| csli |
Two days ago, my wife was driving my 96 nissan maxima with the auto/t. While driving around 40 m/h she noticed the emergency parking brake was not released. In a sudden of stupid act, she pushed the auto/t gear lever all the way to P position while the car was still traveling at 40 m/h, she told me she heard the car sounds like a motorcycle. Yesterday, after I drove the car, it did not seem to be very abnormal. Just want to get some expert opinion here to see how that could happen and what the potential problems it might cause?
Thanks! |
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| Captain MDX |
| How can the car move when the parking brake is not release???? Wouldn't the car do a burnout??? |
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| TheWorm |
You could break the parking pawl in the tranny. That'd be most likely. It's basically a pin that doesn't allow the tranny to move when the car's in Park. If you slam it into P while you're moving, the pin can engage and get snapped off since the gears are still turning.
Does the car still hold when in Park (without using the E-brake)? |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| I believe it's called a parking bomb... very similar to a clutch bomb... one time won't kill it, but NEVER EVER DO IT AGAIN! |
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| XStatic |
I was driving a rental playing around with shifting into neutral and back to drive, testing the rev limiter etc. Then I accidently put it in reverse at 70mph which killed the engine but it started right back up and seemed fine. Don't try this at home and never buy a rental!
You sure it made it into park?
Also check the rear brakes for damage from overheating if they were engaged too long. |
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| BLACK-BLING-MDX |
| XStatic... that is called a neutral bomb... NEVER GOOD! :rolleyes: |
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| jswift2000 |
| Is the wife still alive? Only kidding. :D |
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| RonH |
quote:
Originally posted by XStatic
Then I accidently put it in reverse at 70mph which killed the engine but it started right back up and seemed fine.
I did the same thing waaaay back in high school one time while driving down the interstate playing hooky (guess I can say that now). Car jolted so bad I thought the tranny plum fell out ... scared the bejeezus out of everyone. Coasted to around 35, cranked her up, put her in gear, and all was well. Made a mental note to try to keep from doing it again .. so far, so good. :p
Anyway, basically TheWorm is right ... you probably end up damaging or busting the pawl. She probably heard a loud ratcheting sound when she shifted into park. That was the pawl trying to engage, but it was unable to due to the gears being in motion. It can handle a some abuse, although I wouldn't recommend repeating the event on a regular basis. If park still works OK, you should be good to go. |
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| laborlitigator |
| Sorry, but that deserves five across the eyes:1pat: |
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| DaleB |
First of all the parking brake has been a nuisance to many of us initially. It's stupid to have one where it is, and if it must be down there it should release automatically!
Damn, if a Ford can have a reliable parking brake release on a Taurus, Acura sure can.
Many of us have started driving with it on. Unless it's really on full I doubt it would be noticed right away.
She must have panicked when trying to jam into Park. but apparently the X survived. I think you lucked out. Thank your lucky stars and move on! |
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| trixie |
| Your wife's actions were totally justified. If there is any damage to the Max, it's your fault. Isn't that what marriage is about? |
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| RonH |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
Damn, if a Ford can have a reliable parking brake release on a Taurus, Acura sure can.
I don't think this happened to his X, but still...
At least you think they could put an audible warning on it. I think it was a Taurus we rented once that would constantly ring the door chime if the car was put in gear with the e-brake on. Very annoying sound, but also very effective ... guess that was the point. ;)
What annoys me about this push on/push off e-brake pedals is ... what happens if you need to actually use them in an emergency? For parking, the idea is fine, but if you're rolling at 40 and lose your brakes, wouldn't it be a zillion times harder to stop the vehicle with just the e-brake if you have to pump the fire out of it to get a semi-controlled stop. I mean, personally I don't know how good of an idea it would be to just slam it to the floor and pray. As long as the vehicle holds it's track you'd be OK ... but if the back end starts to swing, it's time to hold on .. you're going for a ride. At least with a release, you can semi-control the braking by holding the release and working the brake. |
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| XStatic |
The X parking/ebrake should be in the console, period...
Just snug it in close to the drivers seat and it won't get in the way.
I will NEVER use it where it is unless I part on a steep hill and even then I will probably forget. |
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| DaleB |
We also had some discussion about the potential of busting the parking pawl if you don't use the emergency brake, and someone gives your X a good tap while it is parked.
But based on csli's experience, that sucker may be more robust than we thought. |
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| csli |
Thank you all for responding. That made me felt a lot better. I will look at the MAX again for the rear brakes and the parking pawl. It only has 90,000 miles on it. Many of you have made a good point. The e-brake might not be used unless it is parked on a hill. However, if you don't use it often, it will be very easy to forget the e-brake is on. What a dilemma!
csli |
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