Video Bonanza: Big Carnage from Stuck ThrottlesBy Brian Lohnes Posted 01/29/10
With all the noise surrounding Toyota's global, epic throttle sticking fail, we thought that we'd bring you a bunch of videos showing all different kinds of vehicles having issues with the throttle hanging open. Some are funny, some are scary, and all will cause you to pucker up. Although we rank stuck throttle below loss of brakes on our automotive horror scale, it is still way up in the order.
Many of these videos feature race cars who are accelerating out of control. How is that possible with a professional driver behind the wheel? In a couple of them the driver is knocked out and his foot drops like a lead weight on the pedal. When that happens, it is time to run like hell.
Onto the videos!
Here's video from down under of a Top Fuel dragster going through the traps, and then another several hundred feet, under power. Amazing the driver lives, but this is a nightmare scenario.
This one you'd never expect to be a problem. A rock crawling competitor has the throttle hang, which sends the truck toward the crowd and other trucks that are parked. The bad news? The driver is out cold.
Here's another from the Southern Hemisphere, but this time we're on the water. It is a jet boat and the driver does an awesome job to prevent a major incident.
This blown Mustang making a dyno pull decides that it wants to test out its own rev limiter. Note the motor shaking violently after the guy driving the car pushed the clutch in and the mill stays on kill.
We're short on the details of this stock car throttle sticker. We can say for sure that the driver got frequent flyer miles for this trip.
Finally, here's one of BangShift.com member Scott Liggett's Impala. Scott was taking some video of the exhaust sounds his sweet Impala makes and when he whacked the throttle, it hung wide open and ran his 383 stroker motor to the redline...and beyond!
Comments + Post your comment!
Written by Rebeldryver Feb 01 2010
[quote author=Falcon67 link=topic=19411.msg365423#msg365423 date=1265063028]
[quote author=Rebeldryver link=topic=19411.msg365369#msg365369 date=1265054654]
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365353#msg365353 date=1265049954]
[quote author=Rebeldryver link=topic=19411.msg365342#msg365342 date=1265048399]
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365231#msg365231 date=1265033040]
rev limiter is your friend,Scott
[/quote]
I had the 6000 rpm chip in the MSD box.
[/quote]
then why the lifters issue// they pump up and make -lash
[/quote]
Valve springs for a solid roller. Spring pressures were like 320 on the seat and 645 open. About twice the recommended for those lifters.
[/quote]
Ya, that's a tad over spec for that RPM - by maybe, oh, 200%.... :o
[/quote]
That's the problem with Vic Jr heads. No part #'s on them at all to differeniate between the solid and hydraulic valve springs. Physically, they are same, dual springs with dampner, 1.55 diameter. Even if you get them with the box; how do you know for sure if it's the right one without removing a spring and testing it?
On top of this, I did a chassis dyno day and it ran 18 times to redline. It was months later that I discovered the springs were wrong. I'm looking to get Comp's new short travel lifters.
Written by Falcon67
Feb 01 2010
[quote author=Rebeldryver link=topic=19411.msg365369#msg365369 date=1265054654]
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365353#msg365353 date=1265049954]
[quote author=Rebeldryver link=topic=19411.msg365342#msg365342 date=1265048399]
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365231#msg365231 date=1265033040]
rev limiter is your friend,Scott
[/quote]
I had the 6000 rpm chip in the MSD box.
[/quote]
then why the lifters issue// they pump up and make -lash
[/quote]
Valve springs for a solid roller. Spring pressures were like 320 on the seat and 645 open. About twice the recommended for those lifters.
[/quote]
Ya, that's a tad over spec for that RPM - by maybe, oh, 200%.... :o
Written by Rebeldryver Feb 01 2010
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365353#msg365353 date=1265049954]
[quote author=Rebeldryver link=topic=19411.msg365342#msg365342 date=1265048399]
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365231#msg365231 date=1265033040]
rev limiter is your friend,Scott
[/quote]
I had the 6000 rpm chip in the MSD box.
[/quote]
then why the lifters issue// they pump up and make -lash
[/quote]
Valve springs for a solid roller. Spring pressures were like 320 on the seat and 645 open. About twice the recommended for those lifters.
Written by IRONHEAD
Feb 01 2010
[quote author=Rebeldryver link=topic=19411.msg365342#msg365342 date=1265048399]
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365231#msg365231 date=1265033040]
rev limiter is your friend,Scott
[/quote]
I had the 6000 rpm chip in the MSD box.
[/quote]
then why the lifters issue// they pump up and make -lash
Written by Rebeldryver Feb 01 2010
[quote author=IRONHEAD link=topic=19411.msg365231#msg365231 date=1265033040]
rev limiter is your friend,Scott
[/quote]
I had the 6000 rpm chip in the MSD box.
Written by IRONHEAD
Feb 01 2010
rev limiter is your friend,Scott
Written by Remy-Z
Jan 31 2010
Scott, you and me had the [i]exact[/i] same verbal reaction. I had the throttle stick on my '99 Blazer while coming back to Fort Hood from Colorado. As soon as I realized what was happening I steered the truck into a bean field and killed the engine. Scared the shit out of me.
Written by Rebeldryver Jan 31 2010
I watched all of those except that last one. It's still gives me the willys. And, it's probably why I think my lifters are collapsed. That 6000+ rev was with solid roller springs on my hydro lifters.
Written by Dross Jan 31 2010
Here's a couple of links to another stuck throttle top fuel crash from last year. My pal Smax Smith!!! during & after.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaEIe0Zl6P8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nvRsVlGAoA&feature=related
The driver of that fueler must have passed out. No chutes were deployed. The big fire ball was scary!