From: hls on 26 Feb 2010 12:21 "jim beam" <me(a)privacy.net> wrote in message > > here's the acid test: why haven't i experienced these problems when i've > been driving toyota's? > We havent experienced the problems with either of our Toyotas. My wife's 2007 Avalon appears to have been made with a different elastomer in the accelerator contact area...PPS, or polyphenylsulfide. It is apparently better than the polyamide material they used first, but probably not as good as a properly designed and implemented metal unit.
From: hls on 26 Feb 2010 12:25 "MLD" <MLD(a)verizon.net> wrote in message news:hm697q$n44$1(a)news.eternal- > My take on the sudden, uncontrolled acceleration is that it's root cause > is tucked away somewhere in the electronics. Has anyone ever got involved > in dealing with RFI (Radio Frequency Interference)? I've dealt with two > interesting cases where RFI caused a significant problem in aircraft. > One, complete loss of engine power. Cause was a radar signal that > triggered the closing of a fuel Shut-Off Valve. Happened every time an > aircraft (helicopter) flew past a particular radar station. The second, > also a helicopter, two engines: Every time the pilot pushed the transmit > button on his high frequency radio one engine rolled all the way back to > its Idle setting--it recovered as soon as he released the button. The > cause of both incidents was improper shielding of the aircraft wiring > harnesses. The aircraft manufacturer was sloppy in his design--improved > shielding fixed both problems. Cars now are more and more dependent on > electronics and somehow can't shake the feeling that spurious signals are > causing some of these unexplained incidents. As a side note; military > electronics are subjected to rigid testing; bombarded with all kinds of > RFI signals to determine if there is any undesirable behavior. I doubt if > the automotive industry comes anywhere close to that kind of testing or > evaluation. > MLD This is a problem that Toyota has not totally ruled out. Phantom responses to RF signals can be hell to find and correct.
From: bob on 26 Feb 2010 17:41 In article <8qidnd6HlPSdmRXWnZ2dnUVZ_g6dnZ2d(a)giganews.com>, hls(a)nospam.nix says... > > "MLD" <MLD(a)verizon.net> wrote in message news:hm697q$n44$1(a)news.eternal- > > My take on the sudden, uncontrolled acceleration is that it's root cause > > is tucked away somewhere in the electronics. Has anyone ever got involved > > in dealing with RFI (Radio Frequency Interference)? I've dealt with two > > interesting cases where RFI caused a significant problem in aircraft. > > One, complete loss of engine power. Cause was a radar signal that > > triggered the closing of a fuel Shut-Off Valve. Happened every time an > > aircraft (helicopter) flew past a particular radar station. The second, > > also a helicopter, two engines: Every time the pilot pushed the transmit > > button on his high frequency radio one engine rolled all the way back to > > its Idle setting--it recovered as soon as he released the button. The > > cause of both incidents was improper shielding of the aircraft wiring > > harnesses. The aircraft manufacturer was sloppy in his design--improved > > shielding fixed both problems. Cars now are more and more dependent on > > electronics and somehow can't shake the feeling that spurious signals are > > causing some of these unexplained incidents. As a side note; military > > electronics are subjected to rigid testing; bombarded with all kinds of > > RFI signals to determine if there is any undesirable behavior. I doubt if > > the automotive industry comes anywhere close to that kind of testing or > > evaluation. > > MLD > > This is a problem that Toyota has not totally ruled out. Phantom responses > to RF signals can be hell to find and correct. Sounds like they might need to get some aviation fly-by-wire guys in there to teach them how to do it right.
From: Hachiroku ハチロク on 26 Feb 2010 18:15 On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:17:33 -0600, hls wrote: > > "Hachiroku ハチロク" <Trueno(a)e86.GTS> wrote in message > news:hm764e$stp$6(a)news.eternal- >> >> Interesting post. That's what I get for listening to NBC News. >> >> No, I don't have any pix, but the Denso pedals don't seem to have the >> problem > > > I heard the same sort of thing, and believe they said the Nipponese pedals > had > metal instead of plastic. Should be able to google it. When it gets warm, I'll have a look at my Scion...
From: C. E. White on 26 Feb 2010 18:34
"Hachiroku ハチロク" <Trueno(a)e86.GTS> wrote in message news:hm75sm$stp$5(a)news.eternal-september.org... > I don't get where he said that. A lot of people are pointing to the > electronics, but since the affliction spans a lot of models, electronics > seems out of the picture. I am not an expert on software, but it seems to me that the basic programing modules would be similar across the product lines. I am sure there are variations in response parameters, but I would guess that the basic processing strategy would be the same across the product lines. I am sure it probably evolves over time, but I would be suprised if all of the vehicles with electronically controlled throttles didn't share the same basic programming. I have a couple of Toyotas repair manuals, and the electronic throttle control sections are virtually indentical (2.4L I4, and 3.0L V6). Ed |