What is the function of this red button under the dashboard?
Sorry for the very newbie question.
Carlos
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Most likely highbeam and lowbeam switch.
It could also be the passenger ejection switch. It really depends on who built it.
All this time I thought the injection button was hidden in the shifter
On mine it arms the "oil slick" device.
Like Carlos G said, it could be anything. It's not a usual switch placement for something in particular as far as I've seen.
See, I couldn't have a mysterious red button on my car. I would have pushed it twelve times before the thought that I shouldn't be pushing would pass through my head.
After pushing it a few more times, I would post here.
I’m going with emergency flashers.
Ignition cut off or electric fuel pump switch (prevent theft)? Fire suppression system?
It is also entirely possible that it is a fuel prime switch. Some cars the fuel pump only runs if there is a tach signal or oil pressure. This momentary switch could easily be used to run the pump and fill the float bowls enough to start the car, should they ever run dry.
His car is a Vintage, I believe built by Greg and that is what Greg uses for the highbeam lowbeam switch.
Only other thing that occurs to me is windshield washer pump.
@Michael Pickett posted:Only other thing that occurs to me is windshield washer pump.
You meant to say "blinker fluid pump", right?
Why don't you just push it and find out?
@Panhandle Bob posted:Why don't you just push it and find out?
Of course we didn't give you the nickname "Calamity Bob" for nothing, now did we?
Anybody on here old enough (and/or "Geek" enough) to have played "Adventure" on computers back in the late 1970's?
There was a point in the game when, in describing a room, there was a button or switch on the wall with a label that said; "Do Not Push This Switch"
No one I knew could resist pushing the button. Nobody.
Depending on how you had gotten to the room, different things would happen if it was pushed, some good, some bad. I always hoped for "Magic Happens" and then end up in a totally different room....."PooF!"
Maybe the red button teleports you beyond the traffic snarls?
Lane:
Assuming you check for explosives etc. like on a James Bond vehicle, how bad could it be? Did it used to belong to an EOD Tech?
Come to think of it, don't take my previous advice.
get the old lady to try it first:}
@Carlos P OK, so what was it for, Carlos, we're running out of ideas.....
@Panhandle Bob posted:Why don't you just push it and find out?
X2.
Like Troy said, it is for the high beams. Greg just showed this to me last week on my car.
i will test out Friday, my Speeder is the mechanic for the fuel leak. So, friday morning I will test out :-)
regarding high beams: what would be the differences be with the low and high beam pull out knob on the dashboard?
c
I dunno Im usually asleep as it gets dark....but Im hell at 5AM
The gentleman identified himself as a newbie, and asked a question that was serious to him. Troy Sloan provided the first serious, classy answer to provide help. The rest of the drift was, or should have been, embarrassing for some of you. Troy...you continue to be a gentleman and a fountain of knowledge. I have a Vintage Speedster CA from Greg. and that is what the switch is for. You other guys, don't drink and get on the internet, and think about how you would feel if a posse started having fun at your expense. If I have a serious but perhaps awkward question exposing my lack of knowledge...I'm PM'ing Troy first. The rest of you, remember, you end up representing all of us.
Hey Idaho: Lighten up. I guess we'll all go stand in the corner for a while. Let us know when we can come out.
I remember an old thread where someone asked what a particular button did and the correct answer (before it got nasty) was "many of these cars are custom and that button could be anything....have you followed the wires?"
He didn't like it either. But perhaps if he started with providing who the manufacturer of his Speedster was....if he knows.
@Carlos P posted:i will test out Friday, my Speeder is the mechanic for the fuel leak. So, friday morning I will test out :-)
regarding high beams: what would be the differences be with the low and high beam pull out knob on the dashboard?
c
If you have a two-position headlight switch(most are), the first detent is parking/dash lights, at the second detent the headlights come on.
Hey @Idaho you're kinda right. I appreciate you calling us out. And thanks, @Troy Sloan for offering up the probably-right answer early in the going. @Carlos P, I hope you weren't offended by our weak attempts at levity. We all respect each other here but we're not always as careful and formal as we might be with new members.
So if we indeed got off on the wrong foot, I hope we can start fresh. If you'd like that, please press the red button...
History Eraser Button from Daniel Hook on Vimeo.
Idaho:
Despite your admonishment to the contrary, I don't represent anybody but myself. And, please don't presume that you represent me in any way.
This kind of thing happens on this site all the time. No harm is meant. Anybody who has been on here for awhile and asked a few questions has probably gotten a mix of serious and smart ass responses to at least one of them.
We have a pretty good time, often at each other's expense but rarely is it done in a cruel, demeaning or vindictive fashion. If it is, somebody will call it out.
If you have a problem, activate the old block button and poof, those of us that offend you all go away.
Trust me Bob, I don't presume to represent you in any way. But I called some of you out.
Wow.
I'm REALLY glad I didn't make a joke about the red button.
I've got a 9 year old special needs grandson (don't tell the others, but he's something of a favorite). He had an aneurism when he was 2 days old - he wasn't supposed to live, or ever be more than a vegetable. He did indeed live - and thrive. He's definitely "differently abled" to use the vernacular of our more sensitive (and less honest) times - which is a somewhat insulting way of saying that his brain has rewired itself around the damaged parts, forming new circuits in places that most of us never use. The little dude is amazing.
He can add and subtract roman numerals. He's a time savant - he LOVES clocks, and can tell you the time of day on September 21, 2019 when he saw Mia at the Pumpkin Festival and she smiled at him. He can tell you what day of the week June 2, 2020 was, or February 15, 2018.
He also doesn't like new things - REALLY doesn't like them. He doesn't like it when we're doing something new as a family and having a good time. If it's not familiar, and he's not in the center of it - he feels left out (even though he's not). He calls it, "no fun family time" and goes off to pout in the corner by himself. Eventually he decides the new thing is OK, and joins right in, but "no fun family time" has become something of a shorthand for inflexible folks who don't want to enjoy life in our family.
I feel like that's what we might be gliding towards here, and nobody wants that.
I hope we never let this place get to be like FB, where somebody posts a picture of their pride and joy and every idiot on the interweb tears it apart - but we have always shared a good time with each other, and often give each other a bit of a rough time because we're friends. I don't want this place to become mean and hard... but I sure hope we don't become another place where everyone takes offense at everything. In this day and age, the internet is all microagression-sensitive weenies or keyboard warriors - there's not a lot of thick skinned, good humored, friendly neighbors behind the screens in very many places. This has been one of them.
I've had the pleasure of meeting lots and lots of "imaginary interweb friends" from the SOC over the years. Panhandle Bob is probably the nicest guy any of you will ever meet. I've got no idea if you are a good guy, "Idaho", but I'm gonna' trust that you are. Getting to know one another a bit before assuming aggression was intended is a good thing. "Calling some of us out" is not something many of us aspire to. I'm not sure what's gained in doing it.
To the original question: I'd never seen the red button before, but it seems like a thing begging to be joked about (it's a red button, see? How much more perfect could it be?).
What do you say we just take a breather on this one?
On my vintage speedster it was headlight high beam low beam. there was a toggle switch with under the dash for fog lights
@Stan Galat I don’t know why by now, but you continue to amaze me. Well said.
@WNGD posted:I remember an old thread where someone asked what a particular button did and the correct answer (before it got nasty) was "many of these cars are custom and that button could be anything....have you followed the wires?"
He didn't like it either. But perhaps if he started with providing who the manufacturer of his Speedster was....if he knows.
Oh wow, I remember that 1- I made the suggestion to follow the wires to find out what they were attached to and boy, the sh!tstorm that followed! I was a great big a-hole for suggesting that he might be able to figure it out himself (heaven forbid he actually put a little bit of work into it), no amount of apologizing was enough (I still think it was a good plan but I was willing to eat a little crow just to make peace, but to no avail), and a few of you were a-holes for agreeing with/defending me. I told him I'd stay away from his conversations since my ideas weren't what he wanted to hear and then shortly after he stopped posting.
PS- @Stan Galat wrote- "I'm REALLY glad I didn't make a joke about the red button... To the original question: I'd never seen the red button before, but it seems like a thing begging to be joked about (it's a red button, see? How much more perfect could it be?)."
And now I remember why I was wary of this thread...
.
One thing I keep failing to learn is that, posting online, you never know when you might be pushing someone’s buttons.
@Sacto Mitch posted:.
One thing I keep failing to learn is that, posting online, you never know when you might be pushing someone’s buttons.
If you would've pushed it, we might've found out what it was for and we'd be talking about cake, or puppies by now.
My ex wife lives in Idaho. I blocked her too.
@Stan Galat Well said!!!!
We all have our own red buttons and I think someone pushed Idaho's a few too many times.
It's the Bright light switch for sure though!!!
Okay. If it's a switch for the lights, shouldn't it be yellow instead of red? Unless it's for the tail lights.
Let's get serious here.
Perfect. Perhaps the fitting conclusion to this mystery...
I believe and hope the OP returns to confirm what the button was for. At the end of the day, this site exists to help people and with all the kidding around, would have continued to fulfill its primary function.
Does this mean I shouldn't have labeled the switch/control for my heater and just let people guess as to what they do? Kinda adds to the mystique of a CMC Outlaw.
Something in my engineering background says that's wrong, but then I look at that $$$$$ Bentley and wonder......
"Ahhhh.... The Mystery Button! If you have to ask what it does, you probably couldn't afford it."
And don't the VS cars come with some sort of an owner's manual to tell them stuff like this? If not, why not? I have one for my CMC and I know that the Becks come with a manual. Just food for thought.
Ah, yes! REN and Stimpy! Now there's some brain cells I'll never get back.
I’m pretty sure the mystery has been solved so I’m going to tell my “red button” story.
During the last four years I’ve been at the sheriff’s office I have been in the training unit. Just after joining the team four years ago our new Lieutenant told the landlord of our building he needed to make some repairs as the building had been neglected for some time. As a result the office got new flooring, paint, bathroom upgrades, and a few other repairs. The Lieutenant also didn’t like the layout and office assignments so he moved some people around. Specifically he didn’t like that the Office Assistant was in the back of the building instead of up front where people came in. The room we were moving the OA into used to be a break room. Now, up until that time I’d been working at the sheriff’s office, which was about 20 years at that time, there has been a red button on the wall in the break room. Not a small button, a large button, sort of like what you’d see to launch rockets during a full on attack. No one has ever known what the button was for. The office used to be occupied by a lab of some type before the sheriff’s office moved in. So on the day we were moving furniture I walked in and out of that office probably 20 times. Every time I walked by that red button I wanted to push it, just to see what it did. Finally curiosity got the better of me and I pressed it. Power in the whole building shut off. Being that remodeling had gone on several times over the years there were at least three fuse panels that we could find. I checked them all but I could not find where the red button interrupted the main power. Anyway, the county sent out an electrician and they got the power restored the next day. The OA put up a picture of me next to the button and a note that read, “Don’t be this guy. Don’t press the red button”. We all got a pretty good laugh about it. I thought the Lieutenant was going to be pretty mad at me but he laughed about it and admitted he has always wanted to push the red button too but just couldn’t do it.
Sometimes you shouldn’t press the red button.
Indeed.
We had the same Big Red Button on the wall next to each of the access doors to our computer labs and they did the exact same thing - Punch the button and a big, Honkin' relay somewhere in the bowels of the building tripped and the whole lab (or building, if so configured) went down instantly. It was a state code because we had Halon foggers in the centers so if someone saw a fire or big-a$$ sparks, they could run and hit the button, killing the lab and turning on the emergency lighting so they could get out.
I would suspect that some time in the dark past, your room was an access point for a data center of some sort (or maybe a dispatch center with a lot of equipment).
We thought of labeling ours with "Don't push this button" in a bunch of different languages, but finally arrived at an illustration, instead.
We had over a hundred big systems running 24/7 tests in many of our labs so hitting that button interrupted all that and it could take days to recover and cost $$$$$ in lost testing. We were all highly encouraged to never touch them.
There was a Bar in Pasadena Ca. that had a big red button in both restrooms with a sign "DO NOT PUSH THIS BUTTON" ! Of course there is always someone who just Has To push it ! When they did, the whole ceiling would flash colored lights and speakers instantly started playing the theme song to 2001 Space Odyssey really loud both in the restroom and out in the bar. Needless to say what kind of reactions happened but everyone always clapped and yelled comments at the person when they came out, usually red-faced !...................Bruce
ha, learning here a lot. I was not aware that there are so many different set up in Speedsters! Now.... I can't wait to touch the red button! Tomorrow evening the Speedster is back, and the first thing I will do it touch the red button :-)
@Robert M posted:I’m pretty sure the mystery has been solved so I’m going to tell my “red button” story.
Sometimes you shouldn’t press the red button.
Hilarious story, Robert. I've always wanted to push the red button and must have mentioned it a few times. When a data center renovation was completed, the director gave me the big red button they replaced. I swear I looked at it 10 times while building the speedster and tried to think about where I could put it.
@Gordon Nichols posted:Indeed.
We had the same Big Red Button on the wall next to each of the access doors to our computer labs and they did the exact same thing - Punch the button and a big, Honkin' relay somewhere in the bowels of the building tripped and the whole lab (or building, if so configured) went down instantly. It was a state code because we had Halon foggers in the centers so if someone saw a fire or big-a$$ sparks, they could run and hit the button, killing the lab and turning on the emergency lighting so they could get out.
I would suspect that some time in the dark past, your room was an access point for a data center of some sort (or maybe a dispatch center with a lot of equipment).
We thought of labeling ours with "Don't push this button" in a bunch of different languages, but finally arrived at an illustration, instead.
We had over a hundred big systems running 24/7 tests in many of our labs so hitting that button interrupted all that and it could take days to recover and cost $$$$$ in lost testing. We were all highly encouraged to never touch them.
We had the same button in our hospital server room and a contractor pushed it one day. Crashed all the servers and set off the halon fire suppressor system. Created havoc in the entire hospital.
Had a friend in H.S. who was anal about buttons. He just HAD to see what they did!
So , I was working, installing 8 track car stereo's and built a little box just for him; push button, red light and fuse complete with a sign "Don't press the button". Guaranteed he couldn't help it. Pressed the button. Fuse blew, light went out...he was P.O's for a week.
His name was Tommy Gunn..no kiddin'. Characters in his family included Pop Gunn, Ray Gunn, Squirt Gunn and Susan. Really!
Myself, I'd just have pushed the red button and avoided all this....Just sayin'
hmmm, ive seen this big red button next to the gas pumps...
The speedster just got back home and first priority was: press the red button..... and indeed the highlights came on :-) :-)
Carlos
.
Thanks, Carlos, we can all breathe again.
You got a bunch of guys here about to turn blue.
.
@IaM-Ray posted:A teenager in high school says to himself... I wonder what would happen if I pull this....
My long widowed Aunt Lois Baer was about 112 when I was a kid (or seemed so, anyway). She looked very much like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, but she was a kindly woman and she loved me.
When I married Jeanie, she was loved by Aunt Lois as well. Jeanie would clean her house and visit with her initially, and eventually she would help her with personal care. When Aunt Lois moved to the nursing home, Jeanie visited her once a week.
She'd take my son with her (he was about 6 at the time), and he'd kind of roam the halls (to some extent), just exploring as kids did before we neutered their childhoods. Anyway, one day he was out in the hall, and looked up at a switch just like that one. He could read at the time, and the switch said, "Pull Down", so he did.
The poor kid had no idea. He was just doing what the sign said to do when all pandemonium broke loose. Imagine a couple hundred old people in walkers and wheelchairs being shuffled out of their room, out the door to stand on the sidewalk, and you've got the idea.
I had no heart or desire to punish him. He had no idea, and he'd already died a thousand deaths watching the whole thing unfold.
I love me a big red button/switch.
LOL, this is most engaging and fun community: the speedster community!
@Stan Galat posted:My long widowed Aunt Lois Baer was about 112 when I was a kid (or seemed so, anyway). She looked very much like The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, but she was a kindly woman and she loved me.
When I married Jeanie, she was loved by Aunt Lois as well. Jeanie would clean her house and visit with her initially, and eventually she would help her with personal care. When Aunt Lois moved to the nursing home, Jeanie visited her once a week.
She'd take my son with her (he was about 6 at the time), and he'd kind of roam the halls (to some extent), just exploring as kids did before we neutered their childhoods. Anyway, one day he was out in the hall, and looked up at a switch just like that one. He could read at the time, and the switch said, "Pull Down", so he did.
The poor kid had no idea. He was just doing what the sign said to do when all pandemonium broke loose. Imagine a couple hundred old people in walkers and wheelchairs being shuffled out of their room, out the door to stand on the sidewalk, and you've got the idea.
I had no heart or desire to punish him. He had no idea, and he'd already died a thousand deaths watching the whole thing unfold.
I love me a big red button/switch.
A man child after my own heart, and in early teenage hood at 6
Ray...You used the word "Hood". I haven't heard that used in a long time ! I never understood the connection to the description it was used to describe. It seems that now days a "Hoodie" has some similar meaning though....Interesting........Bruce
Access to this requires a premium membership.
Supporting members have donated about $4.00 a month ($49.00 US per year) paid annually.
AUTO RENEW: You membership will auto-renew after 12 months. If you prefer not to auto-renew, you can cancel your premium membership at any time and it will remain in effect until the end of the 12 months. To cancel, sign in at SpeedsterOwners.com and navigate to: (Your User Name) > Premium Membership.
PLEASE NOTE: Your credit card will receive a charge from CROWDSTACK PAY, the payment processor, not SpeedsterOwners.com.