# Can you turn the ignition off while moving?



## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

I can flip the key off (not to lock) and still have brakes and power steering all the way to a stop. Gotta say, the power steering is nice to have. Same thing if you just stall the engine. 

As I'm a manual, it will restart at any time as long as the clutch pedal is in. 

If you turned it all the way to lock and removed the key, it would probably actually lock the steering wheel, although I don't know why someone would do that.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

So how is it that the power brakes continue to work when the engine is off? Does that power assist also work off some electric pump?

It really is great to at least have the power steering work... and I agree, that in the event of a engine stall, that is most likely a huge safety gain.

I'm still a little surprised that the steering doesn't lock when the push button ignition is turned off... I'm glad it doesn't , but it leaves me wondering, exactly when, or under what conditions the steering actually does lock up on a LTZ.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

The turbo engines (and probably the 1.8 too) have a vacuum assist pump for the brake boosted that provides vacuum at high idle or low intake manifold conditions. If you put the car in accessory mode and pump the brake pedal a few times, you can hear it running.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> I can flip the key off (not to lock) and still have brakes and power steering all the way to a stop. Gotta say, the power steering is nice to have. Same thing if you just stall the engine.
> 
> As I'm a manual, it will restart at any time as long as the clutch pedal is in.
> 
> If you turned it all the way to lock and removed the key, it would probably actually lock the steering wheel, although I don't know why someone would do that.


The manuals will also restart if you pop the clutch. As for removing the key while moving - it'll be some airhead who really shouldn't be driving and they'll find an ambulance chaser to file some asinine lawsuit against GM for not preventing their stupidity. One note - restarting the engine at high speed will trigger the stabilitrak system because it's not programmed to check the vehicle speed.


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## au201 (May 18, 2013)

iggy said:


> So how is it that the power brakes continue to work when the engine is off? Does that power assist also work off some electric pump?
> 
> It really is great to at least have the power steering work... and I agree, that in the event of a engine stall, that is most likely a huge safety gain.
> 
> I'm still a little surprised that the steering doesn't lock when the push button ignition is turned off... I'm glad it doesn't , but it leaves me wondering, exactly when, or under what conditions the steering actually does lock up on a LTZ.


As the person above said, the cruzen have an electronic brake booster...booster...lol. It's to assist the normal brake booster that runs off the vacuum pressure because the 1.4 doesn't create much vacuum. Also, I would imagine that the only time the steering would lock up on the LTZ is when the car is not moving and the shifter is in park. That makes the most sense to me...can you lock it while parked?


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Yes, the stabilitrak warning was something I got at one point when I was doing this, the engine started just fine after that and the warning went away. 

as for the last post who mentioned that the steering column won't likely lock until stopped and in park... I will a have to check to see if that's the case, I agree that's the logical point where you'd lock the steering, but at this point I can't confirm that is the case ( I hope that's they way it's done ).

So far the only thing that kinda was disappointing , was the time when I tried to quickly double press the ignition, then found I had to hit the brake after that to get it to start. I would have preferred to be able to restart the car with either a single button push, or two very quick pushes. I mean, if you were to accidentally(or otherwise) turn off your car while rolling, it would be nice to be able to restart it as quickly as possible.


obermd said:


> The manuals will also restart if you pop the clutch. As for removing the key while moving - it'll be some airhead who really shouldn't be driving and they'll find an ambulance chaser to file some asinine lawsuit against GM for not preventing their stupidity. One note - restarting the engine at high speed will trigger the stabilitrak system because it's not programmed to check the vehicle speed.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

I haven't tried turning the engine off while moving in my Cruze, bud I did once on a main road in a 1 ton flat top. As I was driving at 60kph suddenly the temperature warning light came on as did the alternator light so I knew the fan belt was gone and trying to stop engine damage I turned the key off. Unfortunately in this vehicle the steering lock came on when you turned the key off 1 extra notch, 2 notches was for accessories. Scared the heck out of me as I was drifting onto the wrong side of the road. I managed to sort things out, but only just in time. 

My diesel Cruze has hydraulic steering so I suppose it would just get heavy but still work.


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## iggy (Feb 14, 2013)

Ok, further investigation on my 2013 LTZ shows...

There is no steering column locking mechanism. Before even starting the car, you can turn the steering wheel, but there is no power steering. 

Power steering doesn't work bellow some speed. That is, if your rolling above some certain speed, the power steering seems to work as it would when the engine is running, however if you drop bellow some slow speed, it stops working. I don't know what the speed is, because the speedometer isn't displaying any speed. Before someone says that it wasn't working at higher speeds either and I didn't notice because I was moving along, I know what it feels like when the power steering isn't working, and it does work until you reach about... 2 or 3 miles per hour. Also, whatever this speed threshold is, after you've slowed to that point, you also have to touch the brake to get the car to start, but above that speed, you don't have to touch the brake to start it.


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## au201 (May 18, 2013)

iggy said:


> Ok, further investigation on my 2013 LTZ shows...
> 
> There is no steering column locking mechanism. Before even starting the car, you can turn the steering wheel, but there is no power steering.
> 
> Power steering doesn't work bellow some speed. That is, if your rolling above some certain speed, the power steering seems to work as it would when the engine is running, however if you drop bellow some slow speed, it stops working. I don't know what the speed is, because the speedometer isn't displaying any speed. Before someone says that it wasn't working at higher speeds either and I didn't notice because I was moving along, I know what it feels like when the power steering isn't working, and it does work until you reach about... 2 or 3 miles per hour. Also, whatever this speed threshold is, after you've slowed to that point, you also have to touch the brake to get the car to start, but above that speed, you don't have to touch the brake to start it.


Ok yeah I had a sneaking suspicion that push button start cars didnt lock the steering wheel. I seem to remember it from the time I drove a Cadillac. And the behavior you describe with power steering working above 2 or 3 mph is exactly the same as us key start people XD. 




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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

The power assist in my ECO MT drops to near nothing at walking pace. Anything above that and I have power assist on the steering.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

[h=1]Can you turn the ignition off while moving?[/h]
Good idea if that throttle by wire goes crazy and gives full throttle. Wonder why some Toyota owners didn't do this rather than run into somebody else.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I occasionaly shut the engine down, if I get stopped at the beginning of a very long light. Since the car has the switch ignition, it starts up immediately. I am just uncertain how much if any gas I could be saving by doing so. With the Fuel Injection, I don't believe the car dumps a bunch of fuel at start up when warm unlike "carbuerated" cars. I could be wrong but that is my idea anyway. I would not suggest Turning the ignition off when moving for the simple fact that if you turn it too far, you could lock the wheel.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

NickD said:


> *Can you turn the ignition off while moving?*
> 
> 
> Good idea if that throttle by wire goes crazy and gives full throttle. Wonder why some Toyota owners didn't do this rather than run into somebody else.


Because they never really learned to drive. Pointing the car down the road and hoping nothing will go wrong seems to be all most Americans do when it comes to driving.


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## ChrisWorldPeace (Jun 24, 2013)

No lol I've tried


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

obermd said:


> Because they never really learned to drive. Pointing the car down the road and hoping nothing will go wrong seems to be all most Americans do when it comes to driving.


Yeah, know of one where the microcontroller went crazy causing the torque converter to lock up causing an accident. When all they had to do was to turn off the key. 

Got me to wondering if controlling an AT with a silly-con diode and flashram is a good idea. Another good reason for buying an MT. 

Can let my Cruze coast down my driveway, ease out the clutch in 3rd gear, then hit the clutch when the engine starts for a lower gear. Try this with an AT. If the starter goes dead, so are you.


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

Speaking of MT cars, I have on at least 3 occasions and in 3 different cars found it necessary to drive without the clutch pedal having any de clutching action at all. My question is "can a modern MT be started in gear to get the car moving so you can do clutchless gear changes to get your self home"?


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