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Stuck gas pedal - advice please

34K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  filex13 
#1 ·
My 2006 van sometimes has a stuck gas pedal while driving. It
won't go down. Usually takes a few repeated push to get it to
move again.

What's the fix ? Take a can of cleaner & blast all around the
throttle linkage ? TIA.
 
#2 ·
Not something to take lightly. I'm thinking. Lubrication may help. Check for frayed cable at the throttle. Accelerator cables are often very easy to replace. Better check things thoroughly including where the accelerator pedal is fastened to the chassis. Has the vehicle ever been in an accident?
 
#4 ·
No accident. Only 25K miles since new. I don't go anywhere. I figure the problem
is probably because I don't drive it much & mostly short trips so gum deposit.
I read the other 2 threads on throttle body cleaning & it looks like it might be a
case of butterfly being stuck close due to deposits. I'll take a look. Maybe some
Techron in the gas tank will do the job without me doing anything.
 
#6 ·
Stuff in the tank will be hard pressed to make it backwards up the intake manifold to get to the throttle body. The way to clean them is to remove and clean thoroughly, or you can use canned spray cleaner spraying it with the engine running.

The deposits get there because of exhaust gas recirculation that gets put in the manifold behind the TB. Those gases let carbon and other gunk buildup there.
 
#5 ·
At least it's not a Toyota doing the opposite.

Throttle body cleaning would be the first thing to try, but while you've got the cable disconnected for that you can check it for free operation. Should have absolutely no noticeable friction.
 
#7 ·
It's just 4 bolts, take the throttle body off and clean it. Or if you can't call a dealer and they can do it and do it properly. If you do it yourself, be sure to take the sensors out of the throttle body and clean the passages to the sensors. Leaving it on the van will not allow you to clean these passages out. And you are 100% correct, short trips is the worse thing you can do. No fuel additive will repair it. At this point it the throttle body has to be cleaned.
 
#8 ·
It would seem to me the first thing is to determine if the problem is in the throttle body or the gas pedal. Easy test is to try moving the lever on the throttle body by hand and if it moves freely the problem is the gas pedal sticking. If it is hard then it is in the throttle body and follow previous suggestions.

Frank
96 Grand Voyager retired
99 DGC Sport retired with 137K mi
07 T&C SWB with 21800 mi
 
#10 ·
That's definitely a symptom of a throttle blade needing cleaning. I'm not sure what is the root cause. Our '03 did it pretty regularly, and that van didn't even have an EGR system on it. Our '07 does have EGR, and so far, I've only had to clean the throttle blade once. The key areas are the circumference of the blade and the portion of the housing where the blade rests at idle.
 
#11 ·
I've never had any problems with the throttle body in 20 years, nor have I ever had a need to clean it. The last time I took the intake hose off (@167kmiles), it looked quite clean. However, I can see having a problem with the cable sometime down the road.

Just don't make them like they used to, I guess .......
:lol:
 
#12 ·
And actually, given that I've had a number of vehicles where I had to clean either the throttle body or carburetor, that's the one hesitation I have with drive-by-wire. With the throttle cable, you can feel a sticking throttle body. With drive-by-wire, you don't have that tactile feel of the throttle body, and the throttle response may get jerky before you really notice.

On the other hand, maybe the throttle body stepper motor is way stronger than any residue, I don't know. No issues yet with the one drive-by-wire throttle body I do have, but that's in the back of my mind.
 
#17 ·
On the other hand, maybe the throttle body stepper motor is way stronger than any residue, I don't know.
I don't think the stepper motors are very strong. The springs used in the throttle plates are very light so there probably is not a need for a strong motor.

Now I have never had to clean a TB for any problems. They always look very clean in every engine I have looked into. So I doubt that is much of an issue anyhow.


I've only cleaned off carbs when I rebuild them. They get more gunk buildup, but today's gas seems to keep even them pretty clean.
 
#13 ·
If you take the intake rubber hose to the filter off, you can look into the throttle. Open the plate by hand by rotating the knob on the side that has the two throttle cables going to it, clockwise, I believe. Look inside with a light, is it all black and gunked up? You can also rotate the knob forward and remove the two cables from it and move the throttle by hand, how does it feel? Sticky? Cleaning may be needed. But don't douse the thing with anything. There are throttle body cleaners at the store. Be careful about getting the solvent in the controls, there are warnings in the Haynes manual about this that it can destroy the sensors. I used a tooth brush with Valvoline TBC and it worked fine. I sprayed it lightly and scrubbed it with the brush, including the back of the plate, and then wiped it off with a T shirt wetted with the same solvent. I used the T shirt to go up inside, instead of just spraying a can into the hole to minimize the potential damage to sensors, and they came out fine. At the end when all was clear, I sprayed a little on each pivot of the throttle plate, and gunk flowed out, wipe with T shirt, continue until clean. By the way, I would not use the wand that comes with the can of cleaner, mine shot off inside the plenum and I was lucky to get it out without having to take the plenum off.
Prior to all of this, follow the line back from the carb to the pedal to see if there is any kink or restriction, like at the res. for the power steering. See if the cables move within the sheaths for them, if not, you may need to clean the cables at the entry point. You can lube with silicone if needed.
 
#14 ·
My 3rd gen 3.8 didn't have a dirty throttle body when I did clean it (around 120,000 miles or so). Just a little black dust type stuff on the back that wiped off. It wasn't gummed up. It seems more common on the 4th gen's with the redesigned intake and the EGR valve being much closer to the throttle body doesn't help.
 
#15 ·
In 150k I never cleaned the 3.3, in 60k, the 3.8 was very tarry. The PCV I believe is the culprit. I am making myself one of those PCV gas separators, let you know how it comes out.
 
#18 ·
Well, I guess technically and specifically, I am trying to separate the Gases from the Oil/Liquids (I believe I will also get a lot of water from vapor condensation). When I get it built, I am going to pull the plenum off, thoroughly clean it (I can see oil creep going around the bolts for the plenum so I know it is cruddy inside) and see if this separator keeps the inside cleaner, probably prolong or even eliminate TB cleanings, I am convinced this is the culprit for all the plenum gunk.
 
#19 ·
This is a long shot, but there are two different holes in the firewall for accelerator cables on my 4th gen (05). The 3.3 goes through one hole and the 3.8 goes through another. If it had work done on it, or was assembled wrong, it could be in the wrong hole and creating a bind. Does the linkage ever get to a point that they are at a 90, creating a stop?
 
#21 ·
2007 T&C 3.8L acting up. Driving on interstate at highway speeds the gas pedal will not depress (go down). Pulled over and put it in park. Gas pedal depresses (works). Put it in drive, pedal will not depress. turned engine off and on a few times before it started working normally again. The engine was idling normally the whole time, not revving, stalling or anything. What the ****?!?!? Is there some electrical motor or servo (throttle position sensor, maybe) that will cause it to stick?
 
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