Stuck accelerator cable

[erdonline]

I tried to leave work last night and when I started the '87 Vanagon w/ manual trans, the pedal seemed stuck. I gave it a little more pressure and then it went to the floor. I checked the throttle at the engine and it wouldn't move. It was in the teens and single digits last night so I thought some water got in there somewhere and then froze.



I was able to get the van into a heated garage nearby today and I took the cover off where the pedal mechanism goes underneath to the cable. All seemed ok- no water, nothing frozen. Just to be safe I cleaned it up and put some grease on everything under the cover and replaced it. I also lubed it at the throttle.



I went home and did a few more things and went to leave again a few hours later- with the same problem! Pedal goes to the floor and stays there. What am I missing? Could something be sticking on the cover over the linkage underneath? While I'm at work I put a heater inside and a lamp underneath aimed at the cover over the linkage to see what that does. If that does it, what was frozen. If not, where else should I look?



I've had too many problems already with this van. I'm getting too frustrated.



Thanks,

Ed in (now cold) CT

[Wildthings]

As I understand it you can't get the shaft in the throttle body to rotate when you twist it by hand? If so then there must be something stuck inside the throttle body. Never heard of a freezing problem in this location, but I can see how it could happen. You get some icing on the surfaces while it is running and then the ice melts after shutdown with the melt water refreezing around the shaft locking it. Try just dumping a coffee can of hot water on the throttle body and see if that will loosen it up.

[need2boat]

I would stay away from the use of hot water to loosen anything in these teens. I just haven't had that many issues with the cable so I can't give much advise. If you think it's frozen the I would try deicer. It might be a kink in the cable? or it's getting hooked something inside the cable housing.

JFF
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1987 Syncro Adventurewagen: Vincent Van-Go

1998 SAAB 900 SE Coupe: Black Swan

[riceye]

Try to enlist the help of another. You stand back near the rear, with your attention focused on the throttle body and tail end of your cable. Your helper is in the driver's seat.

Temporarily remove the stopper at the end of the cable. Open the throttle valve by hand while holding the cable away, and note if returns smoothly.

Next have your helper press and release the accelerator so you can be the "return spring" at the rear. Should be a consistantly smooth motion - no hanging up. If it is hanging up, then you will need to identify if the cable itself is sticking, or if it is in the pedal linkage.

Water freezing inside the cable would be my guess. While it can be lubed to displace the water, a new one is only $20, and yours is probably 20 years old.

I'd say replace it, being sure to leave about 1mm of slop between the throttle lever and the cable clamping bolt. And take the time to clean out the area surrounding the accelerator pivot, and the forward linkage (although it sounds like you have already done this). Crud likes to collect there.

Good luck!
_________________
'87 Westy Weekender - daily driver on salt-free roads

There's gonna be some changes made.

“I find that things usually go well right up until the moment they don't.” - Ahwahnee

"Quality isn't method. It's the goal toward which the method is aimed." - Socrates, later quoted by R.M. Pirsig

[m2008s]

sometimes if the little idler screw is turned all the way in it seems to lock up, check it out. probably not your case but you never know. mine was like that when i bought it

[foodeater]

I had a cable on my old A/C van that was frayed in the middle inside the housing. it would get stuck somtimes. changed the cable and all was well again.
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89 Bluestar-2.5 Subaru Powered-RIP
'84 Westy Tiico-daily driver-sold
'82 Caddy diesel-sold
'87 Vanagon Syncro-RIP
'81 diesel rabbit-sold
'82 Vanagon auto-RIP

[RevKevin]

I used to have a similar problem with my Quattro's brake cables in freezing weather. If you can get your hands on a needle and syringe you can fill it with thin lubricating oil like PB Blaster or WD-40 and squirt it into the cable tubing on the pedal end and the throttle housing end if it seems like the problem with the cable itself getting stuck.

The same trick works for unfreezing stuck brake cables on bikes due to rust or dirt.

[wavanagon]

[slyder]

I had a similar problem with my throttle cable sticking. I lubed it at the throttle body and at the accelerator. But neither helped. Crawled under the van and noticed it was sticking in the linkage over the tranny. Have a look at the linkage around the tranny and spray it down with a penetrating lube. I then put some grease on mine and haven't had a problem since. Let us know if this helps

I almost missed a corner one time when the pedal stuck and I couldn't slow down, had to put it in neutral, and let the revs peg then shut it off.
_________________
'97 Jetta Trek
Looking for Pre-70 Convertible
www.campinginstyle.com
Camping in Style Rv

[erdonline]

So I just went out again to check my throttle cable. I found a connection where the plastic sheath goes into a rubber hose and sprayed WD-40 down it repeatedly, alternating blowing through it to get it down far. I shot some down the other end, too.

But when I went back to the throttle body itself, I felt some intermittent sticking. Now I'm thinking that either the problem is in the throttle body, or it was a combination of that and a frozen cable somewhere.

I have another throttle body- when I get time, I might swap them.

Ed

[slyder]

Check the linkage before the throttle above the tranny. That is where mine was sticking intermittingly, until I lubed it up.
_________________
'97 Jetta Trek
Looking for Pre-70 Convertible
www.campinginstyle.com
Camping in Style Rv

[erdonline]

"Check the linkage before the throttle above the tranny. That is where mine was sticking intermittingly, until I lubed it up."

I don't believe there is such a linkage on a manual trans. I lubed everything I could get to, though.

Ed

[iltis74]

Had a friend drive up from Oregon with a Bay last winter. Rolled into town, called, and came by to pick me up. When he showed his motor was screaming, same thing, he could push the pedal down but it would not return. We pulled the cable and it was in great shape, but we could not feed it back through the tube. Marked on cable where it stopped, measured along the tube to find the constriction, pulled out the heat gun. A little heat and the cable went. Got out the air compressor and the WD-40, squirt a little blow a little repeat etc. Problem solved, off to the bar.

First thing I would do is yank out and look over the cable, clean out all the lines and eliminate that from the equation. Then look into the throttle body.

[Rubytuesday]

I wonder if anyone can help us out here. We have been stuck at Brighton Ski Resort till we had our 88 Vanagon towed to downtown Salt Lake City. Our throttle was stuck in the high position, we put some WD 40 to it and it finally can idle at a normal rate, but the accelerator still is stuck. Our bus is a 2.1 Automatic Vanagon

[slyder]

If you have a chance to crawl under it look at the linkage on the top of the transmission if it is an automatic. I lubed mine at the pedal and it got better. It wasn't fixed until I crawled under the van and found that it was the linkage at the transmission that was sticking. I sprayed it with a penetrating fluid then greased it and have never had a problem since. Mine stuck so bad I almost got in an accident if you read my earlier post. I hope this helps.
_________________
'97 Jetta Trek
Looking for Pre-70 Convertible
www.campinginstyle.com
Camping in Style Rv

[Rubytuesday]

Thanks Slider! so far so good, have it working and moving and hope it gets us home!!!

[slyder]

have a safe trip home.
_________________
'97 Jetta Trek
Looking for Pre-70 Convertible
www.campinginstyle.com
Camping in Style Rv

[Wildthings]

If you get water in the tube for the cable it will freeze and cause the accelerator cable to stick. The quality of the factory boots that were supposed to keep this from happening was pretty low, they typically failed within a year or two. The replacements aren't much better. I have had better luck searching around wrecking yards looking for boots from other makes and models that can be pressed into service.

There is also a section in the tube where the plastic sheath enters into a piece of rubber hose. If the plastic pulls out of the rubber hose the throttle valve will be held partially open. A couple of screw clamps will fix this problem

[sub-hatchtim]

I am having this issue too on my 1.6td, go out for work in the am and the dam cable is froze solid

has any one figured out the best solution
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58' pg/sg silo fridge westy
58 Dove blue singlecab
76 911S

[snowesty]

Simple, just reach down and pull the pedal back up. Be sure to put your finger on the tab where it attaches to the back of the pedal. Push with foot, pull with hand, and repeat. It at least got me moving for a few days until I could deal with the cable...
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Fritz - '86 Syncro Tintop, Camper interior
Toaster - '91 Multivan Westy, 4sp.