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Automotive Smoke Detector

 Is that burning wire or steam from the air conditioner?
  (+3, -1)
(+3, -1) 		  [vote for,
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If you are cruising down the freeway (motorway) with the stereo blasting, you won't have to wait until you stop to realize something inside your engine compartment has gone amiss.

An under-hood (or under-bonnet) smoke detector that would wire up to your car's electrical system. The alarm would be tied into an indicator light on the dashboard and an alert sound inside the compartment of the vehicle. The alert would override the stereo sound.

In addition to a traditional smoke detector, it would have an infra-red detector programmed to alert you of engine compartment temperatures (not just the engine block) beyond the normal for your vehicle (a couple days training session is required to make this function work).

—Cedar Park, Aug 02 2010

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       The problem would be that there's so much contamination (dust, dirt, water, oil) in an engine bay that it will disrupt the operation of most types of detector.   

       Ionizaton and optical detectors would fill up with gunge and stop working. A rate-of-rise detector would probably be the best candidate.   

       It is generally agreed that smoke and flames entering the passenger compartment are an excellent and highly reliable indication that Something Has Gone Badly Wrong.
—8th of 7, Aug 02 2010
   

       This could be useful, methinks, especially in the winter, in a car with no defroster, under the influence of lysergic acid diethylamide, and the driver [who shall remain nameless] suddenly sees the frost as billowing clouds of smoke, causing him to plunge the car into the median and leap out, and after running a sufficient distance, turning around and realizing he's been had by the aforementioned hallucinogen, runs back to the car and gets back on the highway as soon as possible to avoid having to explain his actions to law enforcement authorities, and... uh, if all that, uh... where was I? Ahhh, yes, the lunacy of youth. Put me down for one, [CedarP]; did I mention this could be useful? Bun! [+]
—Grogster, Aug 03 2010
   

       Gee, [Grogs], I hope you...er...um your nameless friend didn't get into too much trouble...
—Cedar Park, Aug 03 2010
   

       "Fate protects fools, little children and ships named Enterprise" -- Cmdr. Riker, Starship Enterprise
—Grogster, Aug 03 2010
   


 

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