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Giant Purple Snorklewacker
Giant Purple Snorklewacker MegaDork
2/15/13 7:55 a.m.
Curmudgeon wrote: For someone whose knowledge of cars is such that they try to look at the engine through the key hole, not so much.

LOL

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
2/15/13 8:11 a.m.
novaderrik wrote: so pulling every big fuse you could find didn't shut it off?

Or disconnecting the battery? Only MFI diesels can run without electricity.

It's a common problem with Samurais where if you insert the key in a certain direction, you can pull it out and the car will still run. Mine does it, handy if I want to use a tool on the keychain sometimes. In an emergency you could still put either the gearbox or TC in neutral and let the engine blow (or bang off the limiter on a later EFI'd model).

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon MegaDork
2/15/13 9:00 a.m.
foxtrapper wrote:
mad_machine wrote: Easy enough to pop the hood and block the intake
True(ish). But sometimes you do want to spend some time diagnosing what on earth the machine is doing. In which case of it's not menacing people, you just let it keep on running while you try to figure out what on earth is going on.

That was the case with this car. It had already been in twice with various electrical complaints which could not be duplicated, there were only 'loss of communication' codes. That could come from any one of a dozen sources so it's not as simple as just throwing very expensive parts at it.

foxtrapper wrote: Wifeypoos car, a 2002 era machine, has only two mechanical connections for the driver to play with. The brake pedal and the steering wheel. Everything else (and I mean everything) is done through various computers as input requests, all of which may be denied.

True. Some vehicles still have a manual shifter but even those are going to pushbuttons and turn knobs which are electronic systems. The new Charger etc floor shift and the new rotary knob shifter in the Ram pickups have no mechanical connection to th transmission whatsoever.

foxtrapper
foxtrapper PowerDork
2/15/13 9:35 a.m.
Curmudgeon wrote:
foxtrapper wrote: True(ish). But sometimes you do want to spend some time diagnosing what on earth the machine is doing. In which case of it's not menacing people, you just let it keep on running while you try to figure out what on earth is going on.
That was the case with this car. It had already been in twice with various electrical complaints which could not be duplicated, there were only 'loss of communication' codes. That could come from any one of a dozen sources so it's not as simple as just throwing very expensive parts at it.

Ever figure it out? I'd be curious what you found if you/they did figure out what was going on.

ransom
ransom GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
2/15/13 10:18 a.m.
novaderrik wrote:

Mid-size!?

Knurled
Knurled GRM+ Memberand UltraDork
2/15/13 11:37 a.m.
GameboyRMH wrote: Or disconnecting the battery? Only MFI diesels can run without electricity.

Cars will run just fine after removing the battery. That's why when you install a battery cutoff switch, you're supposed to reroute the alternator output to the battery side of the switch. If it's on the chassis side, you can hit the switch and not kill the car.

novaderrik
novaderrik UltraDork
2/15/13 2:58 p.m.
ransom wrote:
novaderrik wrote:
Mid-size!?

yes... this is what a full size Chevy looked like in 1975:

this is what a compact looked like:

and this was a sub compact:

those were the days.

and every one of them could be stopped in any one of a few different ways if the engine decided that it wanted to stay at WFO without driver input, and people knew what to do if the engine did that..

foxtrapper
foxtrapper PowerDork
2/15/13 6:22 p.m.
novaderrik wrote: and every one of them could be stopped in any one of a few different ways if the engine decided that it wanted to stay at WFO without driver input, and people knew what to do if the engine did that..

Please. That was when transmissions could be shifted into neutral at the drivers whim, and ignition keys actually turned engines off.

And you've forgotten the dieseling. I've driven engines of that era with the ignition shut off, chugging along quite well just dieseling.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
2/15/13 7:10 p.m.

While I am no luddite.. I still do not see what is so hard about a physical key you have to put in the ignition and turn to start

novaderrik
novaderrik UltraDork
2/15/13 7:42 p.m.
mad_machine wrote: While I am no luddite.. I still do not see what is so hard about a physical key you have to put in the ignition and turn to start

because race cars have push buttons...

novaderrik
novaderrik UltraDork
2/15/13 7:44 p.m.
foxtrapper wrote:
novaderrik wrote: and every one of them could be stopped in any one of a few different ways if the engine decided that it wanted to stay at WFO without driver input, and people knew what to do if the engine did that..
Please. That was when transmissions could be shifted into neutral at the drivers whim, and ignition keys actually turned engines off. And you've forgotten the dieseling. I've driven engines of that era with the ignition shut off, chugging along quite well just dieseling.

shut them off in gear and the dieseling stops... then buy some basic tuneup tools (timing light, vacuum gauge, screwdriver) and make it so it doesn't do that any more...

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
2/15/13 7:50 p.m.

Yeah, my first reaction was to think of my dieseling cars too. The old Land Rover did that a couple of times. About the only way to stop it from running was to drive into something. Ah, the good old days.

So, back to the Renault in question: if you modify something incorrectly, it can lead to problems. And on that bombshell...

Trans_Maro
Trans_Maro SuperDork
2/15/13 8:00 p.m.

Meh, it was a Renault, how fast could it have possibly gone?

I'm surprised it didn't break down before it ran out of gas.

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon MegaDork
2/15/13 8:08 p.m.
foxtrapper wrote:
Curmudgeon wrote:
foxtrapper wrote: True(ish). But sometimes you do want to spend some time diagnosing what on earth the machine is doing. In which case of it's not menacing people, you just let it keep on running while you try to figure out what on earth is going on.
That was the case with this car. It had already been in twice with various electrical complaints which could not be duplicated, there were only 'loss of communication' codes. That could come from any one of a dozen sources so it's not as simple as just throwing very expensive parts at it.
Ever figure it out? I'd be curious what you found if you/they did figure out what was going on.

The tech replaced what's called a TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module) because there was a loss of communication code for it and it's the only thing that everything else has in common, if you get my drift. Our fingers are crossed. Of course if it continues to have problems we are a bunch of stupid crooks...

The_Jed
The_Jed Dork
2/16/13 2:23 a.m.

My Scoob would have run out of oil long before it even got low on gas if it suddenly decided to go flat out. I'd give it about 30 minutes at 6500 rpm before it would chuck a rod or spin a bearing.

Ever been around an old Detroit when it randomly declared, "berkeley you guys, I think I'll redline for a while!" ?

Travis_K
Travis_K UltraDork
2/16/13 4:40 a.m.
foxtrapper wrote: Wifeypoos car, a 2002 era machine, has only two mechanical connections for the driver to play with. The brake pedal and the steering wheel. Everything else (and I mean everything) is done through various computers as input requests, all of which may be denied.

in a new Prius, it's only the steering. With it off the brake pedal goes to the floor with no resistance.

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon MegaDork
2/16/13 5:14 a.m.

In reply to The_Jed:

No, but I saw a Cat 3208 do that once. The techs shut it down by stuffing a bag of shop rags in the air intake opening.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
2/16/13 8:27 a.m.
The_Jed wrote: My Scoob would have run out of oil long before it even got low on gas if it suddenly decided to go flat out. I'd give it about 30 minutes at 6500 rpm before it would chuck a rod or spin a bearing. Ever been around an old Detroit when it randomly declared, "berkeley you guys, I think I'll redline for a while!" ?

My Father will tell the story of a diesel generator "rock crusher" that was in his engine room aboard the USS Holland. New guy was sent to start it up.. starts filling the upper crankcase with oil and gets distracted talking to a friend. Overfills the crankcase and starts the engine.

All the excess oil flows into the cylinder and begins a runaway. They tried to snuff it with the airintake valve.. but it was missing.. they tried fire extinguishers.. they finally evacuated the engineroom and waited for it to blow.. and it did

The_Jed
The_Jed Dork
2/17/13 4:07 a.m.

In reply to mad_machine:

Wow. I'll bet it sucked to be that guy for a while!

GameboyRMH
GameboyRMH GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
2/17/13 7:20 a.m.
novaderrik wrote:
mad_machine wrote: While I am no luddite.. I still do not see what is so hard about a physical key you have to put in the ignition and turn to start
because race cars have push buttons...

And also switches to kill the fuel pump, injectors, ignition etc as well as a general kill switch. Somehow the manufacturers always miss copying those parts.

Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon MegaDork
2/17/13 4:54 p.m.

The thing about 'real' race cars: along with that studly 'push to start' button there's a great big ol' mechanical switch that, when turned, must positively disconnect the battery, kill the ignition and ground the alternator. The poseur version in the massmobiles does not have that.

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