There may well be a number of factors involved. I also won't discount the fact that we're not talking about pure oil here. I would question that the oil may well be contaminated with combustible waste/byproducts of normal engine operation. It would seem to make sense to me that these could reduce the flashpoint of the "solution" (contaminated oil) contributing to its ignition. I'm no oil expert, but I'll guarantee not everyone uses synthetic oil either. Synthetic may have a higher flashpoint than regular oil and since we have no idea what the "victims" of these fires are running, I don't think we can assume that temperatures high enough to ignite synthetic oil MUST be a requirement. My understanding is that minimum flashpoint for engine oil is 400 degrees farenheit.

Yes...worn rings and poor fuel burn will dump small amounts of fuel into the crankcase and the physical properties of oil will be changed. Including the ignition temperature and flash point. Also over time, the physical break down of the oil and the inclusion of carbon deposits can change its properties as well.

According to Kirk'* Fire Investigation, 4th ed.; Lubricating oils have a flash point between 300-450F and an ignition temperature between 500-700F.

It kinda irks me that the Bonnevilles werent included in the recall. Is it the number of incidences? There have been a few for sure. And it'* the same motor, exhaust manifolds, heat shield, Eh?
Glad to see this thread get some fresh idea'* and attention. I didnt like the way the one I threw in the trash from the previous Admins went.

I have not heard of any club members having a fire. And many of us push our cars far harder then the average driver. To find a problem we need to find what is the same or what is different. I would have to say, nearly every, not all, but most members tend to keep the engine bay clean. No flammables under the hood. Clean up oil and fix leaks, remove and loose derbies, and many remove the engine cover.

As the capt. of your ship, you need to know what'* going on.

Another difference between cars on the list, and ours can be the location of things under the hood, air flow, and open space. I've opened hoods and found things hanging on the engine, leaves jammed up all over, you name it. Drive threw a pile of leaves and jam it around your cat and see what happens.

I don't ever recall seeing anything issued by GM about why the Bonneville wasn't included. I may have missed it, but it'* certainly a question I'd be curious to have an answer for. I would assume there'* probably a reason, it would just be nice for them to share it with everyone so we can understand.

My 1996 Bonneville SSEi caught fire around a year ago. Started in the engine bay, but by time the Fire Department got there, the car was destroyed. The car was *always* properly maintained, and I treated it like a member of the family. After the fire, I called Pontiac and they said they wouldn't do a damned thing, because it'* a Bonneville, and the recall only applies to the Grand Prix'* and Regal'*. I'll start a new thread in another area, and include pictures.

Dude ur tag is awesome. Sorry for ur loss.

The 3.1L 3100 is being recalled too. I think it just began in April..

The same thing happens, apparently during hard braking, oil can get on the exhaust manifold, and cause a fire to start under the engine. The fire will reach wires for the plugs, and start burning everything there is to burn under the hood.

What'* with GM and engine fires? Haha.
And yeah I checked it out the Bonneville does have the same engine setup for everything as far as I can tell, so I don't know why it wouldn't be in the recall.. The only main difference is the amount of space in the bay. (Or so the internet says)

Within the last week I have received recall notices for both my current Monte Carlo SS and the Impala that preceded it. The recall was for the before mentioned "oil leaking onto exhaust manifold" issue.
The recall reads the same as the one that starts this post, and GM'* fix is to replace the plastic loom that retains the plug wires along the valve cover on the front bank of the engine. WTF?
How is that going to fix anything? That retainer only traps that oil for so long, and soon will be leaking on to the exhaust. Let'* not deal with the real issue and mask it by doing something else. I hate to say it out loud, but it'* this kind of shotty customer service that has brought the General to it'* collective knees. I love my GM'*, but this is really disappointing. I feel fortunate in that I can replace my valve cover gaskets myself, but there are alot of consumers that don't have that as an available option, and they'll be driving something other than a GM the next time they purchase a vehicle.
Truly sad.......

Jerks! Well I can see their reasoning without agreeing with it, a 25 cent plastic piece is whole lot cheaper than having to really fix it. Probably "engineered" to retain a given amount discerned to aviod the problem until the warranty expires. Then, it'* "not our legal responsibility or problem"