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The Cause of the Beyond Redline Fire

15K views 71 replies 41 participants last post by  AKGC  
#1 · (Edited)
Beyond Redline's Fire Explained



As many of you know our Genesis Coupe had burned to the ground approximately 7 months ago. Me being the technical guy I am had to find an answer to why the fire started and fix what ever the cause of the fire was so that it wouldn't happen to us or anyone else again.

We believe we have found the cause of the fire, and believe that after reviewing our new car carefully that this may be a potential safety issue to people that want to upgrade their car or drive in an aggressive manner.

After the fire started, I had tried to extinguish it with multiple fire extinguishers, and was unsuccessful. However it was clear that the source of the fire was the drivers side shock tower area. This was also where the highest of the heat was concentrated.

I had some theories, but it wasn't until we received our new car, Project Phoenix, that I was able to investigate further. The first thing I saw was the fuel line going between the steel line and the rail was plastic. Although this isn't all that uncommon on newer cars, there is a problem with this one. In my opinion the line was routed too direct to the motor and didn't allow proper slack to exist if the engine was moved in an extreme position towards the passenger side. This is evident by just walking up to the car and grabbing a hold of it and feeling the slack.

The next thing I wanted to try was to actually simulate the engine moving much like it would when you would do a WOT shift. I was amazed at how much the engine moved on the mounts, and also how much the plastic line stretched. Now keep in mind this is with a completely stock car (with an air filter) and just with a little brake torque applied. This is not a full boost.

The third piece to the puzzle is the pictures I have found of Gencoupe engine bay shots. Below are two pictures of two different gencoupe engines, and both have different fuel lines. Keep in mind this vehicle has only had 1 model year, and this engine has never been used in any other vehicle. Now I would think the one with the loop towards the hood (top pic)would be way more effective at dealing with motor mount flex than the other. Our black car had the more direct routed one (bottom pic)as well as Project Phoenix. I am not quite sure why the change was made, but I have a feeling Hyundai may know something.


You can draw your own conclusions, but I know our car will have one of our fuel line kits installed from here on out



FUEL LINE KIT

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#3 ·
Wow..... Thats some scary stuff.
 
#6 ·
wow... The engine moves like crazy. Im sure a lot of engines may do this, but I guess I've never seen it happen in a test like this...
 
#12 ·
damn it, I have it. build date may 15, 2009

But just to be sure, can you take a closer picture between the two, its clear they're different, but its hard to distinguish "how"
 
#13 ·
I just found those pics online. Don't know who actually took them. :dunno:

I can take a closer pic of the lower one, but you can probably view a live version yourself.:D

I have no idea if and when the lines were changed by hyundai, but its funny that I found two identical cars with two very diff fuel lines. I wouldn't necessarily trust a stock plastic line after our experience anyway, unfortunatly i had to learn that the hard way.:mad:
 
#14 ·
Same here, have that too, but wouldnt the stock line be safe as long as youre running sub 300 hp I guess? I ran the same test immediately after seeing your video and checked on the line. It seems like theres enough slack for the line, but I could be wrong.
 
#15 ·
Wow good find now i have to take a look at mine and see if I'm affected.

EDIT: Looks like I'm affected just looked at a picture of my engine bay guess I'll be getting a set of SS fuel lines just for precaution
 
#16 ·
Still sucks that you guys had to find this out the hard way. Thanks for looking out for the community and providing a quality product that will safeguard those looking for big power in the future. :)
 
#17 ·
I have the bad fuel line in my GC. And since u mentioned it, the stock fuel line does look really cheap. What was Hyundai thinking?
 
#20 ·
"The "Don't Burn Your Car Down" modification"

Awesome! Although I'm having slight trouble differentiating between the two fuel lines. I guess I need to pop my hood and look for reference.

Ordering this is pretty much a no brainer. Why risk it? When can we expect a rising rate regulator and fuel return line set-up from you guys?
 
#30 ·
Take a look closer at the two pics at how the fuel line attaches to the fuel rail. One is real direct, and almost comes from the fire wall direction. The other goes straight toward the rail with a loop toward the hood. I would think the one with the loop toward the hood would tolerate more engine movement.
 
#24 ·
I do believe that this serves a dual purpose besides just replacing the factory line. From my understanding, there will also be the option for an inline filter to be placed in this section as well, which will be a must for another awesome product they plan on producing ;)
 
#25 ·
Was the car salvageable to show the line at all? or did the line completely burn up?

Have you completely ruled out the brake booster? I've seen a lot of cars overflow and leak brake fluid onto manifolds/etc and combust.

i'm curious if it ripped in half, or just pulled out of an end.
 
#28 ·
Not much was salvageable at all. I highly doubt it has anything to do with the brake fluid, considering the exhaust manifold and turbo is on the complete opposite side. There is really nothing really hot enough by or underneath the master to ignite brake fluid. The guys that are lighting the 240's on fire have the manifold typically within a few inches of the brake master.
 
#26 ·
mmmmm class action anyone? Imagine the stress on that line after 50-60k miles with underhood heat and that amount of movement...
 
#27 ·
The stock line is not very pliable and will not (as BR demonstrated) tolerate much flex at all. I have this line on my desk right now and all torn apart and I would definitely say that if you plan on modding, this replacement line is a must! I was really surprised that if Hyundai chose to use this line as OE they didn't at least provide 3-4" extra to make sure it has more than enough slack to account for the sloppy motor mounts. That being said, they should seriously consider doing something about this issue ASAP from a safety standpoint, even with a stock or near stock setup this is a potentially serious issue.