The Porsche 911 (and VW Beetle) used to have a magnesium engine block. The Honda Insight, and may other cars, use a magnesium oil pan.
While pure magnesium does burn quite quickly and at a very high temp, magnesium alloys can be made to have a very high resistance to burning. Some types of magnesium compounds are actually being used as liners in furnaces for the steel industry, withstanding temps upwards of 3000C.
I'd like to think that safety was an issue Ford considered when they picked the material. If Honda feels magnesium soaked with oil is not a fire hazard, then why should a magnesium transmission case be a fire hazard?
Bob
Last edited by Cougar Bob; 05/06/03 12:31 PM.
