stuck throttle!

I am not sure what all went down exactly. I backed the car up in the driveway so i would have a bit of room, never trusting things will go perfect . I was right! I was trying to test the airshifter , which i put on an MSD shift light circuit. i had the rpm set at 3200 so i could get it to shift and still hold the car, or if it moved, stop it. After backing up i let go of the transbrake button and the car launched like the throttle was wide open. When the transbrake is activated, an ACD throttle controller colapses to my preset launch setting. Either my foot got in the way, or the throttle stuck, and away we went! I had my foot on the brakes hard, but that is no mach for almost a 1,000 hp!. I reached over and took a swipe at my switch panel, and hit the ignition switch off. I got it stopped about ten feet from the garage and trailer! All i can say is i say a prayer every time i get in that car, and I believe I got help!!!!!

On a lighthearted note... at least you know how your car hooks in your drive way.

Glad things went for the better vs what could of been.

Scary ride Greg. Glad it didn't do any damage.

I went through a fence at work years ago when my throttle stuck at WOT showing off entering the yard when no one could see me, that was in my old 415 HP M.W. 1963 Plymouth Belvedere, I had removed the throttle spring return bracket of the left front carb the day before and of course it swung under the throttle linkage on the carb hanging it wide open when I let off the throttle, I reach down after going through the fence and manage to turn the ignition switch off while doing donuts in the dirt field next door
Murphy loves messing with us , HUH
I forgot to mention that the left rear wheel cylinder failed while I was on the brakes trying to stop it, it blew the piston out of the cylinder bore and away it went again going through the fence I had to call my wife after work to come pick me and the car up with my old car hauler truck The car still had the original rear end in it with the tapered axles with left hand lug nuts on the driver's side, what a pain it was getting the brake drum off the axle
What is the old saying, the bad things that happen to us that don't kill only make us stronger, I never wanted to be Superman

that could have gone WAY bad in a hurry !
your Guardian Angle earned his or her wings certification for sure !!!

Wow, that could have been way worse! Glad you got it shut down and didn't tear up anything!

The marks show the front wheels never turned a lick! and the slope actually steered the car away from that big pine on the left! Kinda like it threaded a needle! Future tests will be on jackstands, with enough room for tire growth!

You know, they make a msd ignition tester that will allow you to test all rpm "stuff" without starting the car.

Good thing you didn't clean up all those maple seeds. It might of launched harder.

yes!

MSD tech said no! So please, who do i talk to to get a tester?

I had one but, sold mine ..


work great

https://www.jegs.com/i/MSD-Ignition/121/8998/10002/-1


runs car thru complete sequence shifter click thru gears like a ghost is driving

Yes they sell one and the newer version even allow you to simulate an entire run. It also is the only one that works with a grid, and its cheaper. Now figure out why the throttle hung open, get a tester as it can save you time, fuel and issuse and get to the track before it freezes again


You want this one...

https://proshop.summitracing.com/parts/msd-89981

A local guy made a pass with his air cleaner removed, but he left the seal ring between the air cleaner and carb. At speed the engine sucked that gasket into the carb, which then stuck the throttle. He ended up going over a dirt berm like Dukes of Hazzard!

Grant

Al, The tech at Summit read off the specs on both and only the 8998 will test the shift light pattern, which is what i need. So it is on the way At $392 I hope it covers my issue! I did test the throttle stop/ transvrake sequence several times without a hicup. No issues, and plenty of clearance around the components. So i suspect it was due to the wrong shoes and my big feet,! rest assured, this lesson will not be forgotten.

I am glad the car is unharmed I can relate after my car throttle stuck 3yrs ago and I slid sideways into mt driveway gate.

You were very lucky Greg! Wow!

My 89981 works the shifter just fine triggered the same way but with a grid. The older testers will NOT work with a grid. BUt I have one of those in the trailer as well still.

Glad you got it shut off Greg.

Glad you didn’t get hurt!

Lucky escape, glad there was no damage and nobody was hurt.

Its great that you had the presence of mind in a nano second to hit the switch.....many may not have.

Great save.

I'm super anal on throttle linkage setup as I've seen a lot of similar things happen.

Good job !

I say a prayer every time i get in the drivers seat. That is why I believe i got "help" in this misshap. The reaction had to be almost instant to get it shut off. The car moved another 20+ feet after i hit the switch. I don't claim to be that good!

What was the name of the tech? So everyone can avoid this dunba--.


Joe

GLAD you are ok and there's value in sharing to remind us that these things happen...Now go put up some #'s!

Sean, I am going back over the car with a fine tooth comb, after finding a couple issues with front brakes. On top of that, the track I really want to test at is BIR, because of the very long shutdown. plus friday test and tune is eight hours. So another delay. July, third weekend.

Holy crap!
Glad you got it shut down.

Always point it out the driveway 😎🍀😆💩

I now have a full awareness of the dangers of testing off track. In the case of my misshap, had i not hit that switch EFFECTIVELY, the odds are i had a good chance of crashing into the garage, getting trapped, and die in the ensuing fire. Not something i want to experience. No more testing without jackstands is the new norm.
So I am ordering a morse cable to hook to my current electrical shut off . The cable will go to the shifter area, for instant access to shutting down the power. I had talked before about doing this, but this incident
pushes me into action.
I hope this incedent prompts others hear to realize that this poo can happen to them, and take appropriate action to protect themselves.

Yes, I seen people tear up cars and even get killed over the years doing that so if I do need to test my trans brake and 2 step the only place mine gets tested is at the track. I find a spot where the car is pointed away from everyone and everything, like into a field or something and then hit the button, go up against the chip and let off. Throttle controllers like you have are very tricky in that they let the throttle go to an idle, then come back up. You just have to remember to let off the throttle and not the t brake button. I have one on my car too.

Thank goodness you got it stopped.

It’s always on my mind, even moving the car from the trailer to the garage. Especially since I know who worked on it!