83 SC Accelerator Rod

[2jmotorsports]

Is the accelerator rod in the center tunnel of an SC a single rod spanning the length of the tunnel, several smaller rod sections, or a partial cable section? Part #7 below. Part number PCG42302400.



Also is it supposed to be straight or have a bend at the rear?

The rod on my car has a slight bend in it at the rear where it exits the tunnel. If its not supposed to be like that I am thinking of replacing it rather than straightening it to avoid weakening it at that point.



Thanks in advance.

[Dpmulvan]

Suppose to be bent leave it alone it's fine. I believe those rods are NLA anyway.

[Pazuzu]

I don't think it's supposed to be bent actually...

The rod ends inside the rubber bellows (#10) in your picture. There's a threaded rubber core junction there. It's a single rod from that point forward, right up to the pedal connection (#6). There are 3 plastic bushings clamped around it inside the tunnel (#11 in the picture)

[2jmotorsports]

Thanks for the feedback. At the very least Ill check/replace the bushings in the tunnel and verify the bend still lets it move freely.

[KTL]

Agreed with Pazuzu Mike. Not supposed to be bent at the end like that. It's a straight run allllll the way to the throttle pedal lever. I recently removed this rod from my '79 racecar mess of a project and laughed at how long that rod is.

The threaded rubber core that Mike mentioned is #9 in the picture. It's a good idea to check that one because that core is known to separate on occasion and then it's like the rod has a bunch of slack in it. In a pinch, an M5 x 0.8 pitch threaded coupler/union could be used to replace that core. The core's main purpose is to provide isolation from vibration in the pedal. But it also provides a means of size for attaching the rubber accordion to the rod.

Definitely check those tunnel bushings. At this stage in their life they're probably toast. If gear oil has ever gotten into the tunnel, it helps crumble those bushings. The reason I pulled the throttle rod out of the racecar tunnel was to clean the tunnel of the gear oil residue. Before I hosed down the tunnel with brake parts cleaner, I removed the throttle rod bushings. I was really surprised how deteriorated they are. I'll shoot a picture of them when I get home today.

[2jmotorsports]

Thanks Kevin.

Yeah my bushing at the front adjacent to the shifter is still ok. The one near the shifter coupler is MIA. I guess there is one near the handbrake/heater levers so Ill have to remove those and try to locate it.

I wonder if I can take your threaded coupler idea and cut the rod at the bend, clean up and thread each end and put a threaded coupler there to make it straight again...

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by KTL

..... I'll shoot a picture of them when I get home today.

Kevin - also waiting for the promised picture, if you get a chance.

Thanks, Bill K

[KTL]

Ah crap I forgot to shoot the pic of the crumbled bushings again. I'll get it today in a little while.

I don't see a reason why you couldn't re-thread the end of the rod and put a coupling nut on it. Should be able to find one of the couplers at a good hardware store like Ace or just order one at McMaster next time you're shopping there (said the guy who shops there WAY too often....)

[KTL]

Okay here's some pics of the bushings I have right now. First pic is a peek into the shifter coupler access cover of my '86 Carrera. Hard to see in the picture but it's the yellowed thing behind the black tube. I would have pulled it out but I can't get into the car very well right now

Second picture are the crumbled bushings from my '79 911 racecar. They are toast and next to them is a new bushing. These are made out of some weird semi transparent clear plastic and they're not cheap. I think they're like $10 each!!!

Even though the '79 bushings were wasted, the throttle rod was still moving freely. I suspect some new bushings will make the movement of the throttle pedal a little bit smoother with less slop?

[2jmotorsports]

Thanks for the pics Kevin. To install the bushings, do you pop them onto the rod, bend the metal tab out of the way, slide the bushings to the correct location, then bend the metal tab back?

[KTL]

Forgot to respond to your question. Yes it's just like you describe- bend the metal tab away and you can pop the new bushing in place. Easy to say, hard to do in a car that has everything in place. The bushings in my racecar chassis were much easier to remove since it has almost nothing in the tunnel.

[Artfrombama]

An FYI for anyone replacing the three accelerator bushings;
The shifter, e-brake assy. and the shifter knuckle cover must be removed.

Happy to report the "free play" of my accelerator has been 95% eliminated.

[bkreigsr]

Can you just pull the parking brake assy aside without removing it?
FWIW, the bushings list for $17.25 ea at the dealership -

Bill K

[Artfrombama]

Originally Posted by bkreigsr

Can you just pull the parking brake assy aside without removing it?
FWIW, the bushings list for $17.25 ea at the dealership -

Bill K

I disconnected the heater cables at the heater cans, then loosened the parking brake cables behind the calipers....
Then I was able to slide the pin out of the brake assy. and lay it out of the way.
I also removed the passenger seat, I was replacing the clutch cable too.

[bkreigsr]

Update, Update, Update.

I finally got around to installing the three bad-boys in the tunnel of my 912E.
This was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

All the work was done with the front seats removed, coupler hatch and shifter housing out, the center tunnel carpet removed, and the e-brake ass'y unbolted from the tunnel.

I got to the rear-most bushing through access in the coupler hide-out. You can see the metal retainer fingers, bent them back, and slide the bush into position and close the fingers without removing the coupler or the shift rod.

The center bushing can be assessed by raising the e-brake handle/heater knob about an inch and a half. I used two blocks of wood. You can pry the throttle away from the left side of the tunnel with a screwdriver, then blindly slide the bushing into position, then slide yourself to the passenger side and close the fingers over/around the bushing. (I did not have to play around with the heater cables or the e-brake cable adjustment on the swing arms.)

The forward-most bushing was the easiest. With the shifter out the bushing sits in plain view on the left side of the tunnel.
Done - poof.

The biggest PIA (still) is re-installing the shifter housing. I'm still looking for the 'easy' way to get the shift rod saddle bolts lined up, and the lever ball into the rod socket with only two hands at my disposal.

Bill K