Sticky Accelerator

CapnDean · December 28, 2003

Recently I have noticed a slight increase in pressure is necessary on the accelerator when I wish to take of from a standing start.

It is as if there is a hump that I must clear to get the throttle moving. It's not bad, and it's not as if you really have to stand on it to make it go.... It can however make the truck lunge when say my charming spouse takes it for a spin. (OOPS...TOO much gas).

I have 39K miles on it and have never had any sort of work under the hood other than ordinary maintenary. Is this an indication of a throttle body needing to be cleaned?

PunchT37 · December 28, 2003

Get some carb cleaner and a red rag and clean the throttle body.

Likarok · December 28, 2003

I believe there was a service bulliten on this problem in 2000. I had this problem on my 99 and they changed the whole throttle body. If you take it apart you will see that the throttle plate is binding inside the throttle body.

TarheelZ · December 28, 2003

I had similar problems with my '00 Sierra and cleaning the TB eliminated the sticking accelerator. I would recommend using TB cleaner instead of carb cleaner though.

99silveradoz71 · December 28, 2003

Either take advantage of the TSB and have the throttle body replaced or use some Top Engine Cleaner and wipe it on the throttle body or pour some in SLOWLY while alternating between idle and around 3000rpm.

CapnDean · December 29, 2003

Anybody got a number on that TSB? I don't show it on alldata.

JayMan · December 30, 2003

Get some carb cleaner and a red rag and clean the throttle body.

Please don't use Carb Cleaner.

The current Vortec motors use a special coating on the throttle body blade to minimize deposits. Carb Cleaner could destroy this coating, which will flake off and be ingested by the motor.

I use 3M Throttle Body Cleaner, which claims to be safe for all sensors, plastics, coatings, etc. It's $$$ but works very well, so you don't need a lot. I've had my can since 1996 and have always cleaned my TB's every fall. Should be good for another cleaning or two.

If there isn't any obvious buildup on the inside of the TB, you could have a problem with the throttle cable, or perhaps interference inside the cab.

On my 1984 Ford F-150, the vinyl floor cracked around the throttle pedal and a piece got stuck behind the pedal. I floored it to pass somebody and that Holley of mine stayed at WOT.

BTW what year is your truck?

c4cruiser · December 31, 2003

Anybody got a number on that TSB? I don't show it on alldata.

I had the TB on my 99 5.3 replaced under warranty in Feb of 02 when I asked about a sticky throttle condition. The work order showed a TSB # 00-06-04-007B.

DJinCO · December 31, 2003

Not to disagree with the folks here who have all of the info about TSBs etc... but when my acc pedal stuck on my 5.3L I sprayed some TB/Carb cleaner on the round thing that has cable around it attached to the pedal on top of the motor, kind of sticking out from under the plastic shroud that says "Vortec". No need to take the TB off and clean inside.

Of course, you can always take your truck in for service... it's only a few hours wasted waiting for some tech to spray your acc cable with cleaner. They should be done right after lunch, if you get in by 7:00 am.

BTW, only had to spray it once in 38,000 miles. Had the same problem with '98 Blazer and took it in to dealer. See paragraph 2 for that outcome. Learned my lesson in one trip. Fool me once....

Cheers, Doug

chevfamily · December 31, 2003

My 2001 5.3L started sticking around 25000 miles. I took the intake hose off the TB, and it was black with junk. I cleaned it with a rag and carb cleaner (sorry JayMan, I didn't know better), but got away with it. I did spray the cable pulley on the outside of the TB while I was at it. Runs like new. It took all of 10 minutes to do, so its not at all worth a trip to the "stealership". I stay away the best I can.

2628jp · December 31, 2003

01 Tahoe: had the same problem. It was in for service at the dealership (warrenty repair) and when I picked it up they told me they had fixed the sticky throttle problem, apparently there is a bulletin out there.

CapnDean · January 1, 2004

Yeah....and how.

I have 37,936 miles on my 2001 model truck.

Consequently it cost me $30 to have my throttle body cleaned at the dealership.

There is a TSB out there on it, and I don't necessarily want it replaced. Soooo

That's the deal. Next time I'll do it myself for free.

JayMan · January 1, 2004

Not to disagree with the folks here who have all of the info about TSBs etc... but when my acc pedal stuck on my 5.3L I sprayed some TB/Carb cleaner on the round thing that has cable around it attached to the pedal on top of the motor, kind of sticking out from under the plastic shroud that says "Vortec". No need to take the TB off and clean inside.

Of course, you can always take your truck in for service... it's only a few hours wasted waiting for some tech to spray your acc cable with cleaner. They should be done right after lunch, if you get in by 7:00 am.

BTW, only had to spray it once in 38,000 miles. Had the same problem with '98 Blazer and took it in to dealer. See paragraph 2 for that outcome. Learned my lesson in one trip. Fool me once....

Cheers, Doug

Good point.

Road debris can also build up on the TB Lever spring (The round thing beside the TB with the cable attached to it is the TB Lever), which could cause sticking.

You shouldn't try to lubricate the TB Lever or the TB Lever spring. Although it will temporarily operate smoother, the lubricant will attract dust and dirt, which can cause sticking problems and hard pedal movement.

Every fall at the same time I clean the inside of the TB and IAC passages, I like to clean the TB Lever with LPS Electrical and Contact cleaner. The 3M Throttle Body Cleaner is too expensive to use outside the TB.

JayMan · January 1, 2004

My 2001 5.3L started sticking around 25000 miles. I took the intake hose off the TB, and it was black with junk. I cleaned it with a rag and carb cleaner (sorry JayMan, I didn't know better), but got away with it. I did spray the cable pulley on the outside of the TB while I was at it. Runs like new. It took all of 10 minutes to do, so its not at all worth a trip to the "stealership". I stay away the best I can.

I'm sure that using Carb Cleaner once won't hurt anything. Just don't make it a ritual.

The biggest problem with Carb Cleaner is that it works TOO good. Not only will it dissolve the carbon/sludge buildup, it will also begin to dissolve the special coating on the TB blade. It will even attack plastic/rubber parts and electrical contacts (TPS, IAC motor, etc).

I noticed that you can buy other cleaners that claim to be safe for coated TB's, that are MUCH cheaper than the genuine 3M Throttle Body Cleaner. I can't vouch for them, but it might be worth a try.

Yeah, asides from the 2 warranty/recall trips to the dealer (Airbag recalibration, fixed broken parking brake spring), I only visit them once a year for a wheel alignment.

"Do you need anything else done?"

"NO"

BTW: Happy New Year!