Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and engine

Car Trouble: Can I drive this?

delmoi — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:28:36 -0800

So first of all, I'm not exactly sure what's wrong with my car, but whatever it is is definitely not good. I was driving the other day when the engine started making this very loud clanking/grinding noise. Apparently I hadn't checked my oil level and it was basically gone. After filling it up with Oil, the noise is still there, but much quieter. So I'm thinking I might need a whole new engine. The thing is, I found a nearly identical car on Craigslist for $1750, which would probably be just a few hundred more then a new engine, and I could just drive the thing until I get around to repairing my old one. On the other hand, I don't really want to spend that much in a panic. The car is a 1997 Toyota Tercel. Yes, I'm a total idiot for letting my engine run out of oil. I had just gone on a 2,000 trip with no problems at all (before which I had put in a new bottle of oil) so in my mind I had added oil pretty recently, less then a month ago.

Anyway. Someone borrowed my car and left the lights on overnight, draining the battery, so I had to jump it, and of course you need to drive around for a while to charge up the battery. I decided to get on the highway for a mile or two but about 2 or 3 minutes after getting it up to 60 the engine starts making this awful grinding noise, which sounds like it's happening in synch with the engine. I limp home and check the oil levels, which is totally empty. I bike to the gas station and buy some oil and fill up the engine. The noise is a lot quieter now; inside the car I can't really hear it when it's idling, but if you're outside by the engine it sounds like a jackhammer.

There's no obvious smoke or burning, but when I first opened up the hood to add oil, I did smell a slight burning smell, and I had only driven it half a mile.

I don't know too much about auto mechanics, so the only thing I knew of that could cause a problem like this would be a cracked piston head or something. The guy at the gas station said he was a mechanic and that it could be something with the seals too and that it cost him $1,100 to fix a similar problem on his car (he also said he thought it might cost $600 just to go in and diagnose the problem)

I figured the best thing to do would be to buy an old beater off craigslist that I could drive around for a while while figuring out what to do. I thought about buying a pickup truck but when I was looking I saw a car that was nearly identical to mine -- a '97 tercel -- for $1750. That's not too much more then it would cost to fix my car and if I could buy I could drive it around until I decided to fix my old one, or just keep it. I also found a '94 Tercel in the area. According to Wikipedia Tercels from 1991-1994 use either a 3E-E engine or a 5E-FE, whereas mine uses the 5E-FE. Does anyone know how likely it would be for a '94 to have the 3E-E engine, and if it did, would it fit in my '97 Tercel? If so, that would be a much better deal. According to craigslist the '94 has a dent, while the '97 looks pretty nice, and even has a spoiler.

On the other hand, for all I know my old car might still be OK to drive, just noisy. I don't want to spend that much money in a panic. Whatever is wrong with my car might just be something that can be fixed for a couple hundred dollars. Does anyone have any idea what it could be, or how much it might cost to fix?

And finally, assuming I'm going to replace the car in a reasonable timeframe is it possible that my car would be safe to drive around town for now, at least the next few days. What do you think?

To summarize the key questions are:

●If I got the '94, would I be able to pull the engine out and put it in my '97 if I needed to?

●what are the possibilities for what could be wrong with it?

●How bad of an idea is it to drive the car currently? I filled the engine up with oil, and the sound isn't too bad now. What could happen if I drive it slowly and carefully around town, like to a car repair place

●Oh, and is there any way to tell which engine the '94 has by looking at it?

Thanks!

Car won't start

unsurmountable — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:11:48 -0800

Help Me find out what wrong with my car, or find a mechanic i can trust in Laguna Niguel, CA. So i bought a '91 Ford Areostar that had the engine rebuilt on '01 for really cheap. It overheated on a big hill and now it won't start although it does turn over like it's trying to, it is also very slowly leaking water after the overheating incident. If it's something i can go in and check myself I'd prefer to do so but if not help me find a mechanic that's not out to gouge me.

What is causing the whining sound in my car engine?

markblasco — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:05:19 -0800

What is causing the whining sound in my car engine? 2001 Honda CRV with about 68,000 miles on it. I purchased the car about 6 months ago, and a few months after that noticed a slight whining noise coming from the engine. It sounds similar to a remote control car or small electric motor, and the pitch raises up when the engine speeds up. It doesn't happen all of the time, but seems to be louder when going up hill.

A few days ago I was driving on the freeway for about 20 minutes, and once off of the freeway was driving on hilly side streets. For the first time the noise started to be very noticeable, and got progressively louder and louder. I shut off the car, went away for about an hour, and when I started driving again the noise was gone.

Any suggestions as to what the problem might be? I plan on taking it to a mechanic soon, but I'm pretty handy and have a fairly well stocked toolbox, so if it is something I can do myself I would prefer to go that route.

Thanks!

Oli Heater that uses Waste Engine Oil

franklen — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:39:38 -0800

What are the pros and cons of trying to switch heating systems from a traditional furnace to a waste oil heater that burns used gasoline engine oil, particularly for an automobile repair garage? I work with small businesses in my city, and recently, two auto shops have raised the question of trying to facilitate the use of burning waste engine oil to heat their spaces. We live in Syracuse NY where the Winters are long and cold, and paying for oil can be quite expensive).

And p.s. if anyone knows of a good manufacturer, distributor, etc of these types of units, I'd love to know.

Cheers ~Frank
www.alchemicalnursery.org

OilFilter

ghost of a past number — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:49:55 -0800

Is too much oil in a car engine something to worry about? I got an oil change in my 1997 Citroen Saxo today, and they managed to overfill it by about half a centimeter as measured on the dipstick. I am wondering if there might be any negative side effects, apart from the waste of oil, as there must be a reason for having both MIN and MAX markings on the dipstick.

In general, the engine runs along nicely without any perceptible oil loss, so I do not expect the extra oil to go away until it's time for the next oil change.

new car - which engine?

mitocan — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:01:20 -0800

Buying a new car: Is it reasonable to spend 1500$ on a more powerful engine? With a powerful engine, I could probably save 30 seconds every day on my way to work.
On longer trips, I might even save 30 minutes.
Fuel consumption is just about the same.
I don't plan to move heavy objects or pull caravans.

Are there other reasons I am missing here?

What repair fixes a misfiring 4-Runner?

carsonb — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:42:47 -0800

Why does my uncle's 1998 V6 Toyota 4-Runner misfire at highway speeds? Last month we drove from Los Angeles to Tucson and back, and at what seemed to be random points while we were driving the engine would buck repeatedly. Once it started, it would continue at all speeds, with the engine running particularly rough at low/idle RPM. We took it in to 3 different Toyota dealerships along the way, and to it's home dealership once we got back. They were all happy to service the vehicle, but none were able to fix it and two insisted they couldn't find any problems with the vehicle. Before we go on, my uncle has always insisted on dealership service. His 4-Runner is in pristine condition, to the day on all of its tune-ups and servicings, and only has 130,000 or so miles on it.

The problem first started near El Centro. We limped south along hwy 86 to the dealership there, where they diagnosed a misfire on 'cylinder one'. They 'made some adjustments' but didn't replace or repair anything, and as we left the truck ran fine. In fact, it ran great all the way through Yuma and Casa Grande, but by the time we were passing Picacho (just north of Tucson) the problem had started again. Throughout this leg of the trip we didn't see any instrumental indication that the engine had a problem. (No check-engine light.)

Then Christmas came, and all the dealership service bays were closed. Eventually we got it into a dealership in Tucson, where they couldn't find a whit wrong with the vehicle. Since it was due up, my uncle went ahead and sprung for a full tune-up while we were there. He didn't test the truck at highway speeds after getting it back though...

And sure enough, a few days later as we were rounding Gila Bend on the way back to LA, cruisin' along at a stately 70mph, the engine started bucking again. The check engine light came on occasionally. This time we limped further, all the way to Yuma, where the young salesschmuck told us after 3 hours of diagnostics that they could start by replacing 'the coil', that the distributor needed replacing as well but since they were in the middle of nowhere they didn't have the part on hand. Fine, said unc, so they replaced 'the coil' and sent us on our way. We weren't 20 miles outside of Yuma before the engine started misfiring again.

We make it home (14 hours, Tucson to LA) and my uncle takes his truck into its home dealership, where it's been serviced since he bought it new. According to him, they can't find a single thing wrong with it, including the distributor. There's nothing they could do, apparently.

So what the hell? What could be causing the misfire? Why won't any mechanics diagnose the problem? What are they, what are WE missing? My poor uncle has poured thousands of dollars into repairing his beloved vehicle, and it's still not fixed. I'd love to be able to help him get it running right again.

Is the mechanic ripping me off?

fogster — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:54:05 -0800

What would you charge to diagnose a check engine light and replace the thermostat in a 2003 Toyota Highlander? My check engine light came on, and I worried about damaging my engine, so I'm going late to work while I wait for repairs.

They charged $89 to "diagnose" the check engine light, and $189 (parts and labor) to replace a faulty thermostat.

It seems to me that it would take 2 minutes on an OBC-II reader (which, coincidentally, cost $89), and that a thermostat would be a $5 part. But then again, I'm the one at the dealership because I have no idea what was wrong.

Is $275 reasonable for this, or is this $265 profit on $10 parts an work?

What caused my engine to shut off?

I_Love_Bananas — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:07:34 -0800

What caused my engine to shut off? I was driving at about 65 mph and was resetting the cruise control on my 2006 Pontiac Torrent. The last thing I did before losing the engine was hit the "minus" button two times in a row by mistake (the button that would normally reduce your speed a bit while still keeping the cruise engaged).

The speedometer and tachometer needles immediately dropped to zeo and the engine lost all power. I made it over to the breakdown lane and stood on the brakes to stop. I lost no electronics though- all lights, the radio, etc. all remained functioning through the whole thing.

I turned on my flashers and freaked out for a few minutes. Then I restarted the car, got back into the flow of traffic and nothing else happened the whole trip. (I did not attempt to re-create the incident, however.)

I found info on "kill switches" online but I don't think this that... Would it be possible that some sort of combination of button/control pressing would purposely cause the engine to shut down? If so, why? Or was it maybe just a short circuit?

Do I really need to rebuild this engine?

rossmik — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:46:53 -0800

I now have a car with a seized engine. If I can get the engine unseized, what are the potential consequences of not rebuilding it? The car in question is a '93 Hyundai Excel. As long as I have owned it, it has burned a quart of oil every 600-1000 miles (yet it miraculously still passes emissions). The engine seized because it burned too much oil -- someone drove it for a mile with the oil light on.

Getting the engine unseized might be possible, but all the advice I have seen on this ends with "Then, rebuild your engine." Rebuilding it myself, having it rebuilt, or buying a rebuilt engine are all expensive, and I would end up with a crappy car that still needs a lot of other work done. I'd rather save that kind of money for a more reliable car (or bike).

So, the cheap option is to try and get the engine unstuck, but forget about rebuilding it. Is this likely to end in disaster? Burning more oil? Burning less oil? Any advice on this (or on the general situation, like how to get the engine unseized), would be appreciated.

What do we do with our broken car?

damiano99 — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:16:17 -0800

What do I do with our broken car? (Long explanation) We have a 2001 S40 Turbo. Despite following the standard maintenance schedule and ensuring oil/water, etc is always good, it's been a pain in then neck since we bought it in 2003. I think I've put more into it for repairs than I paid for it. The last 18 months it's had a problem with the temp gauge spiking and then dropping down to normal. We've had it in a half a dozen times and each time the mechanics replace the themostat and the heat sensor. That fixes it for a while and then 3 months later, boom ... it happens again. No one has ever found the problem, until now.
I was driving the other day and it redlined on temp so I pulled over. To my horror when I popped the hood it was spewing oil out of the dipstick.

Anyway, our mechanic says the radiator had a tiny crack in it and to fix it the cost was 500. He said he had to do that to drive it and find out what was wrong. He did that and now says the main problem is a blown head gasket. Now it's not even drivable. To fix the gasket problem and do the associated valve job will be $2600. He said it's possible he'll find other things once he opens up the head, so it could be more. The blue book on the car is only 4000-4600. Is it worth it to fix it or do we trash it? A new engine is 4000, which I wouldn't be interested in paying since thats the value of the car.

1) Did I get screwed by the mechanic on the radiator fix?
2) What the heck do I do with the car? Do we trash it, junk it? Can we get insurance to total it?

We've never been in a place like this so we're making choices blindly. Help!

Ford's Law?

Exchequer — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:44:28 -0800

Is there a precursor to Moore's Law for internal combustion engines? If so, can you provide details, please?

Which spark plug wires?

zippy — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:33:36 -0800

I'm looking for a reasonably neutral comparison of various brands of spark plug wires (ignition wires). Specifically, I want to know if there are strong advantages over name brands vs Autozone's house brand (Duralast). I've found this vendor's description of some of the marketing hoo-hah behind some premium brands, and this objective but misguided comparison of the low voltage DC resistance of the wires.

Where are the tales from the real world of drivers that used the cheap-o Autozone wires and loved them, or who ran the cheapo wires and the expensive wires and had reasons to prefer one or the other? I would like to avoid the Monster Cable effect where people feel that the cables are great without anything objective to back it up.

I'm interested specifically in the following:

- durability of the wire - how well does it hold up over time?

- "performance" of the wire - delivery of spark, resistance to arcing, resistance to generation of EMI/RF

I'm hoping the hive mind can help me because, for once, I've struck out on the internet. Perhaps there's a car magazine that's done this comparison, but Google isn't helping me here.

Don't know if it matters, but the car is a 1996 Caprice Classic with a 5.7l/350 LT-1 V8 Engine.

Ford Explorer engine woes

Static Vagabond — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:22:17 -0800

CarFilter: identify this part from my car (highlighted in red) -- It started smoking on the way home, and I'm wondering how scared my wallet is feeling. It doesn't seem to have any operational effect on the car-- starts fine, runs fine, so I'm thinking it might be related to the A/C which died somewhat recently.

So if you're a motor-mefite, name that part and put my wallet out of it's misery.

Thanks!

Buying an engine online

lemonfridge — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 02:40:34 -0800

I am in need of a replacement engine for my 1995 Mazda MX5 (Mata). I have found one online, but I'm possibly being overly cautious.... This is where I can source one from http://www.mdklmotors.co.uk/.

They say their engines are "GURANTEED BELOW 30,000 MILES". Is there anyway I can check that?

What else should I be cautious about, or check before purchasing?

What is wrong with the MIGHTY MERCURY?

ForeverDcember — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:35:30 -0800

What is going on with my 1998 Mercury Sable? I have a 1998 Mercury Sable with about 78,000 miles on it. Lately, and very, very randomly I have had a problem. Every once in a while (and only when it rains) I will back out of my parking place at work at 5:30pm and get to the stop sign when the battery light comes on and the steering locks up. The radio and air conditioner are still on and the engine is still running. After about a 45 seconds (long enough for me to curse and say "what is going on here.. rawr!") the light goes off and I can steer/drive again like normal. No other issues with the car. Less than 150 miles ago we had a full check up done on it with no issues. Any ideas as to what is going on? The car is running fine otherwise. This only happens about once every other week and ONLY when it rains (weird and probably not relevant). Thanks in advance for all the help :)

VW Golf wants to stall after A/C repair. Fixable?

odinsdream — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 06:10:12 -0800

After having the A/C compressor replaced in our VW Golf, the engine idle speed drops way down to near-stalling whenever the clutch is released while driving. It pops right back up, but it's a bit unnerving. Last week the A/C stopped blowing cold air. I took the car to our local mechanic who suggested replacing the expansion valve first, then the compressor if that didn't fix it. After the operation, I have a new expansion valve and compressor.

When we first got the car I noticed the idle speed was a little low and jumpy, but it wasn't anything unnerving. Now, though, whenever you cut the A/C on the engine idles extremely low. The especially disturbing part is when driving around and pressing the clutch to shift. When you press the clutch, the engine drops down in speed, of course, but instead of hovering around 1200, it drops all the way toward zero, then bounces back up to jump around 1000.

All of this goes away when the A/C is turned off. What's the problem? Can I have it adjusted or fixed? What can I suggest to the mechanic on Monday?

some don't like it hot

kidsleepy — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:41:52 -0800

For about a week, I've noticed a "hot" smell coming from my engine. I don't know how to describe it except that it smells like an iron that has been left on. What is it? I get this smell even when I drive the short (less than 5 minutes) distance between home and work. I don't notice it when I am driving, but it's obvious once I step out of the car.

I drive a 1998 Camry, 175K miles, oil last changed in May, just passed NC state inspection three weeks ago. I know nothing about cars except to check the oil gauge, which I did, and it indicated there was enough oil. Is the smell indicating something serious ($$$) or just something simple that I am overreacting about because I am automobile-ignorant?

Start me up! Old Buick needs love.

Mister_A — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:48:39 -0800

BuickFilter: I have an '86 Buick Century 4-cylinder (it's the "Iron Duke" motor). Yes, I know, hot. I think I need a new starter. What do you think? The car runs like a champ, but starting it is getting trickier and trickier. The starter generally engages, but then disengages too quickly - sounds like the engine only turns over once or twice, then the starter just makes this sort of rrrrrmmmmmm! whizzing sound (it's clearly not engaged anymore). So sometimes it starts right away, but if it hasn't run for a while, or it's cold and/or damp, it takes many, many tries to start the thing. Sound like a new starter is needed?

Oh, and bonus points for tips on installing a new starter.

Thanks.

My car's get up and go, done gone up and went

jaybeans — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:04:35 -0800

What is causing my engine to cut out when I come to a stop? I have a 2000 Ford Taurus with 109,000 miles on it and it has developed a bizarre problem as of late.

About a week and a half ago the check engine light came on but the car seemed to be running fine. Then about three days ago, when I came to a prolonged stop (more than 30 seconds?) some lights would flash on my dashboard (battery and parking brake) and then my engine cuts out. I can immeadiately restart the car but not without giving myself a fright that this time it won't work and annoying the people behind me. The problem is now happening twice a day.

As it was about time for my oil change, I took my car down to a local jiffy lube and had them change the oil, the filters, the fluid, check the battery and all the usual stuff that they do. They said they didn't see anything out of the ordinary but that I should take the car to the mechanic.

So I did and after performing a diagnostic he said the problem with the car was P0171 System Too Lean (Bank 1) and P0174 System Too Lean (Bank 2). When I asked him what that meant he said that he didn't know exactly and that he'd have to run more tests (keep my car for a day and charge me $140) and then he'd be able to tell me what was wrong and how much it would cost to fix it.

I don't really have the money to afford both the test and the repair so I've been Googling the issue, hoping to give myself an idea of what the issue could be but all the websites tend to be written by car people for car people (my knowledge of cars' inner workings is utterly non-existent).

So my question for all is two-fold, does anyone have any idea what might be causing my problem and how much I should expect it to cost to have it fixed?

Also, for bay area people... know any good mechanics?

My Kia Optima Lost It's Mojo

KevinSkomsvold — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 06:57:17 -0800

I'm having car troubles and curious if this is a problem familiar to anyone: Car is a 2002 Kia Optima. It's had regular maintenance (oil, tune-ups, etc.,) and it's generally been a good car. This week the engine light came on. Usually it comes on after I get a car wash and then goes off after the car drys out a bit.

The light came on again and I've noticed a significant loss of get-up-and-go. If I'm in first or second gear, the tach winds up to about 4-5000 before I get any steam going. Generally, the car is just sluggish whereas before it was just snappy and responsive when shifting. I do plan on taking it to a garage but was wondering if these symptoms were common and indicative of a common problem. Thanks.

Rats in the car!

zaphod — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:18:20 -0800

Twice in 2 months rats have chewed the transmission cable in my girlfriend's car, how do we get them to stop! The car is parked in Boston's Back Bay overnight in a parking spot in the alley behind where we live. It's been parked there overnight since 2003 and this is the 1st year that we've had this problem. Twice in 2 months rats (or mice) have chewed through the transmission cable and we've had to have the car towed and repaired. We've also started to find food debris left in the engine compartment from the rodents (some really weird nasty crap).

We want to deter the rats from getting into the engine compartment and undercarriage, and my google-fu has turned up contradictory suggestions such as moth-ball & peppermint essence or various sprays.

If you've been in a alley in Back Bay on trash day, you'll know that it's a mess of trash and food stuffs from ripped open trash bags, hence the rats. Plus. we've neighbouring buildings that improperly store their rubbish, and one of the landlords of one of rental units in our building insists on using a cheap barrel for their trash that the tenants that is left at the back door and it never seems to be sealed, leading to numerous buffets for rodents. We've asked the landlord numerous times about this to no affect, the city won't ticket the owner but will ticket the building which doesn't discourage the owner or tenants... and so far phoning the city about the rats and the trash has been futile. So getting rid of the rats is going to be friggin' tough.

So how can we try and keep the rats out of the car or rat-proof the cables or the car?

Ttttrrrrrrrrrrrr

one_bean — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:48:50 -0800

What's rattling under the hood of my car? I have a 98 automatic Corolla. When it's in neutral, or stopped at a light/stop sign, there's a pretty loud rattling coming from under the hood. When I put it in park, the rattling stops. When I'm driving, no rattling. Perhaps related, I've noticed that the transmission has been kind of wonky and not as responsive as it once was -- that is, it doesn't shift into the gear that I feel like it should be in as quickly as it ought to, and sometimes feels like it's starting in second. That may be a separate issue, though, since the car has about 118,000 miles on it. Any thoughts on either of these issues is appreciated.

Should I pay $500 for to replace my engine?

Squid Voltaire — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:59:24 -0800

Short story: I got a tune up including an oil change. That night, the car died, and now they say the engine needs to be replaced? Sorry about this--I want to provide a lot of detail, and I'm actually asking three questions here. I hope that ya'll have some advice for me, though, because I'm having a hell of a time on my own. Here goes:

Much longer story: Back in 1995 My father used his new car as collateral for a business loan. Several years later he moved across the country, and a year after that he defaulted on the loan. The bank, naturally, demanded the car, and my dad told them his address, but no one ever came to repossess it--by this time the worth of the car was probably a lot less than the cost of sending a bank employee across the country. Shortly thereafter the bank was bought by a larger bank which was, in turn, bought by an even larger one. Last year he bought a new car and gave the old one to me.

I say all this to explain why, although I don't believe that anyone in the world cares that I have this car, I still do not have (and most likely cannot obtain) the title. The car, by the way, is a 1995 Ford Escort.

Fast forward to last Tuesday. In preparation for a road trip to New Jersey from Chicago I took the car to a mechanic (Brakes 4 Le$$) and asked for a complete tune-up. For $450 they did a bunch of work on the brakes, replaced the spark plugs, did a complete oil change (I think it was the first in a year) and pronounced the car ready for the trip. Yesterday night I picked it up, drove it twenty miles, stopped at a gas station to buy a soda, and then it wouldn't start again.

The gas station where it died took a look this morning and said that the whole engine would need to be replaced, and he said he'd get some quotes but that it would be around $1800. I paid for a tow back to Brakes 4 Le$$, who also looked at it and agreed that it was the engine (I think that, specifically, the oil pump was broken. Does that sound right?). The guy there said, "I tell you what, we can fix it all for $980, and that will include the work we've already done". Essentially, that will mean paying him another $540 for the new engine, which is a lot less than $1800.

Now, finally, the question.

He did a full tune-up, but never noticed that my engine was about to die. Could this be an honest mistake, or does it mean that he's totally untrustworthy?
If he is trustworthy, should I risk giving him another $500? Maybe not noticing the dying engine is understandable, or maybe I'd be throwing away a thousand bucks, I can't tell.
If I decide not to ask Brakes 4 Le$$ to do the work, I probably won't find anyone cheaper--I get the idea that $500 is a pretty good deal. In this case, I would be giving up on the car. If I give up on the car, what should I do with it? I don't have the title, and I really don't want my father to get in trouble if I just leave it sitting somewhere. Some bank somewhere technically owns the vehicle, but it was registered to my dad every year up to two years ago...

Can you steer a runaway car with the engine turned off?

chrismear — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 05:43:38 -0800

Runaway cars: After reading this recent story about a BMW that got stuck in gear with the accelerator jammed down, I don't understand why he didn't just turn the ignition off. Is it true that he'd have been left unable to steer? It's not mentioned in that article, but I heard elsewhere that he didn't turn the engine off because the car had power steering, and he'd have been unable to steer the car.

I always thought that power steering was just a bit of assistance. The steering wheel is still physically connected to the wheels, isn't it? What am I missing here?