My wife drives a 2000 Eddie Bauer Expedition and is complaining about her accelerator sticking. She says she has to "tap" on it to break it loose before she can get the vehicle moving. Is this a common problem that can be fixed with a dab of oil or should I take it to the dealer? By the way the car's got about 70000 miles on it.

Thanks Brad

 

Has this started happening recently due to extreme cold temperatures? My 02 started doing this same thing once the temps were consistently cold (15 degrees or lower) day & night. There are also a few posts on here regarding the sticking accelerator. I haven't tried fixing mine yet. Seems once the engine warms up and underhood temps rise, the problem goes away, so I'm blaming it on the temps. Hopefully that is all it is.

 

It's funny that you mention the problem of sticky throttle linkage. It is the only problem I've had with my '99 EB Exp. but it was very easy to fix with lubrication of the exposed linkage. I took it to a shop but I'm sure anyone with the time and a little mechanical aptitude could take care of it easily.

Good luck.

 

Hey thanks for the information, I'll lube it this weekend. Sorry it took so long to thank you for the information, been away from the computer.

thanks again Brad

 

same problem with my 98. Hopefully some lubrication will fix it. I guess I wasnt the only one with that problem.

 

I had the same problem and have read threads here about it. My pedal and linkages were not the cause coz I WD40'ed them and it was still sticking. Then I read another post here saying the butterfly in the intake was the cause. So I pulled the intake hose off so that I could see the butterfly and I could feel a buildup of carbon around the edges when the butterfly is closed. I think this is whats causing the sticking. So I got some carb cleaner on a rag and rubbed it off. It will take some effort. I had to get up in there with the rag over the end of my finger.

Good Luck
Alan

 

Gummed up throttle body is exactly what the problem is. My wife drives a 2000 Exp with 72K miles and had the same problem last week. Just take off the plastic cover and the intake tube and shoot some oxygen sensor safe throttle body cleaner(Valvoline makes one) in there and wipe it out. It may take a few applications. Try to get both sides and the back/bottom edge of the valve plate, and anywhere where the plate touches the aluminum housing. Get it fixed, it is a safety issue on wet roads or traffic. Lube the throttle shaft, springs, etc with some silicone lube while you are there.

 

I have the same issue with my 99 XLT and have not yet had the chance to fix it, but with these easy instructions I'm sure it will be a snap.

Thanks.

 

Same problem here with my '99 EB Expy. It's usually worse in the morning when it's cold, after the engine has warmed up it's not as much of a problem. I will try the fix after work tonight (if I can find the right throttle body cleaner) and let y'all know if it works.

 

Any of you guys think this same problem would be responsible for an unexplained engine rev right when coming to a stop?

Pulling up to a red light, slowing until almost stopped, and then a rev that forces me t stomp the brake. After that, it's fine.

It's just happened more than a couple times lately, and it seems to much coincidence.

 

IMHO, I would say no. If it was related to the throttle plate sticking it probably wouldn't rev up right at the end, it would just not come to as low of an idle.

I would have it checked to see if there are any codes in the computer that might indicate a bad sensor of some sort.

 

do you here a swishing or sucking sound when you got to stop and push on the brakes? It might be in the vacuum brake booster. If the booster is bad it lets more air into the engine so it will rev higher for a sec or two. Most mechanics can tell if it's bad right away by driving it.

 

I'll try to listen more closely for those sounds. I can't get this to happen on demand though... Thanks for the tip!

 

Well, I tried it last night and it worked great. Probably took less than a half hour from hood up to hood closed. One of the easier fixes I've ever done. I was starting to imagine what a pain replacing the throttle cable would be. I'm glad this solved it without that much hassle. Thanks for the tips guys.