What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

Mine has been blurry since the second installed it. Its like watching a old 480p video. You can right up someone's ass in traffic and still have trouble reading the plates. Im thinking about ordering another camera and hoping i just got a bad camera

 

Is this camera from the anytime on kit? Or did you get the upgraded one?

 

I tend to run really behind....

 

Propane tanks don't explode or catch fire from impact. They can "BLEVE" when exposed to extreme heat for an extended period of time. BLEVE stands for "boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion." Basically, the LPG inside continues to expand as it's heated and converts back to gas, and eventually the tank will rupture and the (now gas-state) propane will ignite into a fireball when exposed to the same source that was heating up the tank. In theory, the pressure relief safety valve should open, allowing the tank to vent and prevent an explosion. However, if it is heated fast enough, it can still expand quick enough to rupture the tank while the valve is venting.

The only significant risk here would be because the tank is pressurized (a standard 5 gallon tank is pressurized to about 145 psi at 70 degrees ambient temperature). If impacted with significant force, it will simply rupture. If there is some sort of spark or ignition source, it could catch fire, but still won't explode. The fuel would just flash and burn off within a couple of seconds, especially since we're talking about a 2 gallon tank here. The folks who remove their spare tire and replace it with a 5 gallon air tank pressurized to 150 PSI are creating just as much of a hazard, and there are tons of people who do that (or those Jeep guys who use their tube bumpers as pressurized air tanks, for that matter). Remember that semi trucks also run exposed air tanks that are usually pressurized to 135-150 psi.

https://www.propane101.com/explodingpropanetanks.htm#:~:text=Propane tanks do not explode,simple as most people think.

 

Like I told our electrician in Afghanistan when he said OSHA wouldn't approve of me running both American 220v and European 220v into the same set of server racks for redundant power:


Long story, but I had good reason and I pulled it off without lighting the C-Hut on fire.

 

One option is to use Proseal, a strong adhesive/sealant used in aviation. It's a bit expensive but it won't leak nor depart from the truck.

Here's one sample: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pnpages/09-38500.php

 

I mean, there's always the off chance that the ruptured tank without an immediate spark could lead to a thermobaric bomb when it finally has an ignition source. Extremely low, yet exciting, odds.

 

Wait… what I was saying is I asked a long time ago and hooked it up. And now I’m asking the same question again.

 

First attempt is going to be with black RTV and some masking tape to keep it looking relatively clean.

I did notice today that the metal right behind the shark fin actually deformed a bit, which is why the front is kicked up. The only real way to fix it would be to tear out the headliner and get in there with a mallet and dolly. That's a skill I don't have and I'm pretty sure I'd screw it up even worse.

 

The Ford Pinto Mod

 

True, but the tank is mounted outside the vehicle, so the rapidly expelling gas from the ruptured tank wouldn't build up anywhere to create an explosive situation. It'll dissipate quickly, and if exposed to an ignition source while not under pressure, it'll simply "whoosh" in a fireball and be done.

 

Probably. I don't disagree that is the most likely scenario by a wide margin. But there's always that chance... that little bitty chance... that it doesn't dissipate quickly enough, and that whoosh has people within 50 feet like:

 

Was able to finally source a local used Bestop, got it cleaned up and installed. Took some small tweaking getting the tailgate to close but as simple as it gets. Took three times the amount of time to clean it then install it.

 

It was part of the anytime kit

 

That's the next alternative. My first camera went to static a month or two after I installed it. I bought the same model (Pormido PR550) off eBay and swapped it in. Same problem. Working back toward the HU, I found it was one of the cables.

 

Bending metal generates sufficient heat to ignite gaseous propane. The rest is history. Learn from it or repeat it.

As to the air tanks, two wrongs do not make a right.

Big wreck on PA I 81 yesterday. Lots of "rear enders"!

 

Technically yesterday, but got my Alu-Cab installed at TrailTech4x4

 

What did I do for my 3rd Gen Tacoma today?

Easy.

Took a pic of it coated in Satan's yellow dust at work.

<insert long strand of expletives between sneezes>

 

Lucky for me, being in Mississippi, I have no allergies.

 

This ^^^^

They did a study for hydrogen fueled vehicles a while back. Turned out to be so much safer than gasoline fueled!
When gasoline tanks puncture the fuel drops down and (could) run under the vehicle. If it ignites then the truck is the steak on the grill.
When hydrogen tanks puncture, the fuel, being lighter than air, goes up. If it ignites then it burns above the truck like a torch used to hunt down Frankenstein. This propane should do the same.

Jerry cans full of gasoline on the rear -in a collision- might not be such a good thing.


(Before anyone throws the Hindenburg at me... that wasn't a hydrogen burn. The dirigible's envelope was covered with a special protective paint. That paint had the same chemical composition as rocket fuel. That was source for the burn.)