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7576

General Car Chat / Re: Over a month outa date

« on: 06 February 2010, 09:32:03 »

At least we used to use carefully shaped Guinness labels to pretend we were taxed back in the day.

7577

General Car Chat / Re: Toyota recall

« on: 04 February 2010, 18:45:31 »

I'll try it at low speed on SWWLTBO's Honda Jazz.

And if it does....then try it with your foot planted to the floor on the throttle.

I can just imagine a subroutine which says If Throttle is not equal to WOT gearselect = neutral Else gearselect = Drive

Not sure I want to go that far, although I could try it as immediate consecutive actions!

7578

General Car Chat / Re: Toyota recall

« on: 04 February 2010, 14:57:35 »

I'm not sure if the parking brake would be person** enough to bring the car to a halt from speed all the same.

It's an interesting experiment to try. In my experience of finding interesting ways to bed brake pads in what one would probably regard as quite heavy braking will limit a powerful car at a constant speed in the higher gears.

When it comes to actually stopping it in a useful distance from the worst case scenario where it's accelerated to 80/90 MPH before you realise something's not right. Hmm. :-/ What's clear to me is:

1) You would have to stand on the pedal

2) You would build up a lot more heat in the brakes than during a normal emergency stop, so you would probably get one shot at it before the brakes faded. If you braked half-heartedly, lifted off and let it accelerate again or anything like that, you'd probably find the brakes too hot to give you a second chance.

3) What happens as you slow and the gearbox, if auto, starts changing down? It would probably overcome the brakes in a low gear, especially if they're hot.

A mate of mine had a Pug 406 diesel which started burning its' own engine oil due to turbo seal failure on the motorway and he said he very nearly left himself with no brakes trying to stop it before he dipped the clutch and let it rev itself to oblivion.

All immaterial if you take the gearbox out of gear, of course. Makes me wonder if gear selection was also electronic and nanny ECU thought "ooh! you don't want to take it out of "D" at this speed!".

I suspect it was more the case that the driver, who would clearly have been at 110% stress level, probably didn't go through a methodical process of trying the ignition, realising the stupid transponder and "Start/Stop" button was no help, then shifting focus to getting the transmission into neutral, then on braking it to a stop, and so on. He probably spent his last seconds hitting the button to no effect. Lack of familiarity with the vehicle may have been an issue, of course.

Makes one wonder if it wouldn't be better to have standard, mechanical controls for the ignition switch and gear selector on all cars. :-/

In addition, if the car had left him several routes to shut it down (ignition switch, clutch, gear selector, etc.) maybe he'd have hit upon one of them in time.

Kevin

I think that's a fair stab at the series of events K.  Electronic technology is fine up to a point as this incident has shown.

The transmission is electonically controlled CVT so how that would respond to being put into neutral at speed is anyone's guess.

I'll try it at low speed on SWWLTBO's Honda Jazz.

7579

General Car Chat / Re: Toyota recall

« on: 04 February 2010, 12:56:14 »

On the Prius there is a transmission brake - electrically operated via a button on the facia, engaging this at rest automatically places the transmission into neutral, there is also a mechanically operated foot parking brake. 

There is no ignition switch - simply a slot where the transponder is inserted.  The systems are energised by means of a start/stop button.

The transponder is locked into position whenever the car is in motion – whether this lock is sufficient to prevent forcible extraction when in motion, and what effect that would have on the vehicle I don’t know, as I wasn’t brave enough to try on my trip to the shops just now.

The transmission can be shifted into neutral when the car is in motion.

The braking, steering, transmission and throttle systems are all electronically controlled or assisted so if there is an electrical fault, I could foresee problems in bringing the car to a safe stop.

That's why I am puzzled, in my experience American marketed cars invariably have a foot operated parking brake, and facility to shift into neutral. No doubt the authorities over there are also scratching their heads over this one.

It's a strange one no doubt.

I'm not sure if the parking brake would be person** enough to bring the car to a halt from speed all the same.

I would have thought however that the main braking system on the car would have functioned albeit without assistance - perhaps in this case the driver didn't have the time or space to manoeuvre his vehicle away from danger.

Possibly it was a simply a case of panic in rapidly unfolding circumstances.

In any case it's a most unfortunate occurrence for the occupants of the vehicle and their family’s.


**
In deference to our beloved Sister in Christ, Harriet Harman -
MP for Camberwell and Peckham, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
Leader of the House of Commons, and Minister for Women and Equality - and her proposed Equalities Bill.

Yet a passenger had time to call 911 :-?
A definite puzzler.

7580

General Car Chat / Re: Toyota recall

« on: 04 February 2010, 12:17:56 »

On the Prius there is a transmission brake - electrically operated via a button on the facia, engaging this at rest automatically places the transmission into neutral, there is also a mechanically operated foot parking brake. 

There is no ignition switch - simply a slot where the transponder is inserted.  The systems are energised by means of a start/stop button.

The transponder is locked into position whenever the car is in motion – whether this lock is sufficient to prevent forcible extraction when in motion, and what effect that would have on the vehicle I don’t know, as I wasn’t brave enough to try on my trip to the shops just now.

The transmission can be shifted into neutral when the car is in motion.

The braking, steering, transmission and throttle systems are all electronically controlled or assisted so if there is an electrical fault, I could foresee problems in bringing the car to a safe stop.

That's why I am puzzled, in my experience American marketed cars invariably have a foot operated parking brake, and facility to shift into neutral. No doubt the authorities over there are also scratching their heads over this one.

7581

General Car Chat / Re: Toyota recall

« on: 04 February 2010, 10:09:38 »

I guess this is the incident in question.

Having a CHP officer with all his family on board makes it seem he would have tried all the obvious, although he may not have been familiar with the vehicle.

Ironic that he should hit an Explorer which has a similar reputation.

That's the one. I wonder what happened to the fail safe?

7582

General Car Chat / Re: Toyota recall

« on: 04 February 2010, 09:51:23 »

Its an interesting one.

I cant say I know the answer but, I wonder if the vehicle in question had an auto handbrake plus a start/stop button.....or even if it had an ignition key....

Maybe all these new conveniences are a step to far.

I have never been a fan of auto handbrakes, the fact you have a mechanical lever, and a cable to the rear is a little more comforting under such an emergancy scenario.

Agreed, all possibilties to explore, but it should be possible to select neutral.

7583

General Car Chat / Toyota recall

« on: 04 February 2010, 09:22:55 »

An item in yesterday's paper reported a 911 call from a passenger in a 2009 Lexus ES350 to the effect that....' the accelerator's stuck, ....there's no brakes.......we're approaching an intersection' etc. The vehicle subsequently crashed, killing the occupants.
Not knowing the type of car, I find it hard to understand that someone had time to make a phone call, and yet the driver - an off-duty Highway patrol officer - was unable to either switch off, apply the parking brake, or select neutral, during that time.

7584

General Car Chat / Re: Mondeo diagnostic socket location

« on: 24 January 2010, 18:32:25 »

Have to defend Henry, my son's Tdci on a 51 plate is a superb drive, and has only given minor probs, admittedly more than my Td though.

7585

General Car Chat / Re: Name A Better Car??

« on: 28 January 2010, 22:58:53 »

ok here's another, not the most reliable bus going though, Peugeot 607

Im sure their around but the Trader's cheapest one is £1795 and thats not a diesel.

I actually quite like them

split personality alert, buys a sensible car like the Omega albeit a tractor, and also thinks a french car is a good idea, wtf? .....

I know, I know, but I used to have a company 406 HDi Estate. Did 120,000 miles in two years and it never let me down, damn comfortable too. If I could find one of them for peanuts my wifes Audi 80 would be out of the door!!! (Peanuts is less than £200 by the way)

Couldn't have been an early one, the seats were appalling. I had a '97 model from new just before I got the Omega in '99, had to go because of the seats. (I am 6'4") They redesigned the seats in about 99. But the Omega seats, Ahhhhh!

7586

General Car Chat / Re: diesel injector cleaning

« on: 27 January 2010, 17:02:00 »

Pardon my ignorance, but what is "Diesel Magic". Wynns Injector cleaner perchance?

7587

General Car Chat / Re: 2.5td Drive belt and water pump replacement.

« on: 24 January 2010, 10:52:59 »

yes, just count any pictures from the start of the thread, and let me know the number, and where you want it in the guide 

Will do it tomorrow, thanks very much.

lol, just spotted it only has the same pic twice, pm'd for permission 

JB:- Have you got TB's permit? if so please post the pic in as well as Tunnies. Sorry to put this on you, but I have tried and failed twice now.

TIA

7588

General Car Chat / Re: 2.5td Drive belt and water pump replacement.

« on: 24 January 2010, 10:50:40 »

yes, just count any pictures from the start of the thread, and let me know the number, and where you want it in the guide 

Tunnie is happy for that pic of the drain valve to be used. Perhaps you could put it in for me JB.

TIA

7589

General Car Chat / Re: 2.5td Drive belt and water pump replacement.

« on: 22 January 2010, 12:02:42 »

Just modified the post JB, and PM sent.

7590

General Car Chat / Re: 2.5td Drive belt and water pump replacement.

« on: 21 January 2010, 19:44:59 »

yes, just count any pictures from the start of the thread, and let me know the number, and where you want it in the guide 

Will do it tomorrow, thanks very much.

lol, just spotted it only has the same pic twice, pm'd for permission