<VV> Post on wiring / carb backfire

[Joe West]

A few corrections to your comments...



> 1   An electrical short will not cause a fire unless enough HEAT is
> generated!

Incorrect.  A temporary short can cause a spark... And a spark in the
vicinity of sufficient fuel and oxygen can cause a fire.
 
> The way the cars / harnesses are designed by GM....this cannot
> happen...unless "someone" does something to "pinch /clamp"  the wire well
> enough to make the
> wire act as heater....

Incorrect.  1960's technology was... Well... 1960's technology.  GM did a
decent job of ensuring that wires would not abrade, but they could of done
much better.  If you were to compare the insulation / abrasion protection of
modern vehicles to a Corvair... You'd see a vast difference.  It doesn't
just take a Pinch or a clamp to make a short, simple abrasion can cause
shorts.
 
> To test this...take a small wire....from Battery "positive"...and using
> something to hold it steady...move it INTO  a ground......when it touches..BAM
> fuse blows....oh  no fuse???   the end of the wire melts and the short is
> gone...simple...fast....
>

Incorrect again.  There are more potential failure modes than the end of the
wire melting and the short being gone.  If the material that the wire is
touching has the correct properties, the wire will WELD itself to the
material, creating a better short and then melting the insulation along the
entire length of the wire and then finally, melting the wire somewhere along
it's length... Opening the short.

> Now try it with a 10-12 ga.    same scenario!...even a battery cable!

No... Don't do this test.  It's a great way to blow up a battery in your
face.  

> 
> BUT  if it's CLAMPED....instant heater!  glowing RED it's whole length  until
> it melts.....

See above comments.  The wire does not have to be clamped.

Joe West
BSEE, MS, Electrical Engineering
(In case you'd like to continue the discussion)

> 
> Matt Nall / Patiomatt / WCUH / Chairman V V
> 69 Monza Cpe., 66 Monza vert, 65 Crown v8 Cpe.
> Somewhere between Reno, NV and Coos Bay, Or.
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