JH>> Were you talking about Fieros?   
   JH>> Eric   
   JH>> PS. Good to see you on FidoNet!   
      
   JH>No.... Porsche 914!   It had a VW bus engine in it basically but the Germans   
   JH>always experimented with alloy combinations.  Afterall, an aircooled engine   
   JH>should expand and contract and keep it's tolerances.  I remember someone   
   JH>getting a new beetle in 1973 and the thing started leaking oil soon after   
   JH>they got it. I suspect the engine tolerances changed rather rapidly. Well, t   
   JH>cut to the quick, there was a hefty percentage of magnesium in the alloy   
   JH>which, when ignited properly, would be impossible to put out.  I think this   
   JH>plagued even the 911 flat six from time to time but I would have to research   
   JH>it. Fieros? Now is that a play on the word fire?   
      
   Magnesium fires cannot be extinguished by water. Magnesium continues to   
   burn after oxygen is depleted. It than reacts with nitrogen from air to   
   form magnesium nitride (Mg3N2). When attempts are made to extinguish   
   magnesium fires with water, magnesium aggressively reacts with hydrogen   
   gas. To prevent any damage, a magnesium fire must be covered in sand.   
      
   An example of a magnesium compound is magnesium phosphide (Mg3P2), an   
   odorous, grey solid. When this compound comes in contact with water or   
   moist air, it is decomposed and phosphine (PH3) is formed. This is a   
   toxic compound, and it is also very flammable in air.   
      
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