On Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:18:06 -0800 (PST), terry
wrote:

On Mar 12, 12:34Â*pm, Harry K wrote:

But it oes happen . Â*I blew the clutch servo in my F150 20 miles
out in the boonies at a stop sign. Â*Got it going by starting in gear
and drove it back home over gravel/paved/major highway. Â* Of course I
know how to clutch-less shift...

Harry I agree. Having learned to drive on a vintage 1926 Daimler
hearse (used as an ambulance and hearse in the UK during WWII) which
had a 'crash box' (that's a manual with no synchromesh) back in the
1950s, have done the same thing you describe.

That vehicle had a handle sticking out front for starting the engine,
which had been changed during WWII to a 1938 model, Bedford (that was
the UK version of GMC) straight six. Years later we drove a 1963 GMC
pickup in North America and its engine looked identical to the 1938
engine!

Up to 1962, the engine WAS the same old stove-bolt 6. (235 and 261) In
1963 the new engines came on stream (194, and 230 - eventually also
250 inch)

With clutch inoperative starting on a slight down-slope if possible
(even the slope to the side of the road may help) and continuing in
gear all time, because of no clutch control, one can get home to then
work on the problem. Did that twice.

Also got a V.W 'bug' home one time with a broken throttle
cable .............. a piece of string from the driver's window run
around to the back of the vehicle actuated the carburetor. It was
about 8 miles home and just drove along with the traffic 'pulling the
string'.

Had a diesel VW Golf run away on me (in traffic) once; breathing it's
own crankcase fumes on a hot day. Knew instantly what had happened!
Declutched, engine raced like it was going to break apart, pulled into
side of the road and with all brakes hard on stalled the engine by
bringing in the clutch (hoping nothing would break!). It didn't and
when things cooled down drove to the dealership who had the part
(nothing more than a modified breather tube) to fix problem.

I think a lot of the problem is not knowing your vehicle; although
this fly by wire stuff is somewhat scary. Recall meeting a factory
manager one time with a broken down vehicle out in the country, we got
him going to the nearest town by using a junk war surplus radio
capacitor as a substitute for the one across the ignition distributor
points. Nowadays my son plugs in his laptop to 'tune' his engine!