David Taylor used his keyboard to write :
As for neutral / braking? I don't know. I guess he was too busy
praying for God to help him to bother to think for himself.

Or too busy making phone calls - why would a busy and panicking driver
with a car full of perfectly capable passengers, make the call and
commentary?

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

When they built electric trains in the 60-70's, the failsafe was a long
electrical wire that ran right down the train, looped through various
emergency stop handles and other interlocks and required a flowing current
to hold a contactor *in* to maintain motive power, and another contactor to
allow the brakes to be let off.

If the wire broke or the current interrupted, motors off, brakes on
emergency application...

They *thought* about basic **** like this back then.

I worry about SWMBO's MINI (stupid start button) buy at least that has a
mechanical clutch and a plain box.

But I am starting to think that they really need an emergency pull knob that
guarantees to disengage the engine at a very low and simple level like cut
off power to the injector pump and ECU and spark assembly where applicable
and cut the fuel on a diesel.

--
Tim Watts

Managers, politicians and environmentalists: Nature's carbon buffer.

In article ,
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Douglas Payne expressed precisely :
Brake servos on petrol cars are generally powered by the vacuum from
the engine sucking against the throttle butterfly in the inlet
manifold. If the throttle is open (engine running or not) the servo
has no vacuum to power it. What's stored in the servo for the power
assistance may not last as long as it takes to stop.

If the pedal is pressed and kept pressed, it will use up a minimal
amount of vacuum. However repeatedly pressing and releasing could use
up all of the vacuum. Test it - climb in the car and without starting
it press the brake several times. Assuming there is no fault in the
servo, you should be able to press it four of five times before the
vacuum is exhausted.

How many still use vacuum servos?

--
*If at first you don't succeed, avoid skydiving.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

But I am starting to think that they really need an emergency pull knob
that guarantees to disengage the engine at a very low and simple level
like cut off power to the injector pump and ECU and spark assembly
where applicable and cut the fuel on a diesel.

Be very easy to disable the fuel pump on a petrol engine - but the engine
wouldn't stop instantly due to the pressure left in the rail.

--
*I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:20:27 -0000, Dave Plowman (News)
wrote:

In article ,
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Douglas Payne expressed precisely :
Brake servos on petrol cars are generally powered by the vacuum from
the engine sucking against the throttle butterfly in the inlet
manifold. If the throttle is open (engine running or not) the servo
has no vacuum to power it. What's stored in the servo for the power
assistance may not last as long as it takes to stop.

If the pedal is pressed and kept pressed, it will use up a minimal
amount of vacuum. However repeatedly pressing and releasing could use
up all of the vacuum. Test it - climb in the car and without starting
it press the brake several times. Assuming there is no fault in the
servo, you should be able to press it four of five times before the
vacuum is exhausted.

How many still use vacuum servos?


Nearly all.

--
Duncan Wood

Dave Plowman (News) has brought this to us :
In article ,
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Douglas Payne expressed precisely :
Brake servos on petrol cars are generally powered by the vacuum from
the engine sucking against the throttle butterfly in the inlet
manifold. If the throttle is open (engine running or not) the servo
has no vacuum to power it. What's stored in the servo for the power
assistance may not last as long as it takes to stop.

If the pedal is pressed and kept pressed, it will use up a minimal
amount of vacuum. However repeatedly pressing and releasing could use
up all of the vacuum. Test it - climb in the car and without starting
it press the brake several times. Assuming there is no fault in the
servo, you should be able to press it four of five times before the
vacuum is exhausted.

How many still use vacuum servos?

Both of mine do.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Dave Plowman (News) wrote on 06/02/2010 :
In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

But I am starting to think that they really need an emergency pull knob
that guarantees to disengage the engine at a very low and simple level
like cut off power to the injector pump and ECU and spark assembly
where applicable and cut the fuel on a diesel.

Be very easy to disable the fuel pump on a petrol engine - but the engine
wouldn't stop instantly due to the pressure left in the rail.

It would be even easier to cut off the ignition on a petrol and an
instant stop would result.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

On Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:40:19 -0000, Harry Bloomfield
wrote:

Dave Plowman (News) wrote on 06/02/2010 :
In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

But I am starting to think that they really need an emergency pull knob
that guarantees to disengage the engine at a very low and simple level
like cut off power to the injector pump and ECU and spark assembly
where applicable and cut the fuel on a diesel.

Be very easy to disable the fuel pump on a petrol engine - but the
engine
wouldn't stop instantly due to the pressure left in the rail.

It would be even easier to cut off the ignition on a petrol and an
instant stop would result.


or depress the clutch or select neutral.

--
Duncan Wood

In article ,
Harry Bloomfield wrote:
Dave Plowman (News) wrote on 06/02/2010 :
In article ,
Tim Watts wrote:

But I am starting to think that they really need an emergency pull
knob that guarantees to disengage the engine at a very low and simple
level like cut off power to the injector pump and ECU and spark
assembly where applicable and cut the fuel on a diesel.

Be very easy to disable the fuel pump on a petrol engine - but the
engine wouldn't stop instantly due to the pressure left in the rail.

It would be even easier to cut off the ignition on a petrol and an
instant stop would result.

Seems not with keyless ignition. And trying to interrupt the ignition
circuit with an additional switch of some kind could prove tricky. The
fuel pump less so.

--
*A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

GB wrote:

Say your accelerator jammed. Well, how long would it take you to figure this
out and depress the clutch/put it into neutral? Especially an experienced
driver like a highway patrolman. 5 seconds? Well, surely not long enough to
make a 911 call.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle7012913.ece

What's actually going on here? Suicide, and he wanted to take his family
with him?

--
Electric cars are very healthy - when the battery runs out you have to walk
home.

Remember that story in the news ages ago. A lad in a BMW called 999 as the
accelerator was stuck, and the car was going over 100mph an accelerating.
The conversation was played in the news, I think. He was adviced not to
switch ignition key off as that would lock the steering wheel. The story
seemed quite implausible at the time and there was a lot of ng discussion.
The lad sounded too much like a dash for fame methinks. Possibly someone
here can still dig it up?