[Silly Little Cars] One in a million GO 4 freak accident with a hopefully for the 99 Interceptor a happy ending

Wed Jan 24 15:58:59 PST 2018

I'm so glad there's a possible explanation!
I really appreciate your expert suggestion and I'm sure Jerry will follow your lead.

I'm absolutely intent in finding the answer so others can be aware of this including myself for regardless of how rare this can be is certainly a remainder to all not to be so naive as I was to mess with a faulty transmission with the engine on outside of the cab. 

I've driven buses, motorized cable cars, moving trucks and should have known better!

Thanks again!

Alex Popovics 
Publisher 
SF Real Estate Times 
(415)278-9500
SFREtimes.com

> On Jan 24, 2018, at 3:49 PM, bugnut--- via Silly_little_cars <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
> 
> Don’t know if this was the problem, but have seen it other vehicles.
> IF one of the motor mounts and/or transmission mounts are broken, the motor moves.
> It torques away from the broke mount. This could explain why it wouldn’t shift into park or reverse.
> Once the engine was running the motor shift could cause the throttle cable to be pulled wide open.
> After that happened the torque (motor shift) would keep it open.
> Again, this is just a theory.
> Also glad nobody was hurt.
> Later,
> From: Dan Das Mann via Silly_little_cars
> Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2018 6:31 PM
> To: Silly Little Email List
> Cc: Dan Das Mann
> Subject: Re: [Silly Little Cars] One in a million GO 4 freak accident with a hopefully for the 99 Interceptor a happy ending
>  
> I am so glad you are not injured. I must say with that being said... This is kind of a hilarious story. I send you great luck with the repair gods
>  
>> On Jan 24, 2018 3:11 PM, "Alex Popovics via Silly_little_cars" <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>> Thanks Alec!
>>  
>> There wasn't any object on the pedal for the centrifugal force was so great that everything flew out and it still was stuck on maximum speed.
>>  
>> I thought that maybe the oil change person that asked me to turn the engine on might have manually pushed the throttle down and gotten it stuck, but it actually got in the maximum acceleration the instant I put it in drive. Jerry seems to have a theory of how the throttle was stuck.
>> All I know is I want to find out for its mind boggling how this could have happened.
>>  
>> Thanks again!
>> 
>> Alex Popovics 
>> Publisher
>> SF Real Estate Times
>> (415)278-9500
>> SFREtimes.com
>>  
>> 
>>> On Jan 24, 2018, at 1:31 PM, Alec Bennett via Silly_little_cars <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Crazy story. Nice to hear where that go4 went, I've been admiring it for awhile when it was parked off 3rd street. Love that mod he did to move the e brake and install the bench. 
>>>  
>>> I have no idea what could have pegged your throttle, but something similar has happened to me in the past. I had a water bottle on the ledge next to my seat and I stopped to let a pedestrian cross the street and the bottle fell on my accelerator, making me lurch towards the pedestrian! Sketchy.
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  
>>>  
>>> 
>>>> On Jan 24, 2018, at 1:22 PM, J W via Silly_little_cars <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> This post is worthless without Pics.
>>>>  
>>>>  
>>>> On Wed, Jan 24, 2018 at 11:30 AM, Alex Popovics via Silly_little_cars <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>>>>> Yes but what about being at full throttle by itself?
>>>>> That's what I experienced.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thanks
>>>>> 
>>>>> Alex Popovics
>>>>> Publisher
>>>>> SF Real Estate Times
>>>>> (415)278-9500
>>>>> SFREtimes.com
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> > On Jan 24, 2018, at 9:03 AM, Lokisgodhi via Silly_little_cars <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Actually not a unusual occurrence. Videos of unmanned vehicles driving in circles is a genre on places like Youtube. Usually caused by the driver exiting the vehicle while it was running and knocked into gear or they leave a pet in the car which knocks it into gear. It usually ends with the vehicle smashing into something and coming to stop, running out of fuel or a cop smashing and window, then wrestling the car into neutral.
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Message: 1
>>>>> > Date: Wed, 24 Jan 2018 05:37:46 -0800
>>>>> > From: Alex Popovics <alex at realestatetimes.com>
>>>>> > To: silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com
>>>>> > Subject: [Silly Little Cars] One in a
>>>>> > million GO 4 freak accident with
>>>>> >     a hopefully for the
>>>>> > 99 Interceptor a happy ending
>>>>> > Message-ID: <BE5B47E1-7DDF-4E40-B6E5-D2659EE1B5F0 at realestatetimes.com>
>>>>> > Content-Type:
>>>>> > text/plain;    charset=us-ascii
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Hello all,
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I just woke up after a harrowing
>>>>> > experience that only you as a group can appreciate and
>>>>> > possibly solve the mystery as to what happened.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I own now a possibility seriously
>>>>> > disabled unique 99 GO 4.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I purchased it a few years ago from the
>>>>> > couple that owns the San Francisco Body & Paint Shop.
>>>>> > (The Interceptor still has their shop logo on the front).
>>>>> >
>>>>> > It was lovingly restored by them in a
>>>>> > beautiful yellow metallic paint with a modified bench seat
>>>>> > for two, thus having the transmission handle placed on the
>>>>> > floor by the left door. That door has been out of alignment
>>>>> > so I have kept it locked using the right door only.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Yesterday afternoon I couldn't start
>>>>> > the vehicle after using it all day. At first I though the
>>>>> > starter was failing due to overheating of its coil.
>>>>> > I did notice though that the
>>>>> > transmission shifter felt kind of loose as I shifted it
>>>>> > thinking it wasn't engaging on the park position to allow
>>>>> > the vehicle to start.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I did however eventually realized it
>>>>> > would start on the neutral position but to my surprise it
>>>>> > wouldn't get on reverse.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I happened to have to go to my long
>>>>> > time regular vehicles mechanic to pick up my van after a
>>>>> > tune up before he would close for the day, so I drove there
>>>>> > without any problems on drive.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > When I got there he assumed the
>>>>> > transmission was shot since it lost the reverse gear.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > As he was closing his shop the reverse
>>>>> > gear started working but the park position still would not
>>>>> > engage, then as he entered his car to leave home the park
>>>>> > position engaged and the reverse was fine, so I ran to the
>>>>> > mechanic before he left and he was a bit puzzled, thinking
>>>>> > it might be the transmission safety pin that might be
>>>>> > faulty.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I drove to a coffee shop and when I
>>>>> > started it afterwards it once again didn't engage the
>>>>> > reverse or parking position.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I decided to go to a oil change shop
>>>>> > before they closed since I was due for a oil change anyway
>>>>> > and to at the same time check my transmission fluid.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > When I got there the new management
>>>>> > decided not to service my vehicle anymore due to liability
>>>>> > concerns since they engine pit is just wide enough for me to
>>>>> > back into it and since we had to push it back they didn't
>>>>> > feel it would be safe. Thank God for that!
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I asked if they could at least help me
>>>>> > check the transmission fluid since it was already dark. They
>>>>> > did, and about three of their workers gathered around the
>>>>> > odd looking vehicle just outside their building at their
>>>>> > parking area.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Here's where the weirdest possible set
>>>>> > of circumstances created an experience most likely no one
>>>>> > ever experienced with a Go 4.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Since I had a few boxes, helmets and
>>>>> > coats I'm my trunk I placed them mostly on the seat and roof
>>>>> > to slide the luggage/engine cover back. One of the oil
>>>>> > changer personnel checking the transmission dipstick asked
>>>>> > me to turn the engine on.
>>>>> > I from the outside of the vehicle (in
>>>>> > retrospect I now realized that was the stupidest thing I
>>>>> > could ever have done, to have boxes on the seat instead of
>>>>> > myself!!!), turned the key but since was in the park
>>>>> > position it wouldn't start.
>>>>> > I went to the other side of the vehicle
>>>>> > from the outside to shift it to neutral.
>>>>> > I inadvertently left the key in the on
>>>>> > position and the second I changed the gear also
>>>>> > inadvertently into drive instead of neutral the accelerator
>>>>> > throttle inexplicably got stuck on maximum as if someone was
>>>>> > flooring the accelerator pedal!!!
>>>>> > Because the front wheel was turned all
>>>>> > the way to the left the vehicle went in circles at maximum
>>>>> > speed with me on my knees on the inside of the circle (I
>>>>> > only got my knees scrapped by the ordeal), hanging from the
>>>>> > locked door instinctively trying to change the gear to
>>>>> > neutral just as if I was at a rodeo trying to rope a steer!
>>>>> > As I shifted from drive to neutral it
>>>>> > got into reverse instead (now it worked!!!), and the GO 4
>>>>> > shot itself in reverse on a strait line into and over a curb
>>>>> > around a landscaped area by the parking lot, and literally
>>>>> > flew on top of a huge and soft bush where it came to a full
>>>>> > stop.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Everything inside and on top of the
>>>>> > vehicle flew out by the centrifugal force when it was going
>>>>> > in circles as the right door was opened, including the
>>>>> > luggage/engine cover our of its rail. My ski helmet (for
>>>>> > cold weather) got somehow mangled, the only damaged item
>>>>> > from inside the vehicle.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > At first I thought maybe one of the
>>>>> > boxes I place on the seat had fallen on the          accelerator
>>>>> > pedal somehow, but afterwards I realized that wasn't the
>>>>> > case, since after everything inside the vehicle flew out as
>>>>> > it was going in circles it still went at full speed in
>>>>> > reverse on a straight line on top of the accommodating huge
>>>>> > and soft bush.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Afterwards it would crank but not
>>>>> > start.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > The differential probably hit the curb
>>>>> > since it's now leaking some fluid. It was dark and I'm sure
>>>>> > Jerry, our master mechanic in SF is going to find all kinds
>>>>> > of damage underneath with the suspension and more by the
>>>>> > sheer force of hitting that curb at full speed.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I'm obviously thankful that neither I
>>>>> > or the fellows around me didn't get hurt nor the out of
>>>>> > control unmanned vehicle didn't careened into the nearby
>>>>> > street into moving traffic.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I am heart broken though for I know my
>>>>> > beloved 99 Interceptor have many parts that are very
>>>>> > difficult to find if seriously damaged, not to mention the
>>>>> > possible overwhelming cost to fix it, effectively possibly
>>>>> > totaling a vehicle without any body damage.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I hope you as a group can help me to
>>>>> > figure out how on earth the accelerator throttle got stuck
>>>>> > on maximum all by itself.
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Keep on driving...
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Alex Popovics
>>>>> > Publisher
>>>>> > SF Real Estate Times
>>>>> > (415)278-9500
>>>>> > SFREtimes.com
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> > ------------------------------
>>>>> >
>>>>> > Subject: Digest Footer
>>>>> >
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>>>>> >
>>>>> > ------------------------------
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>>>>> > End of Silly_little_cars Digest, Vol
>>>>> > 121, Issue 14
>>>>> > **************************************************
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