Discover Seattle!

General Category => Discover Seattle! => Topic started by: TehBorken on Jun 17 15 10:02

Title: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: TehBorken on Jun 17 15 10:02
CHICAGO (CBS) — Police and the Lake County Coroner's office were investigating, after a Highland Park couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning in their home earlier this week.

A Highland Park Fire Department lieutenant found the bodies of his parents – 79-year-old Pasquale Fontanini and 76-year-old Rina Fontanini – in their home Monday morning. Pasquale Fontanini's body was on the first floor, and Rina Fontanini's body was in an upstairs bedroom.

The Lake County Coroner's office said autopsies determined both husband and wife died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Police said investigators believe Pasquale Fontanini heard the home's carbon monoxide detector going off, found the family car's keyless ignition running in the attached garage, and opened the garage door, but the deadly carbon monoxide did not dissipate quickly enough, and the couple was overcome.

Their son tried to perform CPR after finding their bodies, but could not revive them.




Hmmm, you have to wonder if an electrical glitch or other problem caused the car to start by itself....with keyless ignitions you just need to have the "key" close to the car to be able to start it, there's no actual key that has to be inserted to start the engine. Without the key near to the car the engine will not start.

If the key is nearby, however, 5 or 6 feet typically, then the car goes into a "ready" state where the engine can be started with the push-button. The engine starts by a push-button, and it's not hard to imagine an electrical spike or fault causing the car to think that the start button was pushed.

I know if I'm standing over the garage in my house the bluetooth gear in my phone will "see" and link up to the car a floor below below me, and vice-versa. I wouldn't be surprised to find that a keyless ignition key worked at a similar distance.

Ya gotta wonder if something like this happened, as there's no apparent suspicion that this might have been suicide. Maybe the keyfob was close enough to the car to put it into the "ready" state and an electrical fault of some sort started the car.


Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: paladin on Jun 25 15 01:46
Cars are fitted with a catalytic converter nowadays so there should be no toxic gases coming from it.
It used to be quite popular once to stick a pipe on the end of the exhaust and poke it through the car window while
you sat in the car contemplating the meaning of life but the cat converters put a stop to that.
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: TehBorken on Jun 25 15 10:03
Quote from: paladin on Jun 25 15 01:46
Cars are fitted with a catalytic converter nowadays so there should be no toxic gases coming from it.
It used to be quite popular once to stick a pipe on the end of the exhaust and poke it through the car window while you sat in the car contemplating the meaning of life but the cat converters put a stop to that.

Don't catalytic converters also spew dihydrogen monoxide out into the environment? That stuff is super toxic.
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: paladin on Jun 25 15 11:44
Don't know about that, I thought the idea of them was to stop the toxic gases escaping.  :-\
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: Gopher on Jun 26 15 03:07
I wish mine would. :(
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: paladin on Jun 26 15 04:24
What car do you have Unc?
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: Gopher on Jun 27 15 12:22
I don't. ;)
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: paladin on Jun 27 15 08:29
You are a wise man  :)
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: Gopher on Jun 27 15 11:01
It's my social conscience.
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: Russ on Oct 16 15 10:30
Quote from: TehBorken on Jun 25 15 10:03
Don't catalytic converters also spew dihydrogen monoxide out into the environment? That stuff is super toxic.


A cat converter helps reduce toxic gases from the exhaust, but there is still enough being produced. Thus if someone really wanted to run a car in a garage, it would still do them in.
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: Lil Me on Dec 04 15 04:32
I giggle every time BC Ferries calls someone back to the car deck because their car is still running.  I'm not sure how people get distracted and forget to shut off the car.  Keyless ignition maybe?!
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: Russ on Dec 08 15 04:45
Quote from: Lil Me on Dec 04 15 04:32
I giggle every time BC Ferries calls someone back to the car deck because their car is still running.  I'm not sure how people get distracted and forget to shut off the car.  Keyless ignition maybe?!


Ive always found people that run their cars partway through cause they're idiots. It amazes me how many do, roll up their windows and crank the AC or Heat. Dont pay attention to the others around them.
Car alarms too.. Not enough people get a visit from Darwin.
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: BlueSky on Feb 10 16 02:53
Do you have to be in the car to start a keyless ignition car or can you just press a button on the keys?
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: TehBorken on Feb 12 16 09:44
You have to be near the car, normally within 10 feet or so from what I've seen.

Quote from: BlueSky on Feb 10 16 02:53
Do you have to be in the car to start a keyless ignition car or can you just press a button on the keys?
Title: Re: A problem with keyless ignitions...?
Post by: Russ on Oct 29 16 04:38
Quote from: TehBorken on Feb 12 16 09:44
You have to be near the car, normally within 10 feet or so from what I've seen.


I dont know the distance for the keyless ignition part, never thought about it actually.


Remote start on the other hand, can just be done from a button on your remote. Just depends on what is in the way of the vehicle for distance.