If you push your gas pedal and it gets stuck, there is a good chance that your throttle body needs cleaning and lubricating. You don’t have to be an expert mechanic to perform this task. What causes a stuck gas pedal?
”The most common cause for a stuck gas pedal is a dirty throttle body. You can fix a stuck gas pedal by cleaning your throttle body with a towel and throttle body cleaner. When you push your gas pedal, you are activating the throttle body which controls the amount of air that enters the engine. As soon as you push the gas pedal, combustion occurs into the combustion chamber and all the excess carbon and residue gets stuck on the throttle body.”
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How To Fix a Stuck Gas Pedal
Every time you push the gas pedal, you are activating the throttle body which controls the amount of air that enters the engine. As soon as you push the gas pedal, you are allowing a certain amount of air to enter the engine and the computer now has to calculate how much fuel to inject in order for combustion to occur.
As soon as the combustion occurs in the combustion chamber, the air and fuel mixture gets ignite and this action leaves a carbon residue. This carbon residue travels and gets stuck on the throttle body. Overtime, the carbon residue will build up and your gas pedal could get stuck.
You can fix a stuck gas pedal by cleaning the throttle body. Here is how to fix a stuck gas pedal:
1. Disconnect the battery
Before you start cleaning the throttle body, you must disconnect the battery to avoid any short circuit or a blown fuse. Locate the battery and disconnect the negative terminal only. Secure the negative terminal cable and make sure it is not touching anything.
2. Locate the big air duct
The big air duct is located in the engine bay and it is hard to miss. As I said before, the throttle body controls the amount of air that enters the engine. The air duct is in charge of brining the air into the throttle body.
3. Remove the air duct
The air duct is usually connected with a metal clamp to the throttle body. Remove the metal clump with a screwdriver and disconnect the air duct gently.
4. Remove any electrical wires
Remember step 1 where I asked you to disconnect the car battery
? That was for this step. Some vehicles have an electrical wires in the air duct that goes into the throttle body. If the battery is connected, you could get shocked, burn a fuse or create a short circuit.
5. Inspect the throttle body
At this point, you should have an exposed throttle body. There is a metal plate inside the throttle body which moves as you push the gas pedal. You can move the throttle plate by hand or by pushing the gas pedal. Inspect the inside of the throttle body and try to find any carbon deposits.
6. Clean the throttle body with a throttle body cleaner
Get a clean towel, preferably white. I always choose the color white just so I know how dirty my throttle body is and to get an idea when should I clean it next time. Open the throttle plate and spray with the throttle cleaner. If you don’t have a throttle cleaner, you can get one on amazon.com. The one that I have is only $8. Make sure that you don’t spray too much of the throttle body cleaner.
7. Lubricate the accelerator cable with oil
Some models have an accelerator cable. The accelerator cable is engaged as soon as the driver pushes the gas pedal. It is located just right next to the throttle body and air duct. Lubricate the accelerator cable with engine oil or other lubricating fluids.
8. Close the throttle plate and re-install the air duct
Make sure that the throttle plate is in a closed position. Then, reconnect the air duct and reinstall the metal clamp. If your car has electrical wires in the air duct, reconnect those as well.
9. Start your car and push the gas pedal
At this point, your gas pedal should work normal. Start your vehicle and push the gas pedal to test it. Go back to the engine bay and make sure that your air duct was connected properly and no air is leaking.
