Throttle cable adjustment?

[Number21]

I have an '83 F250 6.9/C6. No tach, but it feels like it's not revving very high, and has very little power. If I STAND on the pedal it just starts to have some power. I'm certain something is wrong with the throttle - it's just not opening all the way. Only about 1" of travel on the cable. Searching tells me "there is no adjustment". I replaced the throttle cable with a new one. No change.

Any idea why the throttle cable is not moving all the way? Could my pedal arm be bent? The plastic part of the pedal is actually cracked from somebody else pushing too ******* it, but it does not appear to effect anything.

Can anybody tell me how far open the lever on the IP is supposed to be at WOT? Right now it only gets to around 12:00.

 

[IDIoit]

pedal could be bent.
have someone hit the throttle as you try to move the throttle arm yourself.
you can always bend the pedal back but your best bet is to get a new one.

 

[Cruiseomatic]

Cable could be stretched out already. Can you pull the arm up all the way or not? Does it freely move? Don't know how that arm could get bent unless someone really drove the **** out of it before....Can it even go to the floor? The top of the plastic should be able to touch the carpet and that should be the end of travel, when you let off, it should be able to come up to almost perpendicular with the brakes. On mine, 2 o'clock is idle, stops at 12, then around 11 it hits the kickdown rod, and full throttle is 10.

 

[Number21]

Can it even go to the floor? The top of the plastic should be able to touch the carpet and that should be the end of travel, when you let off, it should be able to come up to almost perpendicular with the brakes.

The pedal stops at the vinyl floor - only because it bumps into the floor. It still has more travel left. Just tried to take a pic but it's too dark, at idle the throttle sits about 2" lower than the brake pedal. Doesn't look like the pedal is sitting in the right place at idle.

 

[Cruiseomatic]

Doesn't sound you have the right cable either....Reach up and pull on the cable with the arm to the floor. You might want to use pliers but gently. If you can pull it further out, You may have the wrong one instead. I doubt that arm got bent but it IS possible. But square tubing on a light load like that, its very unlikely.

 

[IDIoit]

when i got my 87, the pedal was bent. replaced with another and its golden.

 

[Cruiseomatic]

when i got my 87, the pedal was bent. replaced with another and its golden.

The plastic pedal or the arm to it? How in the hell does that arm bend???? I drove the **** out of my '89 when I got it back in '04 when I was 16 and busy racing and off roading that little 4.9 and never bent or broke that arm.

 

[IDIoit]

hell all my cars have a steel arm'd pedal assembly.
they do bend.
some people have a heavier lead foot

 

[OLDBULL8]

It's been known that the arm on the IP throttle shaft has come loose.

 

[93banksidi]

I have found that none of the aftermarket cables are the correct length. If not done already, try replacing it with a motocraft cable

 

[icanfixall]

About the only 2 ways I know to correct a low throttle pedal is bend the bracket the the cable mounts to at the intake manifold. You will want to bend it back towards the firewall. The other option is crimp a few lead split shot sinkers to the line at the pedal under the dash. Get down there and pull the cable ball end towards the seat. Find the slack and crimp on a few split shot weights like you might do on a fishing line. Or replace the cable with a correct factory cable. Most of the after market cables are incorrect or the stretch.

 

[Black dawg]

The split shot trick works well, and most all of these trucks that I see around here, the pedal assy is bent. Cables get stretched too.
Non turbod, they spend alot of time floored hard doing any towing in the mountains.

 

[Number21]

The throttle cable I got was slightly longer, however, the amount of pull looked the same, so I can't see how it would be any different. I had the exact same problem with the old Motorcraft cable, the reason I replaced it is because the red plastic end was broken off, but I guess this is a common "mod" people do. There was no change in how much the throttle opened with the new cable.

Is there anywhere to get a new pedal besides the junkyard? I'll try to put some shot around it temporarily but it seems like the soft lead wouldn't hold up too long here? Even when I pull all the slack out of the cable the throttle pedal does not come up even with the brake pedal, I think it may be bent.

I had somebody else push on the pedal while I looked at it and I'm definitely only getting about 2/3 of the travel I need on the IP. I guess it makes for good mileage this way.

 

[IDIoit]

post a pic of it, i may have a spare.

 

[Number21]

Here is a pic of the pedal at idle, you can see how much farther it sits down than the brake pedal. Are they really supposed to be even?? The metal arm doesn't look bent but I don't know what it was supposed to look like to begin with.

You must be registered for see images attach

Starting to rethink my hate for drive by wire systems. They've never actually caused me any issues. ;p