Accelerator cable / pedal keeps sticking slightly..

Zincubus · Apr 9, 2014

Hey .

Bit of advice please .... Just recently our W reg - 2000 Rav4's accelerator pedal / cabke has started to catch or jam ever so slightly . It happens when I'm driving and applying the power but it is more of a concern when moving off from stationary , especially turning out of a side street onto a main road.
The pedal just 'sticks' slightly and then suddenly it releases ... it's not too much off concern just rather annoying ..... I took it into out local garage and explained the situation and the guy squirted some WD40 onto the pedal and the throttle cable under the bonnet ....... this cleared up the problem immediately BUT it only lasted a couple of days ...... I now have to apply WD40 myself evey few days .

My question is what are my options ?? Can anyone explain what the problem probably is ?

The guy said that it may just need a new throttle cable but didn't have an idea how much and that I should just see how the WD40 helped .

Is there a chance that the accelerator will totally JAM when I'm pulling out into traffic .

Any suggestions or comments please. ...

mozz78 · Apr 9, 2014

If its sticking then yes there is a chance it could stick even if only a small one. Me personally for the sake of a couple of quid would change the cable and grease the hinge point on the pedal and check the return spring on the other end in engine bay

hd72m · Apr 9, 2014

Cleaning the throttlebody fixed mine and is easy to do.
I have to do mine every couple of years.
Put RAV so driverside is a little lower and open hood. In front on the right is a black plastic box for the air cleaner with a black round tube going to the back of motor and is kept in place with a hose clamp. Losen it and pull it off,that is the throttlebody and the inside gets gunked up.
Where the throttle cable is on the outside there is a butterfly on the inside that needs to be sprayed and cleaned with a good toothbrush,do it 3 times or so.
Most of the spray will run out because of the way you parked which is what you want.
Put tube back on and tighten clamp.
If that does not make it smoother then look at the cable and pedal.

Zincubus · Apr 10, 2014

Thanks guys .

I'll see if my son in law can help me try and clean it - as shown above - I'm kinda inept at this sort of thing . Ou local guys have quoted £70 plus vat for the cable plus labour - so over £100 ...

glfredrick · Apr 11, 2014

One other thing... WD40 is not a proper lubricant and it often makes sticky stuff worse once it dries! Use some lubricant like Tri-Flow instead, as it will actually provide a non-drying oil (and teflon) substance that will continually lube the cable.

Cables DO need to be lubricated from time to time and it greatly effects their performance. In the motorcycle world we do it often but in the car world it seems that no one really ever thinks of it.

One of these cable oilers might help to inject the lube into the cable sheath depending on the end configuration of the cable -- it needs to be similar size to the sheath and not some large connector, etc.:

Amazon.com: Motion Pro 08-0182 Cable Lubber: Automotive

Zincubus · Apr 11, 2014

glfredrick said:
One other thing... WD40 is not a proper lubricant and it often makes sticky stuff worse once it dries! Use some lubricant like Tri-Flow instead, as it will actually provide a non-drying oil (and teflon) substance that will continually lube the cable.

Cables DO need to be lubricated from time to time and it greatly effects their performance. In the motorcycle world we do it often but in the car world it seems that no one really ever thinks of it.

One of these cable oilers might help to inject the lube into the cable sheath depending on the end configuration of the cable -- it needs to be similar size to the sheath and not some large connector, etc.:

Amazon.com: Motion Pro 08-0182 Cable Lubber: Automotive

Thanks
I've got some of that ALL IN ONE stuff ...that should be ok to try I presume !?

Dr. Dyno · Apr 12, 2014

On high mileage cars I've seen the cause be a sticking throttle plate. If cleaning everything doesn't work you might try adjusting the throttle stop screw ever so slightly..

drcoffee · Apr 12, 2014

Holy hell. The cable is fine. The throttle plate has carbon build up and you need to remove the plastic intake off the TB, wet a paper towel with throttle body cleaner and wipe the plate, and inner body until its clean. And dont lose anything down the intake. Do not use brake cleaner!

glfredrick · Apr 12, 2014

Zincubus said:
Thanks
I've got some of that ALL IN ONE stuff ...that should be ok to try I presume !?

Yup. That is equivalent to the old-timer's sewing machine oil. Good stuff.

Most folks use WD40 for everything, but lubrication is not one of its strong points. It works best for drying out wet wires. I always carry a can in my vehicle because it will cause water-drowned plug wires to dry and allow them fire again. Very helpful off-road or in places where snow can pack up under the hood from drift busting.

Dr. Dyno · Apr 12, 2014

drcoffee said:
Holy hell. The cable is fine. The throttle plate has carbon build up and you need to remove the plastic intake off the TB, wet a paper towel with throttle body cleaner and wipe the plate, and inner body until its clean. And dont lose anything down the intake. Do not use brake cleaner!

Agreed, and also with glfrederick on the WD-40. If the cleaning doesn't completely fix it you can easily check for the sticking throttle plate by twisting it right at the wheel on the left of his picture where the cable attaches. If it isn't COMPLETELY smooth no amount of cleaning or lubrication will help much. Adjusting the throttle stop screw right behind his upper left NOTE will fix it permanently. Might take 1/4 turn.

RAV4EVR · Aug 14, 2015

This was a good read since I am having the same issue.

What I got out of all this was that I need my THROTTLEBODY cleaned.

Dr. Dyno · Aug 14, 2015

RAV4EVR said:
This was a good read since I am having the same issue.
What I got out of all this was that I need my THROTTLE BODY cleaned.

Guess you missed the end of my last post regarding adjusting the stop screw. I've fixed the same problem on many older cars that way.

sbagdon · Oct 1, 2015

+1 on the throttle body. Release tension on the cable, and if it's sticky, you'll feel it when you move it by hand. Best is to remove it and clean, yet there's some stuff (above?) to do it while on the car.

Accelerator cable / pedal keeps sticking slightly..

Zincubus

mozz78

hd72m

Zincubus

glfredrick

Zincubus

Dr. Dyno

drcoffee

glfredrick

Dr. Dyno

RAV4EVR

Dr. Dyno

sbagdon

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