Sticky gas pedal question

Totally agree with Rob. Mine is very smooth (as butter).

 

The WD in WD40 stands for water displacement. It's not a great lubricant, as it isn't designed to lubricate, rather to protect from moisture.

I would use a dry graphite based spray lube in that application.

Also check your cable routing in the engine bay to ensure the cable has a nice smooth radius from the bulkhead to the front cam cover. And check the final linkage to FI system to make sure it's not hanging up at that end.

 

Yes getting to the cable from both ends would be good. I look at WD40 more as a cleaner and penetrant but not a lube. You could start with that but then spray with a dry graphite or silicone based spray lube at each of the cable housing end will be helpful.

 

For wet lubricants, Automatic Transmission Fluid is one of the best in my experience for cable and throttle linkage.

 

In my experience it is almost never the cable. It is plastic lined and never personally ever seen one not perfectly smooth.
If it is the cable the picture is of a cable luber sold on Amazon among other places. It clamps around the cable in a self explanatory fashion and the plastic spray pipe goes in a hole and will spray lubricant INTO the cable. It will leak so hold with paper towell.
Again, doubt it will fix the problem.

Sticky throttles happen for 3 reasons.
1. Carpet interfering with pedal.
2. Pedal itself. It has a pivot pin and bushing. Gets crap in it. Needs to be removed, cleaned and relubed. Very easy. Comes out with 2 bolts and a cable clip.
3. Pivot bolt and bushing on throttle body. Not a big deal either.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I would consider also cleaning/lubricating the throttle control lever (where the throttle cable attaches under the intake plenum). My gas pedal was “sticky” and cleaning this up helped a lot.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

addendum: missed Rifledriver’s

 

Or your cable could be frayed.

 

One more thing:

Myth: WD-40 Multi-Use Product is not really a lubricant.

Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, WD-40 Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement, and soil removal. It works great as a lubricant while blocking corrosion, etc. I've used it successfully since the 50s; yes, I'm old.

 

Probably not your cable. Check the bolt on the throttle arm at intake plenum. If it gets loose it causes this symptom.

 

Throttle return spring under the Plenum.
I have also seen a throttle cable hang up on the clamps to the hoses under the Plenum.

 

Nobody likes modern silicone lubricants with Teflon??

 

ATF is best for throttle linkage / pivots in my experience. Prevents binding and lasts a very long time.

 

See my first post in this ancient thread: Today’s Obscure Maintenance Requirement – Throttle Pedal Lubrication! | FerrariChat

Which in turn references the excellent pictures which are shown in this thread: Detailing of throttle pedal | FerrariChat

Once I discovered this, it was one of those "Who Knew?" moments.

DM

 

They fray and break at the ends where the inner cable is exposed. Not inside of the outer tube.

 

You might find this thread helpful: 328 sticky accelerator pedal | FerrariChat. My experience and fix is described in post #15

 

Literally got my car back last week with this exact issue. Take it apart, clean it, grease it, good to go.

 

I can confirm this.

Guess why

 

My clutch pedal does this. Same behavior

Apparently I have gotten used to it to the point that when I drove a friend's 328 I posted a question here just last year asking about the difference between a 308 and 328 linkage. I was even wondering if a 328 was hydraulic.

 

Usually its the cable with a burr or kink in the cable - inside the housing. they get that way after age. all ideas here are valid. the throttle gears get tons of carpet fibers in them over the years along with gunk and dirt, you could easily have something binding in there. as for the throttle housing that is pretty straight forward, and you can isolate if its the cable /pedal or the actual throttle its self. good luck. I had mine replaced that had a kink in it and it was smoother but still stiffer than one would expect... but it was smooth. while in there lube up the clutch pinion on the top of the pedal assembly - my used to squeek in warm weather. I used graphite in there.

 

It isn't really "tight" per se
Just very slightly "sticky" for lack of a better word during the initial movement only. Very slight - just not real smooth. You have to feel it to know what I mean but it has been like this forever. It feels like the pivot linkage and nothing more.