Aggressive throttle

[halz]

Guys,

(see my other current post on this subject). The Zhome article attacks the problem by adding more pedal movement for the same amount of throttle movement...effectively reducing the "directness" of the throttle action. Daniel's approach is to free up the initial action in the offending part of the throttle system.

Daniel, did you ever get that photo of your 'hockey stick bend'?

Hayden.

[hf240z]

can i beg any one to pozt picture of how to fix thiz problem....plz...plzzzzzz...it'z rainy zeason already and if i am not very very cautiouz on my accelerator, i will probably hit the car next to me....

thanks

[59ghia]

The hockey stick fix is ok but the cut and weld of the , what I think, is called the "bell crank" (its the "hinge" point on the firewall") is better. Just be aware that the angle you weld it at is critical. I welded mine at to much of an angle and although my throttle smoothed out allot I lost full throttle! The bottom arm of the bell crank would hit the metal brace that is attached to the firewall and only gave me 3/4 throttle movement. I put my old bell crank back on and got a piece of longer throttle rod from a 280z and put it in place of the one that goes from the pedal to the lower bell crank mount point, then shortened the rod from the upper bell crank that runs parallel to the fire wall. That improved it a bit put still not perfect. I will be re-cutting and welding my originally cut bell crank to a better angle to see if I can get it right. At least I know I'm on the right track!

Dave

[abas]

Dave/Daniel

Good job:classic:

Can you post some pictures of what you have done. I'm getting confused over which bits of the throttle linkage need to be changed/bent.

Many thanks

AndrewB

[halz]

Right-oh...I've finally performed and tested Daniel's "hockey-stick" throttle modification and I can also confirm a significant improvement in throttle usability. It is now possible to sneak gently away from the lights and also to perform handbrake starts without wheelspin! (i'm going to miss those :devious:). Below are two pictures that show (1) an unmodified linkage alongside a modified (curved) one and (2) showing the new linkage in-situ...

I made my new linage by bending and cutting to length the long linkage from a 280zx. I retained the threaded (ie adjustable) end and pressed on a socket cap on the other end after I had the desired shape. My main aim was to introduce a nice curve and leave some future adjustability for in the new part.

The result is about an 85% improvement on the original setup...still not as good as a cable-operated system. I think I can further improve things by cleaning and lubricating all of the ball and socket joints in the whole assembly.

I hope this helps other Z drivers overcome the problem too :classic:

[halz]

here it is under the bonnet...

[abas]

Thanks Halz

great pictures.

[gundee]

Another fix from Carl Beck.

http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/tech/AccelLinkage.htm

[winstonsmith]

Are all these fixes described so far only for carbed Z cars? I have a 78 280. Mine is fuel injected and it is driving me insane trying to take off from a stop light without immediately hauling arse. It's just like everyone has described. When I try to give it gas from a stop light it's as if the pedal won't budge, like it's stuck or something. So I give it a tad more pressure and then BAM! I'm layin' freakin' rubber everywhere. After reading some other posts it seems maybe my problem isn't quite the same. I see where people have bent the linkage to take up slack but my problem isn't the initial slack it's that the linkage as a whole feels like it's stuck when it's in the off position. Turning it by hand produces the same results. It's hard to move at first but then it finally does. I've circled points in the pictures that are maybe a problem. In the first picture with a circle, is it normal for that area to have slack in it as well? The place where the two rods connect which is held together with a cotter pin has some slack in it. Don't know if that's normal or not. In the second picture with a circle, that area as well as the others like it maybe need grease? I'm guessing it needs to be disassembled and cleaned and regreased. How do I get the ball joints off? What grease should I use to lube it with? I have some general purpose bearing grease. Anyway here's some pictures.

Also, is it normal on these cars to have the e-brake pull up so far? This is my first manual transmission car so I've never even bothered to use an e-brake before. I know my Pulsar's e-brake only goes up about 3 clicks.

[Victor Laury]

Hand brake needs ajustment. It should not go that far.

[sblake01]

I don't know why or how but in that third picture, the torsion rod is installed backwards. The one that connects the back part of the linkage to the front should go in through the top of the opening. Seems to me that that would cause it to bind. I'm taking a picture of mine as we speak to show what I mean.

Now, compare your picture to mine.

[Dazza]

Until reading this thread, I was thinking that it was just me who was having initial reluctance with their 240z throttle control, when accelerating from idle. After much time spent cleaning ball joints, making adjustments etc. with minimal improvement. I now have high hopes that the information gathered here will finally resolve what has been a real PITA problem for me. Thanks to all for your input.

cheers