What Have You Found To Watch?

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

CCCUK regional rep
Switching off ignition has been suggested in such a situation to bring car to a halt.
Manual car -yes, but what happens with an auto? I don't know but imagine it might just disengage the converter and roll as if in neutral?
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
antijam said:
Not a C3 one though.... :( (n)
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Even a properly adjusted and operational C3 brake would have retarded the sufficient enough to reduce the impact.
Forrest Gump said:
Switching off ignition has been suggested in such a situation to bring car to a halt.
Manual car -yes, but what happens with an auto? I don't know but imagine it might just disengage the converter and roll as if in neutral?
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An interesting thought Andy - especially if car had a manual valve body. At one time it was the 'done' thing to bump start a car with an auto box by simply towing it and throwing it into gear where it would start the thing - did it damage the auto box? - probably......
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
Being as the USA is such a litegeous place to be AND you have to rely on medical insurance in the event of personal injury in cases like this it makes you wonder if the insurers from the other car, the passenger in the Merc and and owner/driver of the Merc didn't have some 'involved' discussions about liabilities (especially if a qualified automotive engineer was to inspect the car and perhaps note some of its failings)
 
Oneball

Oneball

CCCUK Member
Roscobbc said:
Power steering will only work if engine is running, if the engine has 'died' but is still in gear it'll work - even if in drive on an auto the engine should still be turning. What 'kills' the boost with power brakes is continued cadence braking. You'll generally have enough vacuum left for 3 or 4 applications. Not neccesarily so with vacuum boosted brakes on cars with turbo or huffer. It was criminal that the Merc didn't seem to have a emergency brake.
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Power brakes will work without the booster. You won’t have the assistance and they’ll be heavy but they’ll still do something. It’s a misnomer that they won’t work. Have you never bled power brakes using the pedal with the engine off?
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
Oneball said:
Power brakes will work without the booster. You won’t have the assistance and they’ll be heavy but they’ll still do something. It’s a misnomer that they won’t work. Have you never bled power brakes using the pedal with the engine off?
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Unfortunately for most people the difference between operating power brakes and power steering without the engine running is like night and day, and yes push hard enough and the brakes will work.......but try telling that to a 7 stone granny in an emergency situation. The real problem for most drivers is electric power steering - my representative 7 stone granny will not have any luck turning the wheel of a dead engined car - couple that with minimised braking and a collision is unavoidable.
 
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Vetman

Vetman

CCCUK Member
Early in this string I suggested turning off the ignition because if the throttle was stuck open then the brakes were fighting the engine. Also don’t underestimate the strength of a panicking driver in terms of brake pedal force and steering strength. 😱😱😱
 
CaptainK

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
Forrest Gump said:
He was trying to do something with the shifter, put it park maybe but seemed to have no effect.

What could you do in that situation??? Try and spin the car perhaps.
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Based on other parts in the video where the drive says at the lights he was putting it into neutral due to the sticking throttle, I just presumed he flicked it back into neutral.

I too thought about spinning the car, but I wonder where the car would have ended up? If he had a good handbrake, maybe do a handbrake turn?

The talk of power steering still works with engine off reminded me of a Europe tour I did with the FTO owners club back in the day. Day 1 just after we got off the boat into France, one of the other FTOs snapped a power steering belt. So the owner had to drive it without power steering - and we're not talking about just motorway or even A road travelling, we were up in the mountains doing tight turns, hairpin turns and so forth. He suddenly had a really good workout. Thankfully, we had good support back in the UK and a replacement belt was posted out to us in Europe somewhere and it was fitted a few days later.
 
Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

CCCUK regional rep
CaptainK said:
Based on other parts in the video where the drive says at the lights he was putting it into neutral due to the sticking throttle, I just presumed he flicked it back into neutral.

I too thought about spinning the car, but I wonder where the car would have ended up? If he had a good handbrake, maybe do a handbrake turn?

The talk of power steering still works with engine off reminded me of a Europe tour I did with the FTO owners club back in the day. Day 1 just after we got off the boat into France, one of the other FTOs snapped a power steering belt. So the owner had to drive it without power steering - and we're not talking about just motorway or even A road travelling, we were up in the mountains doing tight turns, hairpin turns and so forth. He suddenly had a really good workout. Thankfully, we had good support back in the UK and a replacement belt was posted out to us in Europe somewhere and it was fitted a few days later.
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you‘re right, having watched it again he does put it in neutral - you can hear the engine revs rise after it comes out of gear. The car is then coasting with little or no braking capability. I noticed that infact the traffic lights ahead had turned green….another few seconds and the stationary cars ahead would have been pulling away. Handbrake obviously didn’t occur to him, the Americans do call it the “emergency brake“ but if was like a C3 handbrake wouldn’t have made much difference to slowing down from that speed

A few years ago the power steering valve on my car (C3) sprung a massive leak the day before I was due to be going to an event. I thought I‘ll try taking the pump belt off and seeing how the car steers….Answer - totally undriveable IMO. Steering becomes extremely heavy not only from lack of of power assist but because you’re shifting the fluid up and down the power ram. Plus with no hydraulic pressure there is an amount of free movement in the valve which translates to a lot of free movement at the steering wheel.

I jumped in with Ross to go to the event next day and his car spun a main bearing on the way there…..these cars!!
 
Roscobbc

Roscobbc

Moderator
The point I was trying to make was that having been used to driving a car with power steering and power brakes is that for 'non' car people (and if the truth be known many car 'people' too) is that in an emergency situation or one where you need to make an intantaneous possibly life or death decision the first reaction for most people will be " my steering's failed" or my "brakes have gone awol" - the next thing, perhaps only a millisecond later, maybe longer.....and to knowedgable car people is "yes, I should be able to steer (or brake) but I'm gonna have to work at at". I can't see how non mechanically minded people will have that through train......and consequently plough-in to something. Also remember that lock to lock turns on most power steered cars are less than non powered steered so will be heavier anyway. Power brakes always have a smaller master cylinder piston - so again without assistance will be heavier. My experience of electric power steering is that it is even heavier if not working than hydraulic!
 
Mr. Cricket

Mr. Cricket

Committee Member
Well that was fun - not. Don't care to think of what the damage would be in a C1, 2 or 3

I stumbled on the resurrection of the Tally Ho about 6 months ago and have now watched all episodes which average about 30 minutes with a new episode every two weeks.

Cliffs which wouldn't spoil it for anyone that goes onto view it: English guy buys a 107 year old sailing vessel a week before it's to be turned into matchsticks and recruits free labour and donations to rebuild it to better than its former glory. The kindness of some people, the workmanship, the stories and the characters that appear from all over the world make for a cracking 30 minute 'time out' but you do get sucked down a time-vacuum wormhole watching from the start!

Latest episode:

Episode 1
 
Chuffer

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
What a beauty , I just love old boats . Only gave the vids a quick scan but will sit down with a brew later and watch in full . I am off again in six weeks time to sail on this old old beauty `Irene` that was built in 1907 in the West Country but was restored after being gutted by a fire in the Carribean . We cruising the Isles of Scilly out of Newlyn . Did it last year too , cant wait . :D DSCF3389.JPGDSCF3590.JPGDSCF3512.JPG
 
James Vette

James Vette

CCCUK Member
Saw a medium sized boat painted blue with wood trim at the local harbour. Very smart and looked way better than the expensive yachts.
 
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