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I don't see how it could start whith the fuel cut off.
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Flash Gordon Mineo had a similar problem about 20 years ago on a turn-off and the engine fired up and ran into Eddie Hill's dragster on the return road. I personally think nitro engines are pretty much diesels when everything is hot after/during a run. Back in the 1980s, Bernstein said his mags quit and the car still ran a 6.02, and that was when they were running 5.60-5.80s. Don Garlit's once told me he had the wires get caught up in the blower belt and ripped all the wires off one side of the engine and it kept on running. I wonder if the fuel shut-off was completely closed in Melanie's and Flash's case?
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they are very careful to get ALL the fuel out of those things after a run. there must have been a leaking shutoff, or something of that nature. you can hear them "airing out" the engine in the shutdown area. any fuel left in there causes real bad things. no fuel- no dieseling. unless it ran on oil like that pro stocker did. did melanie's engine smoke when it fired?
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"The electrodes are already burnt off the spark plugs by then and they are running on heat and compression. Essentially they are detonating at that point. "
That is not true. I have personally been a guest in a Top Fuel pit area and was able to pick up the spark plugs and look at them after a pass. They looked normal. I always though the same thing until I saw them.
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"The electrodes are already burnt off the spark plugs by then and they are running on heat and compression. Essentially they are detonating at that point. "
That is not true. I have personally been a guest in a Top Fuel pit area and was able to pick up the spark plugs and look at them after a pass. They looked normal. I always though the same thing until I saw them.
Not only that, but if it were true, you wouldn't see a car drop a cylinder past the 1/8 mile mark. Happens all the time though.
Remember when NHRA used the ignition rev limiters to limit top speed in the fuel cars? They couldn't have done that if the spark plugs weren't working...
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I have worked on fuel cars and if the tip is burned off, then it hurt it's self on that run.
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Several reasons but one is Nitro cars need a "load" on the engine to force the burn - you see cars all the time spin the tires and then drop cylinder's.
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i thought when u pull the shut on fuel car it kill the fuel as well i could worng maybe the kills the power
