a pickup truck with a gas can on the tail gate and fill it up.....but let me stand way back, static charges can create hundreds of thousands of volts.....your gas tank could explode from static charge, its not likely but it could happen....as for the low flash point and low volatile....thats the case for JET A or kero but for gasoline.....think about it, if you spill it its gone in a little....but kero stays on the ground for a long time its not VOLATILE unlike gas!

 
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gas is not very flammable in liquid form but the vapors can be very flamable. however you have to have the proper mixture of air a nd fuel vapors to get it to ignite. the chances of there being enough air in the filler neck or enough fuel vapor in the air around the car is very unlikely. Im would call honda USA and get them to cover the repairs because the dealership is full of crap.

 
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Everytime I shut my car off and I get out I get a static charge. Also if you take a cigarette lit you should know if you drop it in the gas tank it won't explode. Something to do with Air and combustion. I'm in the Marines and they showed us this trick one day with diesal and gas.

Also it's a fact that static electricity can ignite gas. When you scratch your hair you create static electricity. I've heard of people taking ballons rubbing it against their head and taking 1 string of hair and light a small line of gas. The world we live in is unpredictable. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/IMG]

Randy

 
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That is complete bs..go to honda and drive your car up their @$$...I've seen people talk on their cell phone while smoking and pumping their own gas and never blew themselves up

 
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Here's the deal on volatility. the reason you can put a flame into a cup of gasoline is b/c in its liquid state, gas is not flammable. it will not light on fire. the main key to this is if you do it outside with ventilation. the reason for this is that gasoline FUMES are VERY explosive and flammable. in a closed compartment (like your gas tank when you are running on fumes [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] ), it IS POSSIBLE to ignite the fumes, but not the gasoline itself. actually, when you see gas burning, it is the top layer of fumes that are on fire.

But all in all, I doubt that it was static. its very rare for static electricity to generate any heat to ignite the fumes. Go back to Honda

 
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what a site that mustve been
was there a damage to u or the car?
b!tch and b!tch untill u get some compensation!

 
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To tell you the truth, ESD (Electro Static Discharge) may have caused the fire. I work for a third party testing facility for compliance testing. One of the tests we do on all electronic devices is ESD. An ESD spark can ignite fumes from fuel but not so much in liquid form. Even a cell phone can ignite fumes from a tank. Your wife may have touched the door and discharged the negative neutrons, but if she has on clothes such as wool and she moves around a few steps, then that is all it takes to generate another spark and by this time, the fuel cap would be off and the fumes are ventilating. Women are more susceptible to ESD than men because many women have long hair and we all know that if you comb your hair enough, you can create a lot of static. Simply raising your arm will generate 300microvolts which is enough to create a static discharge. It is an arguement for both sides, but there is no reason why a fuel tank will ignite unless you can prove that the fuel pump was the cause. ESD is a more probable cause for the fire and it happens more often than you think. There have been many cases with people on there cell phones or cell phones ringing in there pockets igniting the fumes while pumping gas. Most gas stations have signs that say do not use your cellular phone while pumping gas along with no smoking. But many people don't mind these signs and I still see dumb a$$ people smoking regardless.