5h – Mechanical Failure
Safe handling of driving emergencies such as blowouts, brake failure, a stuck gas pedal, or near misses with other vehicles requires special knowledge and skills. Vehicle features and operating procedures vary greatly from one manufacturer to another. Your vehicle owner’s manual is the best source for information on mechanical system failures. It is wise to take the time to become familiar with your vehicle’s safety materials and specific features.
The following tips may help you deal with some situations. In all emergencies, stay calm and use common sense.
Brakes Failure
Try pumping the brake pedal. If the brakes still do not respond:
If possible, shift to a lower gear. When you are driving downhill for long stretches, use a lower gear to prevent wear on the brakes.
• NEVER place the vehicle in “park” while running, if so you will lose control and damage your transmission.
Gently use the emergency brake if it is a handbrake that can easily be released. Emergency brakes act only on the rear wheels, which may make your car swirl if your wheels are not straight. With a handbrake, you can use it to control the skidding but use a floor parking brake only as a last resort while driving. A floor parking brake stays down when you apply pressure to it. To release it, you have to pump it again, which makes it dangerous to use while driving.
Wet Brakes
YOU SHOULD TEST YOUR BRAKES AFTER DRIVING THROUGH DEEP WATER.
They may pull to one side or not hold at all.
TO DRY THE BRAKES:
put your car in low gear, drive slowly, and lightly apply the brakes. Test them about every 200 feet, continuing until braking action returns to normal.
Windshield Wiper Failure
If the wipers fail in heavy rain or snow, slow down, lower the window, and put your head outside so you can see. If possible, move your car off the highway to the right and stop as soon as possible.
Accelerator (Gas Pedal) Sticks ( OMG that's scary!!)
Quickly press your foot hard on the pedal and release. This may free or release the pedal.
If not:
- Shift to neutral,
- Apply the brakes,
- Pull off the highway to the right (if possible) and stop,
- NEVER place the vehicle in “park”.
Do not turn the ignition completely off as it will block the steering wheel.
THE POSSIBLE CAUSE:
The carpet may prevent the pedal from releasing, place your feet under it and lift it.
The Cruise control spring may be faulty, disconnect the cruise control.
If nothing works, be careful not to lock the steering wheel WHEN TURNING THE IGNITION KEY OFF.
RUN-AWAY CAR
THAT CAN BE A SCARY MOMENT. FIRSTLY, DO NOT PANIC!
It is possible that the automatic pilot spring got loose, punching the accelerator cable to full throttle. If so, turn the ignition off, but do not block the steering wheel. It could also be your floor mats that slid on top of the accelerator.
Flooded Engine
IT DOES NOT MEAN YOUR ENGINE IS UNDERWATER (lol)
Although, if your car is swimming, there is a good chance your engine won’t work.
A flooded engine means that one or 2 explosion chambers (cylinders) are flooded with excessive gas, so the spark plugs are wet and cannot produce any spark.
You know it is not a battery problem because the engine is cranking when turning the key on.
This happens after unsuccessfully trying to start the engine after pumping several times on the gas pedal.
• Do not pump the gas pedal.
Instead, press the pedal to the floor, and run the starter steadily
for short intervals (10 –15 seconds). Do not release the pedal.
• When the engine starts, release the gas pedal.
A flooded engine (flooded with unburned gasoline) does not mean the engine is underwater. It is a more common mechanical ailment for cars that employ a carburetor rather than fuel injection. A flooded engine occurs when your engine is overcome with too much fuel. This happens when there is a disproportionate mixture of fuel and air, and will typically occur when you hit the gas too hard or pump the accelerator too much when starting your car.
Vehicles that employ fuel injection instead of a carburetor will see this happen most often when in freezing weather.
How to know when an engine is flooded? (with gasoline)?
When you turn the ignition and your engine is cranking (SO THAT IS NOT A BATTERY PROBLEM) but your vehicle fails to turn over, it can be a strong indicator that your engine may be flooded, especially after pumping the gas pedal too many times. If you cannot hear your engine starting to turn over, or it is completely dead and accompanied by a strong gasoline scent, chances are you have flooded your engine. If it happens upon a cold start it is probably it; (if it happens during driving then you are probably out of gas). Another indicator of a flooded engine is dark smoke from your vehicle’s exhaust system. If you see these tell-tale signs, don’t make any more attempts to start your car — it may make things worse.
An engine in this condition will not start until the excessively rich mixture has been cleared.
How to Start an Engine After it is flooded?
Perhaps the best remedy for a flooded engine is time. Simply open the hood of your car and let excessive fuel evaporate for as long as you can.
IF YOU ARE CLOSE TO A GAS STATION, THEN GO GET A COFFEE AND WAIT.
After about 20 minutes, try starting your car again without hitting the gas pedal. If this still does not work, you may have to check your spark plugs. When excess fuel floods the engine, it can soak spark plugs, making them incapable of creating enough of a spark to start the engine. If you find that your engine floods frequently, you may want to check your fuel injectors and run some fuel injector cleaner.
My Engine is on Fire !!!
If smoke comes from under the hood, slow down, pull off the road and turn off the ignition immediately. Use extreme caution when opening the engine hood. DO NOT OPEN FULLY until you are ready for action.
Do not panic, your car will not explode like in the movies unless it is totally engulfed in flames and the gas tank is burning.
If you do not have a chemical fire extinguisher, you can smother a fire by using sand or dirt.
DO NOT USE WATER because burning gasoline will float on water and spread the fire. You may want to use your coat, as it is less valuable than your car. The idea is to cut off the oxygen supply to the flames. If you have no way to stop the fire or if it gets out of control, move well away (at least 100 feet) from your vehicle and try to enjoy the show. You are OK and it is the most important.
Oncoming Vehicle in Your Own Lane
If you see a vehicle coming toward you in your lane, its driver may be sleeping, intoxicated, or having a heart attack. Slow down, sound your horn, flash your headlights, use your emergency signal, and pull as far to the right as you safely can. Do not swing into the lane the approaching vehicle has left because the other driver may suddenly realize his or her mistake and turn back into the proper lane and the fault will be yours.
If the impact is inevitable, try to position your car, so the point of contact is NOT exactly dead center but slightly on the side, which will transfer the inertia force into a spin. The airbag will still be inflated as it is a front hit, but the choc will not be as strong.
Blown Up Tires (Blowout):
A sudden loud explosion is followed by what sounds like a machine gun firing.
The steering wheel is jerking as if you were on a bumpy road…
A TIRE BLOWOUT!
A blowout (when a tire suddenly loses air or explodes) can throw a vehicle out of control.
DO NOT PANIC, this is more easily recoverable than you may think.
A stuntman proved one day that a blown tire is not that scary if you know what to do and especially what NOT to do. Small explosives were placed in each tire, set to explode at a different time. He drove 80 miles an hour on a highway. When the first explosion occurred, he did not use the brakes but wrapped his arm around the steering wheel and laid his chest on it to help keep it STRAIGHT.
He continued at the same speed until the four tires exploded. His car was still driving straight.
It happened to me in the Alps mountains in the middle of the night at 2 a.m. in winter. I did not believe in Murphy’s Law, so I left my spare wheel at the tire shop while they were mounting new sub-zero ice cleat tires on my rims. Of course (Thanks Murphy!) I had a blown-up tire in the middle of nowhere with NO spare wheel available, I was not equipped to stand outside in the cold (20C below zero). I took a chance and learned my lesson that night! I drove the 80 km back home with a flat tire, driving slow at first, then 60 mph when the road was straight. The car stayed in its lane except for a slight pull in the curves. I kept the wheel straight as much as I could. That extreme solution may have saved my life (no cell phone at the time). I would have died from frost at subzero temperatures with no jacket. Although the noise was deafening and there was a slight vibration in the steering wheel, the car was still driveable. Of course, I had to get a new tire and rim the next day!
Use the Following Tips for Safe Recovery:
- Do not panic.
- Grip the steering wheel firmly. Lean on it to block it with your arms and torso, and keep your wheel straight.
- Remove your foot from the gas pedal.
- Let your car slow down gradually. Do not hit the brakes, except if there is a danger ahead (a curve or an obstacle) then apply very light pressure to the brakes.
- Look for a safe place to pull off and signal your intent to move off the highway.
- When you are sure your vehicle is under control, and you have slowed down, you may turn the wheel and gently use the brakes to stop.
- Make sure your vehicle is safely off the roadway and use parking lights or flashers to warn other drivers.
How to Stop a Car with No Brakes
When it happens, your heart is going to pump more blood than your car is sucking gas, but try not to panic. Take a deep breath to relax, remove your foot from the gas pedal, switch off your cruise control, and pump your brake pedal rapidly several times while using your engine to try to slow the car down by downshifting your gear in seconds, then first. Watch out for an automatic not to place the stick on Parking! If you have an emergency hand brake, use it but press the release button so it does not lock. A pedal on the floor for the parking brake is more dangerous as it will lock automatically, so use it at low speed. Pull over the roadside. This is not a Flintstones car, so do not try to slow down with your foot outside. If you can try to turn the car on an uphill slope or use a soft floor pathway (mud or gravel road) If that doesn’t work, you may need to use friction, such as a guardrail, to slow the car down.
Disabled Vehicle
• If possible, get all four wheels off the roadway.
• Use parking lights, flashers, or flares to warn other drivers.
If your car stopped on the road, you want to take it away from the traffic,
If you have a stick shift, go in second gear and turn the ignition key on, The starter will not start the engine but will engage the wheels so you can advance the car a few feet. Do not do this for a long distance or you will burn your starter and battery.
Automatic car, the only way to remove it from the road is to push it if you can. You want the gear in neutral, but be ready to jump inside to use the brake if needed. Maybe another driver will stop and help you push it out of the way.
• Call someone to have the vehicle towed as soon as possible.
If you are on a busy freeway, wait inside the car and buckle up since it is the safest place.
If your car refuses to take a bath at a car wash...
Yes, it may happen!
Your car refuses to step into an automatic car wash, and you get stuck there! You cannot go in reverse, and neutral won’t make it change her mind! The 4 wheels are blocked.
Temperamental car?
Technology is making big progress and cars are getting more and more intelligent these days. But this is not due to your car suddenly developing a mind of its own but to a new safety feature.
IT IS A SAFETY THING!
As people get more and more distracted or watch too many zombie movies, carmakers have to find more and more features to compensate for their negligence.
When your car stops in traffic for more than three seconds, the car’s four disc brakes are automatically engaged as a means of keeping it from rolling away. The feature also engages when the car is parked, or in neutral. It’s a feature that’s more common these days. When using an automatic car wash in which the vehicle has to be able to roll freely, the auto-hold brake function must be deactivated.
If this is not done, the brakes will automatically be applied when the vehicle is stationary, especially in neutral.
Human Failure
Humans always blame their cars for mechanical problems. It’s human!.
But they do not know what their car thinks about their bad driving habits…. humans do wrong things too, like locking themselves out.
I would not teach you how to steal a car if it was not all over the internet already. But there is nothing wrong with learning how to repossess your car if you lock yourself out while leaving your cell and your belongings inside with no cellular clearance to call AAA,
It happened to me once in a parking lot at the extreme end of the Grand Canyon North, the last day of the season with no cars in the whole area, 50 miles away from civilization… These tips might help you someday.
HOW TO REPOSSESS YOUR OWN CAR:
End of lesson 5 DRIVING IN TRAFFIC
End of Topic 5 h : Mechanical Failure:”
Next : QUIZ # 5