John Boggiano

Thought you'd all like to know that, whilst on holiday, we had a very nasty, life-passing-before-the-eyes moment.

What did I think about as our lives were about to end? Why, Rennlist's 964-forum, of course!

After a good thrashing around the Brecon Beacons in Wales, P and I were in cool-down mode on a very winding road leading from the mountains. Then it happened...

As I dipped the clutch to change down, I gave the throttle a quick blip and instead of the familiar little rise of the revs, the needle shot straight to the redline with the engine screaming! I quickly put the car in gear to pull the revs down and braked. Had you seen where this was happening, you'd realise it really wasn't a great choice of location for this...

In spite of the brakes, the car starts surging forwards. Of course, in the heat of the moment, it's hard to understand what is going on - it's a ghost-in-the-machine affair. The road was so twisting and winding that it wasn't the place to be struggling for control. I knew if I dipped the clutch again that the engine would quite possibly over-rev and do who-knows-what valve damage. So I turned off the ignition.

I knew this was risky as something coming along behind would almost certainly hit us, but it seemed like a good idea at the time!

Little did I know that, in my haste to turn off the ignition, I must have slightly 'pulled' the key, so the steering locked, just as the road turned to swing the other direction! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

So now we are in a disabled 964, parked right across the road on a fast, blind bend.

That's when I thought of Rennlist!

I was trying to remember the thread about someone's engine that began to rev wildly for 'no' reason.

Anyway, I managed to put the car into reverse, start the engine and dump the clutch to control the revs, get back to the correct side of the road, turn off the ignition and coast to a 'safe' spot at the side of the road. PHEW!

Guess how it feels to be reversing a stricken car around a blind bend on a very fast road! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

OK, now I could get to work. First check the mobile phone - great - no signal!

I suspected the air metering flap, so (having made sure the throttle-linkage wasn't sticking) I pulled off the air cleaner cover. At this point, both the rear clips fell off onto the back of the engine. <img border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" title="" src="graemlins/cussing.gif" />

Having got them back, I dropped one down a grid! <img border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" title="" src="graemlins/cussing.gif" />

Anyway, I waggled the flap and it seemed OK, so put everything back together. This took a long time - those bloody clips! They work fine at home!

Check the throttle pedal - no problem there.

I thought about disconnecting the battery to reset the DME, but my car has been running so well, I resisted the urge!

Went back to the throttle-linkage. Nope - definitely moving nice and freely. But then - wait a minute, it's moving freely, but it's nowhere near hitting the 'idle' micro switch! Turns out it was sticking half-open. All I could think of to try was to gently (hahahaha) force it shut. There was a click and it shut. And has worked fine ever since.

The boot on the end of the cable is split, so I guess some dirt or grit got in.

All part of the fun!

P.S. I hope she won't mind me mentioning it but Paula is disabled with MS (as most of you know) and finding a suitable toilet in times of need is tough. All of this happened, just as she announced she was now DESPERATE to go! So that had to be sorted out first!

John Boggiano

Here's a pic of the mountain roads, an hour or so before the drama.

The roads at this point are much more open, as you can see.

Fancy a drive, anyone?

Mr. C4

John,

Thank God you and your wife are OK!

Ciao,

Johannes E.

warmfuzzies

Thank goodness you and paula are ok, nothing like one of these moments for re-evaluating ones priorities.

John Boggiano

What's most interesting to me, is how such a relatively small problem can easily and quickly escalate into something potentially very serious.

We've all seen films in which someone's throttle jams open and the hapless victim seems incapable of doing anything constructive. We all think 'Why didn't he just dip the clutch/jam on the brakes/turn off the engine, etc?'

The thing is, it comes as such a complete surprise that there simply isn't time to think clearly. A high gear and forceful application of the brakes ought to do it, I think. This should stall the engine, without the risk of locking the steering in the rush. I'd just gone into second gear, which the engine seem to have no trouble overcoming the brakes with at 6000rpm!

The Eagle

Hi John,
I'm happy that the two of you and the car are ok!
Thanks for sharing this scary moment with us. Could come in handy... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />
Greetz

PC2

Hi John,

I'm really glad that the both of you are safe and sound. That was really a scary experience. If this had happened to me, my wife would have made me sell the P-Car immediately!!! <img border="0" alt="[crying]" title="" src="graemlins/crying.gif" />

Regards,

JW Hubbers

Good to hear that you kept Paula, yourself and the car in one piece.

<strong>What's most interesting to me, is how such a relatively small problem can easily and quickly escalate into something potentially very serious.
</strong>

Tell me about it... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

Just before I got my 964 I wrote off an Alfa 156 Selespeed. Yup, the one with the hydraulically operated gears, controlled through levers on the steering wheel. Great fun. Until I was in a parking garage on the 8th floor and the throttle got stuck wide open (mechanical problem with the pedal construction, I found out later <img border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" title="" src="graemlins/cussing.gif" /> )

At this point I was supposed to brake to do a U-turn on slippery parking-garage concrete, while looking through a very flimsy wire mesh at the clear sky all around me.

I can now say for certain that I can't slow down a 155bhp car in first gear by braking

As John says, there is very little time. I did manage to start enough of a turn that I hit a 10cm high concrete ridge with my outside front wheel under such an angle that I stayed in the building instead of going sky-diving with 1250kg of car strapped to my back... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

I then rip out some armco (didn't slow me down), then managed to switch the ignition off. Pfewww...

Oh, for those unfamiliar with the car: if you're going fast than 15 to 20km/h, you can't select Neutral anymore. The car has no clutch pedal (naturally). It has a dry-plate clutch.

Another oh: I won't repeat what I said to the Alfa guy who told me that I shouldn't drive at full throttle. It had something to do with the sporty image they created. I also voiced some doubts about his intelligence, I seem to recall

Final oh: the cause of the problem was that the accelerator pedal got stuck behind the plate that's screwed on the floorboard to keep the pedal from sticking to the carpeting... How's that for brilliant Italian engineering...

Cheers,

JW

BrokeAss

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by John Boggiano:
<strong>Went back to the throttle-linkage. Nope - definitely moving nice and freely. But then - wait a minute, it's moving freely, but it's nowhere near hitting the 'idle' micro switch! Turns out it was sticking half-open. All I could think of to try was to gently (hahahaha) force it shut. There was a click and it shut. And has worked fine ever since.

The boot on the end of the cable is split, so I guess some dirt or grit got in.
</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">John,

Glad to hear that you and your wife are OK!

If you don't mind, I'd like to see a couple of photos of the idle microswitch and the split in the boot. Your post makes me want to run out to the garage and check mine! Actually, all of us should check ours just to be safe!

John Boggiano

I'll post some pictures in a hour or so, I hope.

JW, how can anyone be so unlucky and lucky simultaneously? It must be a gift that you have! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Coincidentally, I showed my parents the video of your spin at the 'Ring this afternoon. Just to alarm them, of course!

joey bagadonuts

Thanks for sharing, John. Glad all is well.

Ruairidh

One of the very few things I miss about Britain are blasts on welsh and scottish roads. There really isn't an equivalent over here (or at least I ain't found it).

I was chilled and then cheered by your story. I too would have needed to pee! Do post pictures as I agree, I'm not sure what I'd do and I'm not sure I'd react as well as you did. So I'd like to check it is ok on my car.

I'm glad too that all was well.

John Boggiano

Here's a (poor) picture.

As I understand it, the micro-switch makes the DME ignore other inputs and switch to its 'idle' program.

If you grasp the throttle linkage above this, it should rotate away from you, against spring pressure and then return by itself to the position which closes the switch.

The concertina rubber boot over the end of the cable can just be seen in the picture also. It is split at its bottom end (the picture shows the top end) so it just slides up and down on the cable instead of being anchored at the bottom, sealing the end of the cable.

All this gear is near the very top of the engine bay.

Please remember, I'm just guessing as to the cause of the sticking - I'll have it thouroughly checked at an upcoming service.

John Boggiano

I forgot to mention...

at one point in all the drama, the tacho needle gave up and pointed straight down! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

After a few moments with the ignition off, it recovered to zero.

Weird.

Reminds me of my Elise (are you listening, Johnny?). It's needle would just wizz up and down all on its own whilst I was waiting at the lights! Or was that the speedo?

robmug

JB

Scary stuff indeed - glad to hear you are both OK. I guess my "what would I think about" (if the same thibg happened to me) would be "...what did JB do to get out of this?"