Runaway Disco - Gas Pedal went to the floor!

[cBurrows]

So yesterday, while on the highway, I hit the gas hard to pass and the accelerator pedal went to the floor and stayed there.... The vehicle reved to maximum and acted as though I was flooring the gas when my foot was fully off of both pedals. I was able to keep the vehicle under 80mph by standing on the brakes with both feet as the vehicle as I did my best to dodge cars. I unwantingly careened through rush hour traffic at breakneck speeds weaving through traffic like a madman! I tried putting the transmission in neutral but that just sent the engine into 10,000rpm red zone and I feared the engine would blow causing a accident. I was afraid to use the emergency brake at such high speeds and I was afraid of what might happen to my ability to steer or stop the car if I turned the ignition off since it has power brakes and steering. I somehow survived about 3 miles of this, twice driving on the shoulder to avoid slower cars at speeds way above the legal limit. Finally after MUCH repeated trouncing with my right foot the pedal finally came back up and behaved normally. I was then able to exit the freeway, park the rover with 4 smoking wheel wells, and stare blankly out the windshield scared shitless that I had come that close to killing myself and possibly others... It immediately made me think of the whole Prius recall, it was SCARY!!!

Has this ever happened to anyone else? I have tried and was able to recreate it for a second with the car parked by really stepping on the gas but it dislodged in just a moment of kicking it really hard. It wasn't a floor mat as I don't have one in the drivers side right now. When operating the throttle from the engine compartment I cannot recreate it. What do I need to check? Is this a known issue, I did a search but didn't turn up much other than a throttle recall but I don't think it is for a 2004 D2, only the 2003.

Any insight appreciated... For now the truck is parked, I'm scared to death to drive it until I track down the culprit and repair.

 

[group captain mandrake]

How cold was it?
Is your throttle body heater bypassed?

 

[cBurrows]

45 degrees and no the throttle heater is not bypassed.

 

[riceybean]

Throttle is a cable, bet it's gummed up.

 

[nelson845]

I had a similar incident but not in a land rover. It was that the throttle cable had somehow started to loose strands. I would start at the pedal and check everything al the way to the throttle body (with engine off first).

 

[kennith]

You might have tried pulling the pedal back up...

That happened to me once. Something had physically stuck the valve wide open. I just threw it in neutral and killed the engine.

It is possible to turn the engine off while driving, and still retain control of the vehicle. You won't lose steering or brakes; they will simply be more difficult to operate.

It's actually quite nice to drive something without power brakes and steering.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[robertf]

If the cable doesn't do it check the throttle plate and throttle bore for wear and misalignment.

 

[singingcamel]

Throttle cable is worn or gummed up, good job with the driving skills , glad you ok .
For all those who read this , turn it off.

 

[p m]

Did it ever occur to you to switch off the ignition?

 

[fishEH]

This reminds me of that P38 incident in Utah a few years ago. Glad this one turned out better.

 

[Beagle Bones]

I've thought of this many times, I drive quite a bit for work and have ample time to think of what-ifs and news stories I've heard. I'm blown away by people who would rather risk others safety than letting an engine go. The second you noticed the problem you should have shifted to neutral, cut the ignition, then slowly steer to the side. Just glad your stupidity didn't hurt or kill anyone else.

 

[cBurrows]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will check out the items listed tomorrow.

As to the questions about why I didn't just shut the engine down, I was on a 2 lane HOV section of the freeway with medians on both sides and very small and short shoulders.... with traffic moving at the pace it was, and with the small shoulders I didn't think I would have been able to stop the vehicle quickly enough from 80 mph to actually make it into one of these small shoulders safely without bouncing off a few concrete walls and cars. I thought several times of shutting it off and wanted to, I just doubted my ability to maneuver the thing with either a blown engine or no power anything at such high speeds...

I agree completely with the statement of an engine not being worth a life, I was simply worried that blowing the engine at that moment and in that particular situation might also lead to death, otherwise I would have happily done so. In this particular case, although it may not seem so after the fact, I think I did the best I could with a shitty situation.

 

[Dane!]

Check the pedal, my brother had something similar happen to him in his Isuzu diesel project. He gave it 100% throttle to avoid a collision from a drunk driver. He swerved and floored it simultaneously and actually tweaked his pedal and it was stuck in the 100% position, he was drives a manual so he dropped it into 6th gear and stalled the engine. I would check that out if the D2's peddle set up could be tweaked, if not, disregard this

 

[Disco Desert]

What will happen If you hit the brakes and put the truck on 2nd gear? Will this slow it down or it will be bad.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

This happened to me a few years ago. I jumped on the brakes and turned the ignition off. It ended up being a non event. I naturally thought it was a sticky cable, so I replaced that. Same problem, but at least it wasn't in gear. It ended up being the pedal box, which I replaced with another from Will. Problem solved.

 

[JohnB]

Didn't rover have a service recall on throttle cables. Maybe just the early D2.

 

[rover4x4]

mine got stuck wot once shifted to neutral shut it down. people suck at driving, reminds me of the run away lexus

 

[az_max]

My mom got a Toyota Highlander right before they announced they were having 'gas pedal related incidents'. She was worried about it happening, even though her model/year were not affected. I took her to some deserted streets and showed her how to put it in neutral while moving. I told her to worry about steering and stopping the car and not about the racing engine. I told her to turn the engine off (if it didn't grenade) after she was stopped. Being 70+, I can't guarantee she'll remember it.

For me, I've had three vehicles with lack of throttle: Broken accelerator cable in a VW, broken carburetor linkage on a 74 Nova, and most recently a loose/broken ignition switch on the 90 RRC.

I wholeheartedly agree with gummed up cable, linkage or throttle body in this case.

 

[ptschram]

First off, there is a rev limiter so the engine will not over-rev.

Secondly, this is not an isolated incident. SEARCH. There was a TSB long ago for sticky throttle bodies.

Third, if it happens, shift to neutral, apply brakes, coast to stop, shut engine down call insurance company.

 

[crown14]

First off, there is a rev limiter so the engine will not over-rev.

Secondly, this is not an isolated incident. SEARCH. There was a TSB long ago for sticky throttle bodies.

Third, if it happens, shift to neutral, apply brakes, coast to stop, shut engine down call insurance company.

I realize you are in IN, but down here in NC we would call AAA or a tow truck, and your insurance company dosen't give a fuck unless you hit another car, or better yet, someone else's car hit yours.