sticky throttle linkage

[LevisJeanz]

Hi all,

I have a 75 914 2.0 and the throttle pedal is driving me nuts. It doesn't return with much force or gets stuck where it was pressed to. I converted it to carbs and replaced the pedal cluster bushings with bronze ones, and replaced the throttle cable inner wire. Any ideas?

[John Rogers]

I would suggest the following test series.
- Unhook the cable at the throttle pedal and at the carbs.
- Test the carbs to see if they return with a snap when you open them fully and release. Generally there should be at least one spring and preferably two in addition to the ones on the throttle shafts.
- Have someone hold the cable at the carbs and you and them pull the cable back and forth and it should be smooth with no binding.
- With cable unhooked, move the throttle pedal to see how it feels, should be smooth with little resistance. The pedal is a molded assembly that bolts to the floor and it can get terrible stiff also.

Generally it is a good idea to replace the whole cable I.E. inner and outer and even run some lube down in it first or hopefully you lubed the new inner? If any of those are rough or sticky, that is where you need to work.

[The cap'n]

What is the condition of the gas pedal and the bell crank under the pedal board?

The Cap'n

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Isolate and test. Check each individual piece of the setup: The carbs themselves, the carb linkage (hex bar, bellcrank, paired-cable, what have you), the throttle cable, the throttle pedal. If those all move smoothly as expected, hook up one piece at a time and see where the binding/friction/whatever starts.

Your goal is to find a single piece or a joint between two pieces that causes this problem. Once you find that, you can replace the piece or repair or modify the joint.

--DD

[frank]

This is the behavior I have experienced right before the cable breaks where it connects to the pedal. The cable strands break away from the fitting at the end and get snagged on other parts. When you feel this much drag in the pedal, there are probably not many strands still attached and the cable is ready to go.

The other possibility is that you routed the cable incorrectly and it is getting pinched.

[LevisJeanz]

Thanks, will test and report back.