Prado 150 fire

Sorry to hear of your loss so early in your trip, I presume you are the unlucky one who had just left Bililuna and got as far as Well 46 I think I read.

I am no expert on the matter but have travelled through spinifex before, indeed we came across the Jeep back in 2012, and it is sharp stuff, presumably there are rubber fuel lines going to / from your tank and one would think it possible that maybe it has either penetrated the fuel line or, when you were clearing the spinifex, it may have loosened a hose perhaps. Followed by a loose stone / rock flicking up causing a spark.

All hypothetical I know, but I too would like to know what the actual cause was as we are heading back that way this year, with a DPF this time so does that not make me a tad cautious.

Again, sorry to hear of your loss but trust it hasn't put you off 4wding

cheers

I thought that it was relatively common for a dpf burn to cause very high temperatures around the exhaust pipe. Any spinifex caught near it is in danger of igniting. If there are rubber fuel lines in the mix then the results will be catastrophic. Without knowing any details and only guessing from afar, it is just one of what may be several possible explanations for your unfortunate event. Sorry to hear it.

We were couple of days ahead of you in a diesel D-Max and we pull up half though the first day to check for spinafex build up. As soon I got out of the ute I could smell something burning. Got underneath and started ripping the spinafex that was jammed around the exhaust, burning my arm in the process, but when I finished I could still smell something burning. I dived back under and and found a clump of grass jammed around the tailshaft in front of the centre bearing. This was quite hot and was burnt black were it was in contact with the tailshaft. Funny thing is we never had a problem with spinafex for the rest of the trip even though I checked everytime we stopped.

Sorry to hear that Lloyd.

What year Pardao was it, and was it diesel or Petrol?


Diesel Prado fires - pre and post DPF, seem to be fairly common. Usually starting somewhere near the rear axle..

Welcome to the forum Lloyd - did Toyota ever follow through with an investigation or offer any advice?
Trust you're keeping the replacement Prado nice and dirty :-)
Cheers

Tony it was a late 2016 diesel 150 Prado, 7000 on the clock. Apparently the slow speed we were travelling at would not cause a burn off according to what we’ve been told. Thanks for info about rear axle, don’t how it might ignite at front of tank

My recollection from other Prados that burned on the Canning was that fire starts near a rear wheel.
I wonder whether the traction control has a part to play in that - if it gets activated on the sand, causing the calipers to get hot.
Also the fuel tanks are plastic - not good with a fire nearby.
Here is a thread from 2006 where a couple of Prado fires were discussed:
https://www.exploroz.com/forum/37548/prado-on-fire---clear-any-spinifex

Hi Wildmax, spoke to Toyota in September and they told me they would go out to inspect vechicle. I rang six weeks later and was told they didn`t go out because they would not find anything due to the time factor since it was burnt. Instead watched a u tube video of burnt out vechicle. Only cause maybe battery came loose in holder and wiring shorted out, can you believe that!! Not interested in helping. Cheers Lloyd

Having spent the last 45 years doing desert safaris (as a business) we learnt a lot about spinifex.
I too, in the mid 80's, lost a Landrover, out near the CSR, as a result of spinifex seed head build up around various under body hot spots.
There are three things we consider before going out into the western deserts.

a. Try and do the trip as late as possible in the year. Spinifex seeds after good rains which is generally always in the summer. The seed heads break off with the wind eventually but not until mid year. (Give or take) Early in the year desert crossers will snap off these offending stalks, causing build up and possibly creating fires.

b. Remove all bash plates, guards and anything else that will provide a hidden place for spinifex build up. If a fire does start then at least you can see what's happening and deal with it.

c. As some one above has already said, don't waste time with the usual run of the mill fire extinguishers. We carry "squirt bottles" that we can direct a solid stream of water or any other liquid if necessary (urine!) straight at the base of the fire. (I still carry one on my tractor when slashing as I have put my exhaust under the tractor because of the trees.) These bottles are refillable and work.
We've even used hot Fosters Larger to put out fires. Just crack the ring pull and the whole can will empty itself!

Just a few thoughts.