Gas Pedal Sticking problem

PGovil · Mar 5, 2002

I have a 2000 Odyssey LX on which about a month back I got throttle service done after I faced a typical sticking kind of problem when you initially apply pressure on gas. Thereafter you don't see any problem unless you have released the gas pedal altogether and push it again. That did resolve the problem for 2 months but I am kind of facing that problem again. The service representative told me that the problem could be because of lower grade fuel that i put in. I usually put in octane 87 rating gas. Has anyone else encountered this problem or know of the cause?

Jerry O1 · Mar 5, 2002

Your problem could be a build-up of gunk in the throttle body. Many of the fuel injected cars have that problem, when the miles build up and a throttle body cleaning is what is needed. My Toyota MR2 did that and the throttle really got in a bind, until the throttle body was cleaned. It was usually a problem in the morning, after sitting all night and having the throttle plate really get set in the gunk. This can be a DIY job, if you have the right type of cleaner. Be sure you use something which will not be harmful to the oxygen sensors. Honda sells such a product and you can do the job, just by removing the intake hose and holding the throttle plate open, while you spray the cleaner into the throttle body and all over the throttle plate. After letting it soak for a little while, an old toothbrush can be used to break the gunk loose and then a wiping with a clean rag and you should not have the "stickies" for a while. Be sure not to fall into the trap of trying to spray some sort of lubricating stuff into that area. One fella thought that some silicone spray would keep the gunk from building up in there, so he coated it well. The car worked great for a couple of days and then he had problems. The oxygen sensor had died of an overdose of silicone! Good luck.

Jerry O.

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2001 Odyssey GG LX

PGovil · Mar 6, 2002

Thanks Jerry for the quick update, however I feel 1.5 months is too less of a time for such a problem. I first got the throttle cleaning done after approx. 33000 miles and now even before I have 36000 miles I am facing the problem. I'll take it to the dealership and seek their opinion also.

A. B. Hair · Mar 7, 2002

I have this throttle body air intake sticking on a '96 Ranger 4.0 v-6. It started at about 60k. It has been cleaned 3 times and now begins to stick after about 4K miles. I have paid to have it cleaned but I am looking for the proper solvent to do it myself. Any one have a product that won't hurt the air intake?

Agy_Ody · Mar 7, 2002

I've had this same problem on my 2000 Odyssey starting at about 25k miles. The first time I took it in to the dealer, they said there were carbon deposits on the accelerator cable. I never could get a good explanation on how you can have carbon deposits on the accelerator cable but they cleaned it and it got better - for a few weeks. We took it back in the second time and they re-cleaned the cable and also the throttle body. Again, it got better - for a few weeks. The third time we took it in, they re-re-cleaned the cable and adjusted it to hopefully eliminate any binding that might be happening. This worked for a few more weeks until we went back in for a fourth visit. This time, they replace the entire accelerator cable and re-cleaned the throttle body. Once again, this worked for about a month. Of course by this time the warranty had expired ( > 36k miles ). Luckily, since we had so much "documented" troubles with this, the fifth and last time we took it in, they replaced the entire throttle body without any charge to us. We are currently going on five months without any sticky accelerator problems.

I've talked to two other Odyssey owners in the Houston area that have had the same issue with their 2000 models. The first had the accelerator cable replaced and the problem went away. The 2nd person, I just talked to last week and they were just starting to have the issue.

Before they replaced the throttle body on our last visit to the dealer, we had the service tech and the service manager drive our Odyssey and 2 others that were in for some other service. Both of them said my wife and I must have really strong legs because the accelerator on our Odyssey was so much harder to push than the “normal” Odysseys.

If you are still having this problem, have your dealer replace either or both of these parts as soon as possible. Cleaning will just mask the problem until the warranty expires and then you might have to pay the repair cost yourself.

Good luck.....

PGovil · Mar 7, 2002

Thanks Angy, this has been a lot of help. I do have the extended warranty so I shall get in touch with the dealership soon.

sfearing · Mar 8, 2002

Could this be related to the service bulletin dealing with the exhaust gas recirculation causing buildup? It's been brought up on this board recently - I'll dig around and post the link. It might be worth asking the service advisor about.

sfearing · Mar 8, 2002

Here's the link to the EGR problem:

http://www.odyclub.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000470.html

Jerry O1 · Mar 8, 2002

In case you want it, Honda has a Throttle Plate and Induction Cleaner, part #08732-9009. Any of the Honda parts suppliers should have it.

Jerry O.

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2001 Odyssey GG LX

PGovil · Mar 9, 2002

Thanks everybody. I have opened up a case with American Honda too on this issue to investigate. Based upon my VIN they don't have any recalls to report nor do they see reason to replace throttle body and accelerator cable. I am however still pursuing and have a service appointment with the dealer for tuesday too. I am personally little scared on trying my hands on throttle body cleaning or for that matter doing anything on my car except external cleaning hence I'll rely on the service technicians only. I do really appreciate very much the info. provided by everyone so that I could pursue in the right direction. I'll post again once I have the service done.

MASTERNC · May 8, 2002

Have Same Problem

This is the third time my 2000 GG EX has been in the shop for this problem. In fact, the sticking accelerator contributed to the damage in a rear-end collision.

They are going to replace the throttle body (finally!)

PGovil · May 8, 2002

MasterNC,
I had the throttle body replaced after I sought assistance from American Honda. Try calling them and pursuing with them. I haven't faced a problem since then.

accordian · May 9, 2002

Same Problem on Accord

At about 65K my 98 Accord had the sticking accererator problem. John Eagle in Houston cleaned the throttle body and the problem never came back, now with 83K on the clock. I think you are having more of a service quality problem than a problem with the throttle body. If cleaned thoroughly, it should stay clean for a very long time.

longstrangetrip · Mar 23, 2004

I'm also surprised the this is being diagnosed as a throttle body problem. I have the same problem and found if I remove the throttle cable from the actuator on the body and move the cam by hand, it moves VERY freely, no sticking.

This is something else - like a crappy cable or routing of it.

KaliOdy · Mar 23, 2004

Jerry O said:
Your problem could be a build-up of gunk in the throttle body. Many of the fuel injected cars have that problem, when the miles build up and a throttle body cleaning is what is needed. My Toyota MR2 did that and the throttle really got in a bind, until the throttle body was cleaned. It was usually a problem in the morning, after sitting all night and having the throttle plate really get set in the gunk. This can be a DIY job, if you have the right type of cleaner. Be sure you use something which will not be harmful to the oxygen sensors. Honda sells such a product and you can do the job, just by removing the intake hose and holding the throttle plate open, while you spray the cleaner into the throttle body and all over the throttle plate. After letting it soak for a little while, an old toothbrush can be used to break the gunk loose and then a wiping with a clean rag and you should not have the "stickies" for a while. Be sure not to fall into the trap of trying to spray some sort of lubricating stuff into that area. One fella thought that some silicone spray would keep the gunk from building up in there, so he coated it well. The car worked great for a couple of days and then he had problems. The oxygen sensor had died of an overdose of silicone! Good luck.

I'm going to agree with Jerry O here. I experienced the same problem with my EK Civic. The pedal sticks the next morning especially on evenings before when the temperature was cooler than usual. After removing my aftermarket intake system, there was definitely alot of deposits around the throttle body. Sprayed some cleaner and removed as much of the deposits that I can. The only problem afterwards was getting my car to start instantly... it took about three trys. :stupid: I think I might have used a little too much cleaner.

Afterwards, never had the same sticking problem as before. Problem solved.

Hmmm... I wish I had taken some pictures and written a DIY guide on how to do this task. Well, if any of you are willing to do so, let us Moderators know and we'll post your write-up on the site. Make sure you have some pictures before and afterwards.

Jackson · Mar 23, 2004

"...the sticking accelerator contributed to the damage in a rear-end collision."

Sticking throttle is a safety issue. It deserves reporting to NHTSA. Try this link. You might save some one else from losing control of their vehicle.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

Unlike some cases of sudden acceleration where the driver pushed the gas instead of the brake, sticking throttle is not the fault of the driver although the dealer will always blame the driver.

accordian · Mar 25, 2004

With the gummed up throttle body, we're talking about a throttle being stuck shut, not stuck open. Big difference. It takes a bit of pressure to unstick it, but not enough to cause uncontrolled acceleration.

If it's getting stuck OPEN, this is an issue I'd report to the US DOT. A car brought to a dealer with this problem should not be returned to the customer until they can be positive it's really fixed.

Jerry O · Mar 26, 2004

With an automatic transmission, the throttle stuck closed problem could cause one to end up across the street, if it releases abruptly when one attempts to launch the van/car from the garage*.

The one on our MR2 released VERY suddenly. It seems that this is not an unusual problem on some EFI motors. Since the MR is the only one of ours which had the problem, I must assume that the finer the throttle plate fit (you know, the Toyota quality thing), the more likely it is to stick. Ours often stuck more AFTER a good cleaning, which I have to attribute to a fine fit.

Jerry O.

*That large storage locker attached to most homes.

longstrangetrip · Mar 28, 2004

FYI: I removed the cable yesterday and found several things:

1) The cable rubs the throttle's cam a tad - I bent it slightly so it wouldn't (wore the cable a bit where it touches, so looks like I get to replace the cable now - joy).

2) The cable BINDS in the end of the housing since it's bent internally

3) Taking the cable out of it's holder (the clip it sits it that's mounted to the inner fender wall) seems to relieve internal stress on the cable.

4) The throttle body was dirty but NOT binding at all. Tad sticky, but most of it was in the cable and the EXTERNAL spring load on the throttle plate shaft.

5) Added a bit of graphite to the cable/housing. Much smoother now which means new cable time (see #1, anyway).

Hope this helps.

mziggy · Jun 30, 2004

My 2001 had the same sticky throttle problem. Honda tried twice and couldn't figure out how to fix it. It was very difficult to pull out from a complete stop smoothly. It really annoyed the passengers to jump out -- more than I normally do

My (non-Honda certified) trusty mechanic found the throttle cable had a sharp bend in it. He straightened it out, and it drives great (except for the EGR problem).

Good luck.

Gas Pedal Sticking problem

PGovil

Jerry O1

PGovil

A. B. Hair

Agy_Ody

PGovil

sfearing

sfearing

Jerry O1

PGovil

MASTERNC

PGovil

accordian

longstrangetrip

KaliOdy

Jackson

accordian

Jerry O

longstrangetrip

mziggy

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