Reply to: Accelerator jam car hits 135mph

[zeitghost]

From an alarming experience I had when the starter motor bolts fell out on the M4 in my dad's granada and the battery was shorted out, the gearbox remains in drive until the road speed is quite low, so the power steering still works until you are almost stationary.

As long as you don't pump the brakes, the vacuum remains in the servo & pedal pressure is normal.

Pump the brakes twice & it's all gone... gulp.

[Fungus]

Once the engine is off, there's enough vacuum in the brake servo as long as you don't pump the brakes.

However once that's gone, you find out how effective two feet on the brake pedal can be...

But since an automatic has a man sized brake pedal, that's no problem.

Remember finding this out in my Zodiac back in the 70s, disks all round & zero braking force with the engine off... scarey. Put me off coasting down hills for ever.

I think at 70mph the brakes would be useless in seconds though it might depend on the car. I once turned off my engine while waiting in a queue of traffic on a hill. I nearly shat myself when I discovered that the bakes stopped functionning after a few light dabs. There are some things that should be taught to learner drivers but are not and that is one of them.

[IR35 Avoider]

I had an accelerator stick twice on my previous car, also an automatic, but I was only doing 40 initially, I could put it into neutral and I did briefly turn the ignition off a couple of times to control my speed. It never occurred to me that turning the ignition off might affect the brakes. I wasn't worried about the steering as it was a straight road. I kicked the accelerator pedal on the side and it freed up.

The reason for turning the engine off as well as/instead of changing to neutral is that in neutral rev-counter soared into red zone and I was frightened of damaging the engine.

Both times the sticking happened after I slammed the accelerator to the floor in irritation at something someone had done. I decided to become more laid back while driving. Garage examined car on next service and could find nothing wrong. I drove it for another five years without problem happening again.

I can't understand why he didn't turn the engine off. Lack of power steering makes it difficult to steer but not impossible, and if you're on a straight road it shouldn't be that hard?

[zeitghost]

Once the engine is off, there's enough vacuum in the brake servo as long as you don't pump the brakes.

However once that's gone, you find out how effective two feet on the brake pedal can be...

But since an automatic has a man sized brake pedal, that's no problem.

Remember finding this out in my Zodiac back in the 70s, disks all round & zero braking force with the engine off... scarey. Put me off coasting down hills for ever.

[Churchill]

Considering that he managed to phone the police & the AA, turning the fecking key in the ignition shouldn't have been too difficult...

And above 10mph you don't need much in the way of power steering anyway.

You do need brakes though!

[zeitghost]

Considering that he managed to phone the police & the AA, turning the fecking key in the ignition shouldn't have been too difficult...

And above 10mph you don't need much in the way of power steering anyway.

[threaded]

According to BMW he could have turned the ignition to cut the engine but allow the electrics to function.

BMW bollox as usual. I can only say: try it fsck wits. Consider this chap was a professional driver...

Yes, you can try this at home for a few giggles, get in your car, start it, and then try and switch the key back just one notch, not off, just the one notch. Takes some practice don't it? Now imagine trying to do that when bouncing down the A1, which we will agree is not the smoothest road in the world, at 100+ mph, dodging other traffic and thinking you're about to die.

I really do like the bit about he was forced to undertake another car, and it tried to "close the door" on him. Don't you just love twats like that on the roads.

[Churchill]

My car hasn't got a second gear. It's an automatic.

Unless it's cvt, yes you have!

[Fungus]

He did well to do 135 in a 10 year old 318 (that had a top speed of 129 when new!)


BTW if he'd turned the engine off the steering lock would have engaged and he'd have had no steering!

I heard 130, which really means more like 120 since most clocks overestimate by a fair wodge.

[Fungus]

He could have turned the ignition off but would have post the power steering. According to BMW he could have turned the ignition to cut the engine but allow the electrics to function. On my Ford that would cut the power steering.

[Numptycorner]

He did well to do 135 in a 10 year old 318 (that had a top speed of 129 when new!)


BTW if he'd turned the engine off the steering lock would have engaged and he'd have had no steering!

[stackpole]

My car hasn't got a second gear. It's an automatic.

[zeitghost]

The Beeb page says that he tried changing gear but the autogearbox wouldn't do anything.

The electronics probably locks out gearchanging above a given speed.

The tossers on Top Gear damaged a C or D type Jag in one of their "tests".

Considering the value of the car, I'd have thought about 97 times before giving those w*nkers any access to a vehicle of mine.

Even back in the 60s, high performance cars were quite capable of doing 60+ in 2nd gear... though I'll never forget trying to change down to 3rd in a 1100 Escort van at 60 trying to pass something... my Rover 90 wouldn't have thought it a problem at all...

[OwlHoot]

And what stopped him turning off the ignition?

Or changing gears down (if the car was manual) or going into neutral.

I'd love to know what happens if you slip into second gear at 135 MPH. This would have been a great opportunity to find out

Edit: Didn't one of those guys on Top Gear total a hideously expensive new sports car on a test run by changing to second gear doing only 60 ?

[zeitghost]

Unless of course there's only software as a connection between the ignition key & the rest of the electrics...

We're doomed, you know...