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Ahhh! my floor is on fire!


zeppelindrummer
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Well, i know i've come across at least one thread mentioning this... quite a long time ago, but i can't find it!.

 

About 7 months ago, on a hot summer day, i was driving on the highway, and my floor started smoking like CRAZY! i immediately pulled over, stomped my floor, and waited for my car to cool down a bit.

 

That was the last problem i had with a burning floor until today.

 

Wanted to do a final test run to make sure the pathy wont die anymore. (Finally! :) replaced the distributer... and VOILA!) anyway... i was on the highway for about 10 minutes, and it was pretty hot in CO today... it started smoking again. and burned right through my new nice rubber floor mats. I didn't really feel like turning around, and going home, because i was picking up something from a guy off craigslist (an awesome pushbar, that i'll have a thread posted about too) although, headin home probably would have been best.

 

I remember reading about heatshields being installed? or... something of the sort? i'm not sure what the burning was from, but it was pretty bad, it started early, and even after letting the pathy rest for an hour and a half or so, it started burning, and smoking right away.

 

burntfloor1.jpg

This picture is way worse than i realized... it has the burn with a bit of water poured on it... cuz it was still smoking after sitting while it was parked at home for forever.

 

burntfloor2.jpg

Well... it burnt through alot of... floor mats. i was trying to keep my nicer floormat okay... but my older junky ones got destroyed, as well as messing up my rubber mats...

 

Should i install some kind of kevlar or teflon heat shield as a temporary fix?

 

What have you done? pretty much every older pathy i've seen, has the burnt holy part on the driver side floor.

Edited by zeppelindrummer
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K9 had a smokin time once too. Check that you do not have an actual hole in the floor there, I had a hole from there to the door on my 88 that the previous owner had no idea about, and I didn't find util I stripped the carpet.

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Mine did the same thing a few years backs. Check to see you don't have a blown gasket where the "Y" pipe bolts right before the O2 sensor. You also might want to fix the hole in the floor board if you have one.

 

When mine went (gasket), it was blowning hot exhaust through the top right at the floor board and since I had a hole in the floor board it was blowing right at the material under the carpet.

 

Also if it's the gasket replace it with two gaskets (double them up) to help resolve the problem from happening again.

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yep. Mine burned clean through. Hole throught he floor pan, carpet padding smoldering, the whole works. Repaired it with a cookie sheet, some silicone caulking and a couple of silicone hot pads.

 

the link

Edited by k9sar
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yep. Mine burned clean through. Hole throught he floor pan, carpet padding smoldering, the whole works. Repaired it with a cookie sheet, some silicone caulking and a couple of silicone hot pads.

 

the link

 

95 pathy exposed to lots of water and such over the years.

Pulling boat up long hill (5 miles or so)

Engine didn't overheat but the exhaust certainly got too hot.

 

smoke filled inside truck, floormats melting under my feet.

Got the 'fire' put out with my big-gulp and pulled up the carpet to find that there was a big hole in the floor right over the exhaust pipe. All insulation under the carpeting was black ash. Plastic in carpet and bottom of floormat melted. Truck stinks now.

 

I pulled into a walmart pk lot in Mt. Pocono to put it out and see what I could do to get the family, truck and boat the rest of the way home.

 

Clearance stainless steel baking pan... $2.00

Clearance silicone hot pads... $5.00 for 2

Clearance avation snips... $7.00

Tube of 100% silicone bathtub caulk ... $2.79

Cheap-ass caulking gun... $1.78

 

Many years of watching Macgyver... priceless.

 

I won't let you desecrete Macgyver like that. You didn't even use duct tape!

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Hmmm i think this problem would be on the passengers side on my terrano :) I drive on the rh side. Doesn't look like too much of a mission. I've done some pretty knarly rust patches during my time as a panel beater.

 

FYI: toyota hiluxs and ford zodiacs are the worst by far imo anyway.

Edited by RowdoggNZ
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Alright.... so i should probably get this fixed as soon as possible....

 

should i rip up my carpet? and see what i'm dealing with? or should i just kinda cut around where i'm going to put the cookie sheets?

 

 

What are the steps to installing the new cookie sheet floor?

 

-Should i double up on cookie sheets? or use one of the two layer ones?

 

-Where do the hot pads go?

 

-Do i just silicone it to the floor?

 

-Do i put the cookie sheet on top?

 

 

Thanks everybody!!

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Unless you plan to completely remove the carpet, just peal it back. Unhook it from the firewall, and pull the kick panel cover and door sill and you should be able to see/get under there well enough. If that doesn't get you enough, unbolt and remove the seat (warning, you will probably break the rear bolts if you do that).

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A tip for the rear bolts......

 

Soak in Penetrating lube, and use an impact gun. It seems to help break the rust loose that would normally seize the bolt, and have it snap.

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What are the steps to installing the new cookie sheet floor?

 

-Should i double up on cookie sheets? or use one of the two layer ones?

 

-Where do the hot pads go?

 

-Do i just silicone it to the floor?

 

-Do i put the cookie sheet on top?

Thanks everybody!!

If I were you, I would get a slightly thicker piece of metal, use silicone to seal it and either rivet or weld the steel in place, and then coat it in tar, or whatever that tough undercoating stuff is, underneath the truck.

 

Thats what my father did on my 93, the floor had just started to get warm, so we were lucky. He used 2 tubes of silicone, 1 can of the undercoating stuff, a 3/8's piece of steel and a sh!tload of rivets. Pulled the carpet up a while ago to have a look, and it looks new under there still.

 

When they saftied my 95 they had to fix that hole, and the floor kinda gets warm. They used too thin gauge of metal me thinks :shiftyeyes:

 

Good luck!

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the cookie sheet I used was fairly thick... not one of those little thin ones. I cut and shaped it to fit over the hole with an inch or two around it for adhesion. I cleaned the surface of the floor (the best I could do in the parking lot) and put a THICK bead of silicone sealant around the hole so there would be no air leak (or water leak) around the cookie sheet. I shoved the cookie sheet into place and pressed down hard to make sure I had a complete seal around it. I put 2 silicone hot-pads on the cookie sheet for insulation before I laid the carpet back down on it. Put the trim back on to hold the carpet in place and ... viola. I drive barefoot and do not feel the heat through the floor anymore.

 

I also suggest a good undercoating once completed. This will help keep it from rusting further.

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If I were you, I would get a slightly thicker piece of metal, use silicone to seal it and either rivet or weld the steel in place, and then coat it in tar, or whatever that tough undercoating stuff is, underneath the truck.

 

Thats what my father did on my 93, the floor had just started to get warm, so we were lucky. He used 2 tubes of silicone, 1 can of the undercoating stuff, a 3/8's piece of steel

 

Good luck!

You used 3/8" steel on a floorboard!?!?!? :stickwack: From the factory, our frames aren't that thick! 16 guage steel is PLENTY...

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You used 3/8" steel on a floorboard!?!?!? :stickwack: From the factory, our frames aren't that thick! 16 guage steel is PLENTY...

It was my father's truck at the time, which was almost 4 and 1/2 years ago now. He always over does things. Guess he should have thought of that when it came to rust proofing the frame.

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Awesome! thanks everybody! just finished up my last class of highschool today... Woo hoo! i'm done for forever!

 

until college.

 

anyway-

 

i was thinking i could use two cookie sheets, and put the silicone hot pads in between, would that be completely pointless? or should i just stick with the cookie sheet, hot pad, carpet method?

 

Thanks everybody! i'll post pictures when i'm done!

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Awesome! thanks everybody! just finished up my last class of highschool today... Woo hoo! i'm done for forever!

 

until college.

 

anyway-

 

i was thinking i could use two cookie sheets, and put the silicone hot pads in between, would that be completely pointless? or should i just stick with the cookie sheet, hot pad, carpet method?

 

Thanks everybody! i'll post pictures when i'm done!

Congrat's man :beer: That was me last year! College is soooo much better.

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Well... i went ahead and just did it... didn't really want to do rivets, and i dont have a welder, but i think this should keep it from smoldering under my feet...

 

 

 

Mine wasn't nearly as bad as the others that have posted... i cleaned up the rust real good with a wire brush, and moved everything out of the way

(Not in this picture, after this pic was taken).

DSCF2534.jpg

I dumped probably over half the bottle of silicone there... i dont want to break a seal!

DSCF2538.jpg

Took the cookie sheet/silicone hot pad, and siliconed them down, sealing the sides.

DSCF2537.jpg

DSCF2539.jpg

Bought a couple more regular pot holders to put on top, for some added heat resistance, and to makeup for the lack of carpet pad.

DSCF2540.jpg

Installed my fire extinguisher the night my floor caught fire. It probably isn't the safest place considering its in front of the passenger... but i'm not planning on getting in an accident. Plus, its mounted soundly, so i think it'll be fine.

DSCF2541.jpg

Its also just an arms reach away!

DSCF2542.jpg

I've got some rustoleum, which i'll put as a primer on the undercoat, and then once i get a time to hit ace, i'll buy some undercoat paint. I was actually looking at it a week or so ago.

 

Theres no rain in the forecast, so i've got a little time. Straight 80s/90s all week long!

Edited by zeppelindrummer
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