C36 unintended acceleration
 

So last night I had a hairy situation, we were on the motorway and I accelerated from about 80kph to get to the 100kph limit, when I eased off it just kept accelerating.

I was able to use the brakes to keep it in check, but I was concerned about fade as there was nowhere to pull off until the next exit which was a couple of kilometres.

I tried the cancel on cruise control, just in case, but that didn't help. Fortunately just before my exit whatever had gone wrong corrected itself, and I was able to make it home (a couple of blocks) without further drama.

I checked the floormat to see if it had caught under the pedal but it was clear and secure. I had this happen once with an aftermarket mat after I floored my Barra Turbo and that was scary af.

Of course there is nothing open til Tuesday, but to complicate matters we were about to leave for a trip on Monday. Worried about driving it as you can imagine.

I have had a look at the engine and can't see anything obvious. Have also done a search and nothing much comes up.

Anyone shed some light?:confused:

Stiff dry linkages seem likely. Soak em all good with a penetrating lubricant

Definitely try that. We had similar once in a W123 with 3 children and the dog and an early morning damp road.

And I was thinking that a 280TE is underpowered.

Power washing/steam cleaning under the bonnet can cause misery.

RayH

It all seems to work properly. I had a good look at the cable, unhooked it from the throttle body and it operates smoothly. I can't really see much past the segment the cable attaches to, but anyway that seems to be without any snags when turned without the cable too.


Gave it all a good squirt of WD40. Tomorrow morning I will take it for a test run before the traffic starts. Wish me luck.

Edit: All seems good. Will try a longer journey tomorrow.

Try it in park first. Should quickly and smoothly return to idle from anything above it. Try going to different levels like 1,500rpm, 2,000, 2,500 etc and hold it there for a moment then let off the pedal at different rates to see if any of those situations causes it to stick.

Also remember that if it happens again you can just put it in neutral. Even turn the engine off if you have to. You don't want to end up like the people in the Mission Gorge Lexus crash 11 years ago

What year is your car? Was the throttle body overhauled?

If you decide to turn off the ignition, just turn it ONE NOTCH CCW. If you turn if off two notches the steering column locks.

deeuutee, transmission fluid is a good lubricant for throttle linkages. Put a small quantity in an oil can so you can control the applied amount.