Stiff gas pedal / throttle

Discuss any maintenance you've done to your Vibe & Matrix and ask how to perform maintenance on your vehicle
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rspierz
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:30 am

Stiff gas pedal / throttle

Post by rspierz »

I replaced my intake manifold gasket this past weekend. Disconnected the battery, torqued nuts to 22 lbs. except for the middle one which I could get the torque wrench into so I turned that one a quarter past snug. I think I did everything correctly, but I would like to know why my gas pedal became a bit stiffer, and if it is possible to adjust it?

I have an 04 base fwd drive.

Thanks,
rs
lannvouivre
Posts: 1601
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:00 pm
Location: Texas yay

Re: Stiff gas pedal / throttle

Post by lannvouivre »

Is it drive by cable? If so, double-check the routing of the throttle cables. They may be hanging on something. It may even have a dirty throttle plate.

If yours is drive by wire, uh...I don't know?

We would appreciate if you mentioned the year and trim (GT or base).
"If you don't love me at my diddliest, you don't deserve me at my doodliest." - User ktluvscricket of reddit
rspierz
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:30 am

Re: Stiff gas pedal / throttle

Post by rspierz »

Here's a Pic of the engine, when I took the manifold off. As mentioned in the first post it's a 2004 base vibe. The throttle plate is clean as I inspected that when I replaced the gasket on the manifold.

I'm not sure about the routing of the throttle cables, hopefully the picture is of some assistance.
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engine.jpg
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lannvouivre
Posts: 1601
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:00 pm
Location: Texas yay

Re: Stiff gas pedal / throttle

Post by lannvouivre »

That's quite a bit of rust. Try opening the throttle plate using the bit that the cable is attached to. If it moves freely, I would strongly suspect the throttle cable is rusty enough to be hanging up inside of its sleeve. The routing does look fine. I can't help too much here, I have never worked on throttle cables. Need input from someone who has experience.

If the throttle cable is too rusty, the cruise control cable and parking break cables may also need inspecting/cleaning/replacing. I don't live around salt and the rust it brings and really wouldn't know what to do in this situation.
"If you don't love me at my diddliest, you don't deserve me at my doodliest." - User ktluvscricket of reddit
Nasmfell
Posts: 364
Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2013 5:48 pm

Re: Stiff gas pedal / throttle

Post by Nasmfell »

lannvouivre wrote:That's quite a bit of rust. Try opening the throttle plate using the bit that the cable is attached to. If it moves freely, I would strongly suspect the throttle cable is rusty enough to be hanging up inside of its sleeve. The routing does look fine. I can't help too much here, I have never worked on throttle cables. Need input from someone who has experience.

If the throttle cable is too rusty, the cruise control cable and parking break cables may also need inspecting/cleaning/replacing. I don't live around salt and the rust it brings and really wouldn't know what to do in this situation.

..yes you would, with that much rust, you'd try to sell and get something else.
lannvouivre
Posts: 1601
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 1:00 pm
Location: Texas yay

Re: Stiff gas pedal / throttle

Post by lannvouivre »

Nasmfell wrote:..yes you would, with that much rust, you'd try to sell and get something else.
...Geez, it's not THAT bad. Lots of customers bring in cars that look far worse and run fine (vehicles brought in for maintenance or rust-unrelated issues). I was only referring to the rust on cables since I imagine they ALL look like that at this point. This car is the easiest-to-work-on vehicle I have ever dealt with, so I don't imagine removing the cables for the throttle (gas and cruise control if equipped) and e-brake would be too bad.

Other cables I would consider inspecting at the hood release and gas lid release. They might be fine because they're in more protected areas inside of the fender and running along the inside of the car, but I'd check their business ends. Maybe you know to do this, but you may want to inspect other areas of the car (underside and hidden parts of body panels) for places needing a bit of TLC (sand and spot-paint) to prevent parts from rusting through.

From my experience, surface rust like this isn't a big deal, just I've never seen this much on a Vibe before.
"If you don't love me at my diddliest, you don't deserve me at my doodliest." - User ktluvscricket of reddit
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