Hey guys,

I noticed that my gas pedal feel "sticky" but not in a way that causes surges in acceleration. Rather, it feels physically sticky and has resistance when I step on the gas pedal, kinda like when a bicycle's V-brake cable is dirty, you feel it in the brakes levers. Put differently, stepping on my gas pedal almost feels like there are notches rather than being continuous.

Any ideas what might cause this and how to fix it?


Thanks!!

 

A dirty throttle plate and throttle bore will cause this problem. Clean w/ throttle body cleaner and old toothbrush, wipe dry w/ clean cloth.

Suggest also disconnected idle air control valve and cleaning inlet screen, movement, and outlet. It's on the rear side of throttle body.

good luck

 

Disconnect the cable from the throttle body & check the smooth action of the cable itself. It might be EXACTLY like bike brakes - sticking cable because of corrosion or dirt?

 

Thanks for the replies. So I cleaned the cable (sprayed a little lithium grease too) and throttle body (with tb/carb cleaner), and it's improved but still present.

One thing I noticed is that even after thoroughly cleaning the tb, there are times when the butterfly "clicks" into place. That's precisely when I need to "unclick" it with the gas pedal (the click is only felt when I pull on the cable, not when the butterfly shuts). Also, this only happens on occasion (at least once every drive).

Any suggestions?

 

The bushings that the throttle plate shaft rotates on may be worn allowing throttle plate to jam. This is speculation, but seems possible. Check that plate can be moved up/down w/ some slack.

A used throttle body might be easiest way to fix. I checked ebay and found one for $30.

good luck

 

I'd have a go at cleaning the TB again. Use an old toothbrush and be sure to get both sides and edges of the butterfly. Also the "housing" where the butterfly would seat.

Then as suggested, $30 for a used one isn't bad and not that hard to change....just be real sure to get the proper connectors to the TPS and MAP sensor, they can be switched.

 

I gave the tb a really good scrub top and bottom with a toothbrush. I even cleaned the hinges that hold the butterfly. To me, it feels like the click isn't caused by dirt, but it's as if the tb has a notch.

Also, I peeked into the tb as I was cleaning it and it looks like there's a gouge behind the butterfly. Maybe it is time to replace it afterall....

 

Any chance adjusting the idle speed very slightly might correct this problem? I'm thinking of adjusting it just enough that the butterfly closes, but not enough to "click".

Any thoughts?

 

You're not supposed to ever change the throttle plate, idle stop setting. Idle is adjusted by changing the idle air bypass bleed screw setting on TDC of throttle body inlet.

It is possible that throttle plate, idle stop setting is improper. You could disconnect idle air control valve, adjust idle stop setting to ~ 550 rpm. Then reconnect IACV, disconnect evap cannister purge valve, fully warm engine, and reset idle speed w/ idle air bypass screw to 700 +/- 50 rpm.

Note, there is no shop procedure that I saw to reset throttle plate idle stop screw setting, and only my suggestion of a procedure.

Suggest a download shop manual from automanualsource.com to guide work.

good luck

 

Before doing anything thing else make sure that there is no bristle from the brush stuck along the two pivot points. Secondly, sometimes the shaft and spring assembly on the exterior of the TB shaft/spring gets gummed up and can cause it to stick. Clean it with TB cleaner and lubricate it with ATF then work it manually. If that does not solve the problem then disconnect the cable at both ends and check that it moves freely with little resistance.