Rock hard gas pedal

[88Regal Limited]

this has been happening ever since we got the car (2000) The gas pedal is really stiff. When you take off, it sounds like you are racing. (ecpecially when the cat piping rusted oyut, at every stop sign/ light, vroom, brrrrr, pop, brrrr. I swear to got a ricer ginned it beside the old 2.8 fury. I laughed my ass of from that one.) Any1 know why? Been like this for almost 5 years now.... And hasnt gotten better.

 

PS: 1988 buick regal limited. The only power options it has are brakes, antenna and steering. Why it isn't a custom I dont know...

[GnatGoSplat]

On the 88 Cutlass we used to have, the gas pedal got real stiff one day and I oiled the throttle body and throttle cable and that fixed it.

[TeeJay3800]

Both 3.1's we have owned, including mine, have had a very stiff gas pedal. I oiled the crap out of the TB assembly which helped a little, but not much. Anyone with any ideas to make the pedal easier to push, let us know!

[19Cutlass94]

You could use a lighter spring. That would help, just becareful its not too light, or else you throttle will get stuck open.

[cutty]

i have replaced some throttle cables before, so i dunno i would say either try lubricating it or if you can get a new or used throttle cable.

[White93z34]

i resent the rusting out exhaust system remark! i personally put the new cat and piping on it cars nice and quiet now!

 

probably try oiling the pivot where the butterfly opens on the outside of the TB, but if it were me, i'd just goto the yard and push gas pedels till i find one i like and swap the whole stupid TB over.

[TeeJay3800]

When I disconnected the throttle cable from the TB, it moved freely without any effort at all. The problem is something with the TB itself I believe. I don't think its the spring because why would GM want to sell cars from the factory that takes a strong leg to push the gas?

[White93z34]

last few times i've messed with that car i have found the actual throtle body hard to move, then again i never disconnected the throtle cables to find out.

[z34_nut]

I'd replace the throttle cable, and not take any chances. I know too many people who have just sprayed WD-40, and then crashed a month later because the cable snapped.

[19Cutlass94]

how would they crash? if the cable snaps, the TB is gonna close, not stay open

[GnatGoSplat]

Maybe he meant seized!

 

I didn't use WD40, I used 5W30. Worked great and never reoccurred, I distinctly remember using a little oil squirty thing and squirting it into the cable and also TB pivot areas.

[Dan94Z34]

Maybee the cable is binding down by the gas pedal some where? I had a bad cable in my old 79 Monte Carlo. One day while going to school, it got stuck wide open. I had to pound on the gas pedal with my foot until it came unstuck. Talk about scaring the crap out of a guy.

[TeeJay3800]

Maybee the cable is binding down by the gas pedal some where?

When I disconnected the throttle cable from the TB, the pedal moved freely without any effort at all. The problem is something with the TB itself I believe.

I can't speak for anyone else's car, but on mine, the problem is definitely not the cable or the pedal. When I lubed it before, I used WD40, so I'm thinking Shawn's idea of 5W30 may be the way to go.

[WhiteMonteZZZ]

My 80 Trans Am had a stiff gas pedal. Turned out to be too sharp of a bend in the cable (and i'm not talking about a kink either). Fabbed a bracket to straighten it out more, and it's super smooth now. Just a thought.

[digitaloutsider]

Every w-body I've driven has a stiff pedal. I really wouldn't worry about it..

[Dannymik]

the gas pedal in my Cutty was stiff when I purchased it...I had no idea how to fix it since I had no mechanical experience. A few months later it snapped on the way to work and I was stuck with a running car that went nowhere! Lube that wire up at the TB and see what happens.

[pwmin]

the 88 gp my mom had was the same way. was like that since it was bought. i think they use stiff springs on some of them. iirc.

[GnatGoSplat]

There's stiff and there's WAY too stiff. The gas pedal on the '88 was REALLY hard to push and didn't hae that "springy" feeling that gas pedals should.

[94CutlassSLCoupe]

The 88 Cutlass I had had a super stiff pedal.

 

All 3 of the '94's (2 3100's and a 3.4 DOHC) have light gas pedals as does the '90 Quad 4. The 97 Grand Prix is kinda stiff but nowhere near what the old '88 Cutlass Supreme had

[19Cutlass94]

mine has a light feel to it, but I think its due to different springs.

[pwmin]

the 88 was super hard. almost as bad as the first spring i tried when i was setting up the camaro.

[88Regal Limited]

I'd replace the throttle cable, and not take any chances. I know too many people who have just sprayed WD-40, and then crashed a month later because the cable snapped.

 

Like I said, been happening since 2000. I'm going to try the 5-w30 thing. (because I'm changing the oil in the lawn tractor in a couple weeks. Thanks for the replies, keep em coming!

[GP1138]

My old '89 was rock hard too. So was the pedal in the '90 Lumi. It seems to be just an original gen thing.

[loominaz34]

Another lube that might be bettter is triflow. I use it all the time at work on bike brake cables. it comes in a drip bottle or aerosol and will lube a whole cable from one end because of how well it penetrates. http://www.triflowlubricants.com/Superior_Drip/superior_drip.html

[MoTox8410]

our 95 tahoe had that problem it was the tb and i ended up using 2 stroke oil and now its as smooth as can be