gas pedal sticking and whine from the rear

[04gtdrop]

ok, guys. i got 2 problems. i noticed both today. on my way to work i noticed that my gas pedal is starting to stick. if i let off at all the second i put my foot on it, its slightly stuck, so i have to press kind of hard and then it revs to high. has anyone else had this problem? what would make it stick ?


2nd prob: i heard a slighty whine on my way home on the freeway. its hard to hear over the exhaust. but it sound like its coming from the rear of the car. My guess is gears or fuel pump. now the whine seems like it gets louder as the RPMs go up, but im not sure.

so what do you guys think about these two issues? what can i do to fix the sticking gas pedal? and what could that whine be? any suggestions or thoughts?


thanks a bunch guys.

ohhhh if it helps she is a 2004 GT 5 spd vert with 23k miles.

 

[crazynorwegian]

for the gas pedal I would check the cable for kinks, and make sure there is nothing rubbing against the lever on the throttle body. you can also move the lever with your hand and see if the mechanism is sticking.

 

[forpit2000gt]

are you sure the floormat is not causing a problem?
check the rearend and make sure there are no leaks. How many miles on car?

 

[04gtdrop]

ok, its got 23k miles on. she just got gears put in about 1-2 months ago. 3.73's. theyhave about 3-4k miles on them.


also i pop'd the hood and check the cable to the T/B. and it seemed fine, i looked at the pedal and nothing seems to be block it. the carpet is out of the way... i'm not sure what could be causing this.... anyone else have any other ideas? thanks guys

 

[timeless2]

Lube the throttle assembly (TB, cable, etc) with a silcone spray.

 

[twogts4us]

Lube the throttle assembly (TB, cable, etc) with a silcone spray.

The only problem with that is it'll attract all kinds of dust, dirt, crud and crap. (I know firsthand!) So, I cleaned off all that lube and used powdered graphite (at the hardware store where they cut keys...used to lube door locks). 04GTdrop, I had the same exact problem with the gas pedal that you've described...it's just a sticky cable...hard to exactly pinpoint by hand, but very noticable when trying to just touch the throttle with your foot, right?

 

[97gtblue]

i have the same problem with my gas pedal getting stuck all the time

i have to drive it like i stole it

my readend whines to it wasnt shimmed right

 

[04gtdrop]

The only problem with that is it'll attract all kinds of dust, dirt, crud and crap. (I know firsthand!) So, I cleaned off all that lube and used powdered graphite (at the hardware store where they cut keys...used to lube door locks). 04GTdrop, I had the same exact problem with the gas pedal that you've described...it's just a sticky cable...hard to exactly pinpoint by hand, but very noticable when trying to just touch the throttle with your foot, right?

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss thats the issue i'm having. whats the deal? how do i fix it? and it only stickys on the first part of the pedal. you know like the first 16th of an inch of pressure. does that make sense?

 

[timeless2]

The only problem with that is it'll attract all kinds of dust, dirt, crud and crap. (I know firsthand!) So, I cleaned off all that lube and used powdered graphite (at the hardware store where they cut keys...used to lube door locks). 04GTdrop, I had the same exact problem with the gas pedal that you've described...it's just a sticky cable...hard to exactly pinpoint by hand, but very noticable when trying to just touch the throttle with your foot, right?

OK, maybe I should revise my instructions to "not saturate the points/parts you are lubricating; rather, apply sparingly as to not attract coarse elements such as dust, etc".

I've never had problems with accumulation and the like, but then again, I don't go many places where dust is a large problem and I usually clean my car like a madman each Saturday when my son is napping.

 

[twogts4us]

OK, maybe I should revise my instructions to "not saturate the points/parts you are lubricating; rather, apply sparingly as to not attract coarse elements such as dust, etc".

I've never had problems with accumulation and the like, but then again, I don't go many places where dust is a large problem and I usually clean my car like a madman each Saturday when my son is napping.

Well here in FL, sand is just everywhere...that's my problem with a wet lube.

 

[twogts4us]

Yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss thats the issue i'm having. whats the deal? how do i fix it? and it only stickys on the first part of the pedal. you know like the first 16th of an inch of pressure. does that make sense?

100% exactly the same problem. I like dry graphite, but spray silicone will do the same. What I did was disconn the throttle cable, lift it up (so the lube will 'run down' inside the cable) and give it a 'lube job'! Work it back and forth quite a bit to circulate it...it may take a couple of attempts, but that's your issue...it's the cable sticking.

 

[04gtdrop]

ok great. so it sounds like i will need to go buy some silicone. what do i ask for at the auto parts store? also i see two cables that connect to the T/B. which one do i lube down? and how much or far do i go? lube the whole thing? lube the part of the cable that connects to the t/b ? thanks

 

[timeless2]

ok great. so it sounds like i will need to go buy some silicone. what do i ask for at the auto parts store? also i see two cables that connect to the T/B. which one do i lube down? and how much or far do i go? lube the whole thing? lube the part of the cable that connects to the t/b ? thanks

Don't get crazy with it, just light little sprays where the cable comes out toward the TB. You'll know where to shoot--just work the throttle body with your hand as if though you were hitting the accelerator pedal. If the spray can you are using came with a small straw, point it down the cable housing/insulation and shoot a couple of small bursts down it.

Repeat this after letting everything soak for about 5 minutes or so (enough time to slam a beer) and then work the accelerator pedal.

If you did the graphite as twogts4us suggested, you may have to work harder to get it down into the insulation/cabling.

Let us know how you faired and if it fixed the issue.

 

[04gtdrop]

will do, thanks guys. i hope it works. i'll have to do it on sat night.

 

[twogts4us]

See my pic attached. I found some value in disconnecting the throttle cable and holding it skyward to motivate the lube down the cable. It's really simple, no tools needed. Just open the throttle completely to get some slack in the cable - then pull the cable from the black plastic track it rides in and push it to the rear of the engine. After that you can slide the throttle cable end out of its 'holder'. I swear once you actually do this, you go, "Oh, this is so easy".

 

[timeless2]

See my pic attached. I found some value in disconnecting the throttle cable and holding it skyward to motivate the lube down the cable. It's really simple, no tools needed. Just open the throttle completely to get some slack in the cable - then pull the cable from the black plastic track it rides in and push it to the rear of the engine. After that you can slide the throttle cable end out of its 'holder'. I swear once you actually do this, you go, "Oh, this is so easy".

No pic, mang!

 

[1fast03pony]

i kinda like a gas pedal that requires some effort
if its too soft it gives me a psychological impression that the engine is weak

 

[twogts4us]

i kinda like a gas pedal that requires some effort
if its too soft it gives me a psychological impression that the engine is weak

Yeah, you're psycho alright...
It's not an issue with high effort on the gas pedal, it's the pedal getting stuck just above idle, so, essentially, when you, like, pull away from a stoplight and try to be gentle (yeah, it happens every once in a while ), the driver cannot modulate the thottle cleanly, gently, with finesse...and suddenly the soccer dad in the PT Cruiser in the lane next to ya is thinking you're trying to shut him down.

 

[1fast03pony]

Yeah, you're psycho alright...
It's not an issue with high effort on the gas pedal, it's the pedal getting stuck just above idle, so, essentially, when you, like, pull away from a stoplight and try to be gentle (yeah, it happens every once in a while ), the driver cannot modulate the thottle cleanly, gently, with finesse...and suddenly the soccer dad in the PT Cruiser in the lane next to ya is thinking you're trying to shut him down.

haha i understand now

i thought you were talking about effort

:damnit:

 

[twogts4us]

No pic, mang!

Aww crap - I hate when I do that - OK, here be da pic.