Dear Tom and Ray:

My 1991 Mazda 626 now has 128,000 miles on it. When the engine is cold, no matter what the outside temperature, the accelerator pedal sticks until I stomp on it -- with a certain amount of force -- after the engine is running. Once I force it past this sticking point, it behaves normally. Although once or twice it has stuck slightly while driving -- generally after coasting or decelerating. Also, once while in a hurry, I put the car in gear and drove away without first stomping on the pedal, and it lurched forward as I pushed the pedal past the sticking point. I quickly learned not to do that again! The independent garage I took it to sprayed the cable linkage with WD-40, but that didn't fix the problem. Do you know what's wrong? -- Jacques

Tom: WD-40 won't work, Jacques. I've used WD-40 successfully for many years ...

Ray: ... .mostly for personal grooming!

Tom: But this is not a case for WD-40. What's happened is that your throttle plate -- that thing that opens and closes when you step on the gas pedal -- has worn a groove in the throttle body that surrounds it. Every time it closes, it wears away a little bit of the softer aluminum housing, and now it's made itself a nice little groove where it's getting hung up.

Ray: Here's the cheap solution, Jacques. There's a throttle stop -- a screw that you can turn to open the throttle slightly -- and you may be able to set it so that it stops the throttle just above the groove. In other words, you don't let the throttle plate close all the way.

Tom: That's like having your foot slightly on the gas pedal all the time, so you have to compensate for the higher idle by turning the air bleed screw and reducing the air flow. Just be sure that your mechanic does this while the car is on the emissions machine, because if it's not done carefully, you won't pass your next emissions test.

Ray: If that trick doesn't work -- if the groove is already too deep -- then you're going to have to replace the whole throttle body. That'll cost you several hundred dollars, Jacques. Mon Dieu!

Which is cheaper, buying or leasing? Should you keep a car forever or dump it after three years, before trouble starts? Find out in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

Back to the March 1997 index