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fartness (banned)
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fartness (banned)

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Sticky gas pedal

2001 Ford Ranger XLT 2.5L engine 195k miles. I had this issue I will describe at 150k miles. I had the throttle body cleaned with one of those kits and that solved it until recently.

Whenever I start the vehicle in the morning, regardless of outside temperature, the gas pedal feels sticky. Once I hit the pedal it gets past the stickiness and is fine. Won't stick for the rest of the day.

If it's the throttle body that needs to be cleaned again, is that normal after 45k miles? How many hours or fractions of an hour should I be charged if I have a shop do it? Is there a longer lasting fix?

Doctor Olds
I Need A Remedy For What's Ailing Me.
Premium Member
join:2001-04-19
1970 442 W30

Doctor Olds

Premium Member

The throttle body is likely worn out physically from use (likely egg shaped TB shaft hole instead of round) and either carbon is getting around the loose TB shaft causing binding or the TB valve is sticking in the TB bore from wear.

Also check accelerator cable for wear and binding.

dandeman
MVM
join:2001-12-05
Chapel Hill, NC

3 edits

dandeman to fartness

MVM

to fartness
Agree with above post.. The root problem is the butterfly (either from wear or misadjustment) is being allowed to close and contact the side wall of the throttle body. Throttle shaft bore hole wear upsets the following adjustment..

Normal adjustment would keep the butterfly very slightly off the throttle body wall for the following reason.

The throttle body like any material expands very slightly when hot and contracts when cooled down.. The contraction as it cools to ambient temperature is enough to bind the butterfly in place if it is touching the throttle body wall .. Pressing on accelerator hard will pop it loose and will be free until it goes through another cool down cycle.

This problem can also be caused by those who twiddle with the adjustment screw on the throttle body thinking that screw is an idle speed adjustment. On modern vehicles, idle speed is controlled by the engine ECU via the Idle Air Control Valve. Improper adjustment of this screw messes up the throttle position sensor settings and can cause the above problem to happen.

Factory service documentation will explain how to set this adjustment using a feeler "gap" gauge to keep the butterfly off the wall by a specified amount of clearance and to set the throttle position switch open/closure points. If the TPS settings are wrong, a common symptom is idle speed wandering or oscillating.

If the throttle butterfly bore hole is worn causing the problem, readjustment (rather than replacing the throttle body) will solve the problem in many cases.

bryanviper
join:2002-10-12
Toronto, CAN

bryanviper to fartness

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to fartness
I'm sure you could easily clean this yourself. Go on youtube and search for your car & throttle body cleaning.

Al lyou do is buy the correct throttle body cleaner and spray it in there & wipe it with a clean rag. you will have to spray and clean it a few times to get it properly clean. You can also spray the Sensor in there, just do not touch it with anything, just spray it down good and let it air dry.

Lots of videos on youtube to show you how to easily do this.
fixrman
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fixrman to fartness

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The cleanliness of the throttle body is mostly determined by the PCV system. Better PCV designs tend to not coke up the throttle body as you are experiencing.

While I agree that it is possible that the throttle body shaft bushings are worn, I'd say it isn't probable. Generally there are other symptoms of that when it happens, such as binding throughout the throttle range or failure to return to a consistent idle.

One of the problems with using the spray approach is that one is not cleaning the portion of the throttle blade that needs attention, the edge side of the disc. While a nice clean top looks nice, it has nowt to do with the operation of the blade. It is the entire outside edge that contacts the bore, so both the bore and outer edge of the disc needs to be cleaned, 360 degrees. I have said it before: This is best accomplished with a shop rag, carburettor cleaner and fingers. Use an inspection mirror if necessary to check the thoroughness of the cleaning. If the edge of the disc is black, then there is carbon that is doing the job instead of the edge of the disc. Also a proper throttle body cleaning includes removal of the IAC valve (motor) and cleaning the pintle and bore.

The usual charge for this as I can recall was .5 hours plus the cost of the carb cleaner. Actually, one can clean it with anything that will dissolve carbon: WD-40® will work, so will trans fluid, gasoline or most solvents. A small amount on a rag will do the trick. Just don't get the rag jammed in there or leave it in the bore. It will suck into the engine if left inside. Don't laugh because I have watched it being done and seen guys leave rags in intake valleys as well, even though they were reminded to take them out.

It is possible for cars to need cleaning after 45K. Cleaner oil will help, but sometimes the design of the PCV/intake system is the overall determining factor. Some engines get dirty faster than others. If the PCV hasn't been changed, I'd do it.
fartness (banned)
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fartness (banned)

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I'm probably better off having a shop do it thoroughly. I've been using Penzoil Platinum full synthetic with 6k OCIs so I wouldn't expect it to be too dirty. You mention about the PCV getting changed, is that a specific part or the whole system?
fixrman
From a broken heart to a hole in the sky
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join:2003-02-10
Hatboro, PA

fixrman

Premium Member

Just the valve itself and only if it hasn't been done for a while. If it has been done in the last 15K or so, I wouldn't worry about it. Probably is a 30K replacement interval.
lawsoncl
join:2008-10-28
Spirit Lake, ID

lawsoncl to fartness

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to fartness
said by fartness:

I'm probably better off having a shop do it thoroughly

If you're mechanical at all, cleaning the throttle body is easy to do. Here's an walkthrough if you want to fully remove it to clean it »www.fordrangerforum.com/ ··· ody.html. For a light cleaning of just the throttle plate and bore, I probably wouldn't bother removing it fully and just use an old toothbrush, rag and a little carb cleaner or naptha (the main cleaner in Seafoam). Just make sure to use something safe around the throttle position sensor. (Some TPSs are notorious for going bad if they even get wet). If it's really bad or yuo need to clean the IAC ports as well, I'd pull it and strip all the sensors and solenoids off, then clean it.

The PCV valve is dirt simple to replace. They are pretty simple mechanically (basically a check valve with a spring and a ball). If they are gunked up and not working right, they can usually be flushed. Shops like to replace them as the material cost is cheaper than the time to clean it.
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fixrman
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fixrman to lawsoncl

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Re: Sticky gas pedal

said by lawsoncl:

I probably wouldn't bother removing it

Why would there be a need to remove the throttle body? There isn't. I haven't ever had to remove a throttle body to clean it. The blade and bore can be cleaned with nothing more than a rag. The TPS isn't an issue because we aren't giving it a bath, we would be just using some type of solvent and a clean shop rag. Telling somebody to strip all the solenoids and sensors from a throttle body is a complete waste of time and bad advice. The only thing that may need to be removed would be the IACV to clean the pintle and bore. The throttle plate and bore need to be cleaned and they are on the inside. We aren't detailing the engine, we just want the throttle blade to seat without binding.
said by lawsoncl:

If they are gunked up and not working right, they can usually be flushed. Shops like to replace them as the material cost is cheaper than the time to clean it.

Totally incorrect. The reason to replace a PCV valve is that the time required to clean one is a waste of time, not due to material cost or billable time. A PCV valve has a calibrated passage, so you are not going to know if the valve is clean or not. Some folks think that if the PCV valve rattles, it is clean - or, as long as they hear it click up and down when a finger plugs the end of the valve with the car running, it is fine. This is not true because the flow rate may be higher or lower depending on material that may have collected and cannot be removed.

The reason to replace a PCV valve is because it is part of the emission control system. If the factory says it should be replaced at 30,000 miles or whatever, then that is what should be followed. If they say it can be cleaned, then they will post a procedure and there would be a way to test it to see if it is clean.
lawsoncl
join:2008-10-28
Spirit Lake, ID

lawsoncl

Member

I'm not sure if you're agreeing with me or not?

The main reason I mentioned not bothering to remove the TB was that the article I linked to had you removing it, and that he was just looking to clean the bore and edges of the plate to. I'm agreeing with you that a toothbrush and rag are all he needs and not to go nuts and hose it out. Usually the reason I'm cleaning a TB is because the IAC is gunked up and it's an idle problem. I find it much easier to go ahead and undo the 3-4 extra bolts and get the TB on the bench so I can see what I'm cleaning and get to the backside easier. If I need to go heavy on the cleaner, I prefer to have the TPS off to avoid damaging it (after marking it's position if adjustable).

As a shop mechanic, I thoroughly understand why you'd just replace it. The 15-minutes labor is more than the part cost, and as you say it's not foolproof and you don't want the vehicle coming back. Many cars have it as a maintenance item because they do eventually get plugged up or the internal springs eventually get weak. To say that they can't be cleaned at all isn't true. A backyard mechanic who thinks it might be bad is still going to do a few sanity checks like listen to it and flush it with carb cleaner and see if the symptoms that caused him to look at it changed.