My throttle stuck wide open in 2nd gear! Moments from death!
Discussion
Out in my track car, which is has been timed doing 0-60 in under 5 seconds, the worst possible thing happened. As I pinned the throttle in second gear between roundabouts, it stuck open.
As I was hurtling towards the next roundabout at 40mph, I lifted off the throttle to apply the brakes but the wall of torque didn't stop and the car continued to gain speed at an alarming rate.
The stories of the poor Prius owners hurling along the motorway at 100mph+ to their eventual death flashed before my eyes, it seemed hopeless to try and apply the brakes in such a powerful car as if they didn't work in a Prius they certainly wouldn't in mine.
I was sure I was dead. If it wasn't the roundabout that killed me it would be hitting another car. There was no hope. Then just before panic set in I tried one unorthodox, some might call desperate attempt to slow the car down.
I dipped the clutch, applied the brakes, turned off the engine and stopped in a safe and controlled manner.
Close one. Perhaps I should teach a course
As I was hurtling towards the next roundabout at 40mph, I lifted off the throttle to apply the brakes but the wall of torque didn't stop and the car continued to gain speed at an alarming rate.
The stories of the poor Prius owners hurling along the motorway at 100mph+ to their eventual death flashed before my eyes, it seemed hopeless to try and apply the brakes in such a powerful car as if they didn't work in a Prius they certainly wouldn't in mine.
I was sure I was dead. If it wasn't the roundabout that killed me it would be hitting another car. There was no hope. Then just before panic set in I tried one unorthodox, some might call desperate attempt to slow the car down.
I dipped the clutch, applied the brakes, turned off the engine and stopped in a safe and controlled manner.
Close one. Perhaps I should teach a course
jon- said:
There was no hope. Then just before panic set in I tried one unorthodox, some might call desperate attempt to slow the car down.
I dipped the clutch, applied the brakes, turned off the engine and stopped in a safe and controlled manner.
Close one. Perhaps I should teach a course
Once had the Volvo drink a load of engine oil and rev to about 8000 (it's a diesel!) in order to stop the engine exploding I had to keep the clutch engaged but held it on the brakes (the vacuum pump doesn't work at 8000RPM either) and killed the ignition, which didn't slow the engine, but killed the electrics so I was no in the dark on a road trying to hold a screaming diesel on the brakes with no steering.I dipped the clutch, applied the brakes, turned off the engine and stopped in a safe and controlled manner.
Close one. Perhaps I should teach a course
Luckily the engine ran out of oil (in the inlet manifold) and stopped without any damage, I'm currently replacing the turbo which I think caused the excess oil surge into the inlet.
Petrolhead_Rich said:
Once had the Volvo drink a load of engine oil and rev to about 8000 (it's a diesel!) in order to stop the engine exploding I had to keep the clutch engaged but held it on the brakes (the vacuum pump doesn't work at 8000RPM either) and killed the ignition, which didn't slow the engine, but killed the electrics so I was no in the dark on a road trying to hold a screaming diesel on the brakes with no steering.
Luckily the engine ran out of oil (in the inlet manifold) and stopped without any damage, I'm currently replacing the turbo which I think caused the excess oil surge into the inlet.
Sounds like a genuinely horrifying experience. Good thing it ran out of oil!Luckily the engine ran out of oil (in the inlet manifold) and stopped without any damage, I'm currently replacing the turbo which I think caused the excess oil surge into the inlet.
Diesel at 8000 is crazy!
jon- said:
I think my foot caught a bit of trim near the throttle which kept the accelerator down.
That bit of trim is no longer attached to the car
Don't blame you..That bit of trim is no longer attached to the car
Only similar situation I've had was when a bottle of stella (usually a bonus when you find these) rolled from the back seats partially ubstructing the brake and clutch pedal... Still had enough travel in the brake (even by Corsa B standards) to stop the car... but was definitely a s
t yourself moment...Petrolhead_Rich said:
Once had the Volvo drink a load of engine oil and rev to about 8000 (it's a diesel!) in order to stop the engine exploding I had to keep the clutch engaged but held it on the brakes (the vacuum pump doesn't work at 8000RPM either) and killed the ignition, which didn't slow the engine, but killed the electrics so I was no in the dark on a road trying to hold a screaming diesel on the brakes with no steering.
Luckily the engine ran out of oil (in the inlet manifold) and stopped without any damage, I'm currently replacing the turbo which I think caused the excess oil surge into the inlet.
Not an uncommon thing for old Land Rover Tdi engines. There's an old urban legend that knocks around of a young lad driving his Dad's land rover, suddenly the revs start screaming out of control, smoke pouring out the exhaust, he turns the ignition off and takes the key out but it carries on. Luckily the engine ran out of oil (in the inlet manifold) and stopped without any damage, I'm currently replacing the turbo which I think caused the excess oil surge into the inlet.
He pops the bonnet, and is running around like a headless chicken when the local farmer pulls up behind in his Disco. He jumps in, sticks in in 4th gear and stalls it.
mnkiboy said:
Ibizahoo2 said:
God no idea how you thought to do that!
On another note why didn't them Americans in their prius' think to do this exact thing...
They're automatics!On another note why didn't them Americans in their prius' think to do this exact thing...
I had a throttle stick open in an auto (Toyota by coincidence - but due to dirty throttle linkage). Luckily I was waiting at lights so already stopped, and could hold it on the brakes and switch it off, but I'm not sure I'd have been quite as calm on the motorway.
The Wookie said:
Not an uncommon thing for old Land Rover Tdi engines. There's an old urban legend that knocks around of a young lad driving his Dad's land rover, suddenly the revs start screaming out of control, smoke pouring out the exhaust, he turns the ignition off and takes the key out but it carries on.
He pops the bonnet, and is running around like a headless chicken when the local farmer pulls up behind in his Disco. He jumps in, sticks in in 4th gear and stalls it.
I've had to do that in the girlfriends parents (petrol) Volvo.He pops the bonnet, and is running around like a headless chicken when the local farmer pulls up behind in his Disco. He jumps in, sticks in in 4th gear and stalls it.
Car turned off, but still running. I said I'll just stall it, but it was about a foot away from their house. Had to roll it back, get it in and the shove it in 2nd and stall. Never done it after that.
The Wookie said:
Not an uncommon thing for old Land Rover Tdi engines. There's an old urban legend that knocks around of a young lad driving his Dad's land rover, suddenly the revs start screaming out of control, smoke pouring out the exhaust, he turns the ignition off and takes the key out but it carries on.
He pops the bonnet, and is running around like a headless chicken when the local farmer pulls up behind in his Disco. He jumps in, sticks in in 4th gear and stalls it.
I used to have a 50cc Honda scrambler. Didn't have quite enough go to pull the skin off a rice pudding. Anyway it had an air cooled two stroke single. Obviously being a young lad I'd rant the hell out of it (which didn't make that much difference to forward progress but still...). A couple of times on hot summer days when you'd stop and switch off the ignition there was enough heat in the barrel to turn in into a compression ignition two stroke. First couple of times this worried me a bit (perhaps it was possessed and didn't want to die) until I remember how easy it was to stall so just dropped it in second and dumped the clutch.He pops the bonnet, and is running around like a headless chicken when the local farmer pulls up behind in his Disco. He jumps in, sticks in in 4th gear and stalls it.
jon- said:
Out in my track car, which is has been timed doing 0-60 in under 5 seconds, the worst possible thing happened. As I pinned the throttle in second gear between roundabouts, it stuck open.
As I was hurtling towards the next roundabout at 40mph, I lifted off the throttle to apply the brakes but the wall of torque didn't stop and the car continued to gain speed at an alarming rate.
The stories of the poor Prius owners hurling along the motorway at 100mph+ to their eventual death flashed before my eyes, it seemed hopeless to try and apply the brakes in such a powerful car as if they didn't work in a Prius they certainly wouldn't in mine.
I was sure I was dead. If it wasn't the roundabout that killed me it would be hitting another car. There was no hope. Then just before panic set in I tried one unorthodox, some might call desperate attempt to slow the car down.
I dipped the clutch, applied the brakes, turned off the engine and stopped in a safe and controlled manner.
Close one. Perhaps I should teach a course
As I was hurtling towards the next roundabout at 40mph, I lifted off the throttle to apply the brakes but the wall of torque didn't stop and the car continued to gain speed at an alarming rate.
The stories of the poor Prius owners hurling along the motorway at 100mph+ to their eventual death flashed before my eyes, it seemed hopeless to try and apply the brakes in such a powerful car as if they didn't work in a Prius they certainly wouldn't in mine.
I was sure I was dead. If it wasn't the roundabout that killed me it would be hitting another car. There was no hope. Then just before panic set in I tried one unorthodox, some might call desperate attempt to slow the car down.
I dipped the clutch, applied the brakes, turned off the engine and stopped in a safe and controlled manner.
Close one. Perhaps I should teach a course
mnkiboy said:
They're automatics!
Exactly!! I was about to put the same thing and then when you turn the ignition off your braking doesn't work as well due to no servo. Also, isn't the braking system on the Prius an electrical braking system first and only a conventional braking system as a second. Dipping the clutch and turning it off doesn't make you a hero - it's easy on a normal manual car, and something we've all had to do lots of times if you've ever run an old car that you've worked on yourself, I think I've had it on 4 or 5 cars.
I don't think people though death was a better option over turning their car off.
ETA - bad quoting
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