On a 2001 3.2 TL, we've been having a driveability issue with the foot throttle. As you apply foot pressure to the throttle, it sticks and then finally releases with the car lurching ahead. Can't see anything mechanical that is obvious. Asked the dealer about it and they say that there is carbon build-up in the carburator. Asked what they do about it and they said they take the carburator off and clean it with carb cleaner. Anyone else experience this problem and what did you do about it????

 

do what they said, carb cleaner into the IM and Tb

 

its the butterfly in the Throttle Body thats sticking on the Build up of carbon. Buy a can of Carb Cleaner ans spray it in the TB. wipe it out open the butterfly by hand and clean around it also carefully with the cleaner, then with the car running spray it into the Throttle Body (you will have to remove teh rubber tube from the throttle body to the air filter.

 

Carburetor, eh? So that's why my car's been running shitty. I've been trying to tune the injector timing!!!




















(I'm allowed to make a useless post, because Kris has already said what I was going to say )

 

Thanks guys for your replies. Have you experienced the same symptoms?? Don't you have to be careful what you spray into the throttle body because of a sensor located in that area??

 

i have the problem

 

I had the same problem, it ended up being the throttle cable wasn't tight, it had some slack from initial tap in, so you had push down on the gas to get it to go anywhere and when you did, it took off. I adjusted the throttle cable tighter on the trottle body and everything has been good since.

 

And thats teh best you could come up with

 

just get a spray can of carb/fuel injector cleaner (make sure it says fuel injector as its safer on electrical compononts)

 

A little more info on the sticky throttle. I tried cleaning out the throttle body with carb cleaner and things were better for about 5000 miles, but it slowly came back with the problem. I noticed that the throttle doesn't seem to stick if the engine is not running, but as soon as you start up the engine you have the condition of applying pressure on the throttle and nothing seems to happen until all of a sudden it takes off with a lurch. Anybody else experience the same symptoms? Any success in solving it?

 

I had the same issue in my 2002 TL-S. Dealer said it was a clogged throttle body. This was about 4 months ago. I didn't get that cleaned yet, but I did pop the plastic lid off the throttle switch (right word? - front-passenger side of engine compartment). There was gunk on the throttle wire so I cleaned it off. I haven't had the sticky pedal since.

However, tonight I took my car out and it was downshifting funky and idling strangely. I stopped to get gas and heard the engine revving itself lightly (up, down, up, down) like it was breathing like an old dying man. I shut it off and started it back up a few times and it still did it. I revved it pretty high a couple times and drove back home. I threw it in neutral and it idled bad again. However, by the time i got home 5 minutes later, it was fine (well, almost). It wasn't idling funny anymore.

I think it's time to clean the throttle body, but I think I'll try it on my own.