"It's a bit like a series for us: Why do you need a knife, why do you need motorcycle gear, why do you need a fire extinguisher. Learn from us idiots." — Jonathan Klein

Working with cars and motorcycles is inherently dangerous. Not only do you need to understand your own stuff, but you also need to be able to handle situations when something goes wrong. Obviously, this is a theme in The Drive garage, as evidenced by Klein's quotation.

If you purchase a product through one of our links, Drive and its partners may receive a commission. read more.  

In your painful career, you will encounter a lot of frustrating situations, enough for most people to find another way to waste money. These situations can be caused by bad parts or accidents, or they can happen when you neglect to do things the right way. I ran into such a problem on the weekend of July 4th, when my 1969 Dodge Charger project car prepared for me not only fireworks and snakes. 

As you can imagine, the small engine fire is a source of real excitement. Thankfully, I put out the fire before more than a few wires and hoses were used up. If I don't have a water pipe, my baby will be done.

When discussing our messed up story with the person in charge, the importance of fire extinguishers in garages and cars emerged. We hope that you will never encounter a situation where you need it, but if not, the accident is likely to reduce your itinerary by one.

The charger does not catch fire.

I will not say that my particular incident was caused by a part failure or anything beyond my control. I don't know exactly what happened, but I know I did all the work in my car. Along the way, I missed a detail or stole a corner somewhere, which caused a fire.

There are some signs that things are not quite right. I recently installed a Holley red pump in my car. Knowing that it is internally regulated and should be the required setting for the Holley dual pump, I did not add a fuel pressure regulator, nor did I mess up the internal regulator settings of my pump. That was my first bad move.

My second mistake was to find sinking floats on the front and rear fuel bowls of the carburetor. I disassembled the carburetor and found some debris that I thought was causing the problem. I replaced all the fuel pipes and filters, and then cleaned the carburetor. I thought I would be happy to go, and didn't bother to question whether my fuel pressure setting needs to be checked or whether my float needs to be replaced.

The next bad move was my reaction to the smell of gas. Instead of shutting down the car immediately, I said to myself indifferently, "Well, this is weird." During the time my weak mind was dealing with this idea, the engine backfired, and the fuel did what it did best: it started to burn.

My biggest mistake, and the reason for this article, is that I don’t have a fire extinguisher. What makes this so bad is that this is not the first time my engine has caught fire. I am not saying that I often catch fire, but I have encountered similar situations twice. Because of it, I even put a fire extinguisher in this car. However, after years of no fire, after using it in unrelated situations, I never replaced the old one.

Thankfully, I am very close to the garden hose, which can put out the flames before causing any actual damage. If I were anywhere outside the driveway, the fire could get out of control and damage property, put someone in danger, or worse, burn the charger to the ground. why? It's all because there is no fire extinguisher in my car, which is unacceptable.

When I paid the price for my ignorance, I was grateful that it happened. I take this opportunity now, not only because I am using a fine-toothed comb through the charger’s engine compartment, hoping to prevent it from happening again, but also because this is a learning moment when safety should never be taken for granted. This is why I also threw a fire extinguisher in my car-permanently.

So why does my mistake mean you need a fire extinguisher? Well, it can be used as an example of how things can go wrong if you finish a project in a hurry, miss a detail, or have a bad day. An accident happened. Bad weather occurred. Things are developing very fast, would you choose to be prepared?

In this case, my garden plumbing has done the job, but my fire is relatively small. Nevertheless, it is still dangerous to extinguish car fires with water. Although water is effective against wood and paper fires, it can make things worse when it comes to electrical or flammable liquid fires.

For flammable liquids, water can make the problem worse by spreading gas, oil, or other liquids, which can cause a fire. Fortunately, my situation is small enough that this is not a problem, but it can happen. If so, you are at risk of doing more harm than good. 

Water can also conduct electricity, so if you are dealing with an electrical fire, water may collect at your feet and you may get an electric shock. In the event of a fire in an electric vehicle, water will not prevent thermal runaway, which is a dangerous chemical chain reaction that may occur in the battery. 

You want to make sure that any fire extinguisher you pick up for your car/garage can handle flammable liquids and electrical fires.

Fortunately, it is very easy to pick up the fire extinguisher and put it in the car. You might run to your local parts store, pick up anything on the shelf, and then you can go. It is very likely that anything they stock can be used to deal with electrical and flammable liquid fires.

However, you should have an idea of ​​what you are viewing. I personally picked up the First Alert Pro 2.5 dry powder fire extinguisher and put it in my car. Its UL rating is 1A:10B:C. Although it's just a 2.5-pound fire extinguisher, I think it's not bad for this car. If you want to pick up a fire extinguisher, please don't sweat, and this is not available. The important thing is the UL rating.

The letters in the UL rating tell us what kind of fire the fire extinguisher is suitable for. A is suitable for paper and wood fires, B is suitable for flammable liquid fires, and C is suitable for electrical fires. Considering that all three situations may occur in your vehicle, you want to find a fire extinguisher that can handle all three situations.

The numbers in the UL rating tell us how big a fire can be extinguished. Class 1A and 10B fires are not the largest, but this class should be suitable for your car.

Too many fire extinguishers are better than not enough fire extinguishers. If you want to be bigger, there is no harm. Remember, the fire extinguisher should be checked and recharged after each use, so too large may just be a waste. 

I gave up my center console a few weeks ago and replaced it with my fire extinguisher. I know, my carpet is a mess. I am open to suggestions about decent store vacuum cleaners. 

Many people recommend putting the fire extinguisher in the suitcase, but this is not the best idea. This means you can't access it immediately, and wasting time in a fire can cause major losses. Fires can quickly grow to an uncontrollable scale.

Most importantly, many cars today are equipped with electronic locks. Suppose the fire burned down several wires and cut off the power supply. You will not be able to use the fire extinguisher. Find an alternative storage space that allows you to access the fire extinguisher more easily than your suitcase.

Racers often install fire extinguishers on roll cages or similar places. You can also choose to run fire extinguishing systems that can hit critical areas, such as the engine compartment and various parts of the fuel system. They work very cleverly; a large fire extinguisher can explode in multiple locations. The tear line is connected to the fire extinguisher, and only a rope is required to activate it. These systems are more expensive, but they are definitely an option to consider when driving more serious on the track or off-road.

Before I decided on a permanent solution, I was using the plastic bracket that came with the fire extinguisher. There are many prefabricated brackets for you to install the fire extinguisher where you see fit. In my case, since I no longer have a center console, I accepted the idea of ​​fixing mine to the transmission tunnel. It also allows me to access it instantly from the driver's seat. 

We are here for all "how to" related expert guides. Use us, praise us, yell at us. In the comments below, we discuss together. You can also yell at us on Twitter or Instagram, or contact us here: guidesandgar@thedrive.com.

Other "tool" comments you might like:

Sign up for our newsletter

Send technology, performance and design to your inbox.

© Brookline Media Inc. All rights reserved.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide us with a way to earn money by linking to Amazon.com and affiliate sites.