Stiff Gas Pedal 97 3.4L

Posting this on here because the 4Runner forum is a ghost town. My girlfriends 97 4Runner 3.4L 2wd has a really stiff gas pedal and I would like to know how to fix it. if anyone could help I would really appreciate it. My guess is that it has to do with the accelerator cable?

 

Probably because the older vehicles use a mechanical link (cable) from the throttle body to the automatic transmission. It has to do with down shifting for passing. Newer Tacoma/4runners went to electronics and that took the weight off the pedal.

In other words, sounds normal. What vehicles are you comparing it too?

 

I'm comparing it to every other car I've ever owned or driven. 95 Buick, 99 Silverado, 02 Tacoma.... I've never driven a vehicle with a pedal as stiff as this.

 

I don't know anything about domestic vehicles, but your 02 doesn't have the cable. My 98 4runner has a stiff gas pedal, and my 99 Tacoma was too. When I went to a manual transmission in my 99 Tacoma I was amazing at how light the pedal became.

 

Yes, if it’s stiff is because it’s worn,

I replaced mine and there is a big difference if it’s shot.
Not hard to do

1997 4runner had a cable all the way to the throttle body

 

2 things come to mind... the sheathing inside the cable(s) is shot for either the the accelerator to throttle or the throttle to the trans, if she is an automatic... the second one is, and this one is bizzare but I have seen it, at least on older non maintained Tacomas... the chassis ground from the firewall to the engine is bad or is non-existant. All of the power consumers in the cab are grounded in the cab and if that particular ground is missing or bad, the only other ground is the accelerator cable. The cable heats up and melts the inner sheathing. From what I have seen, 4Runners are pretty close to Tacomas in most things.

 

wow that's a lot to take in. Thank you

 

First thing I would try is take the cable off at the throttle body and see if it moves freely inside the housing. If the cable has a lot of friction, you can try injecting some Teflon dry lubricant into the sheathing to see if it frees things up. If the cable isn't the culprit then maybe your throttle body butterfly is gummed up and needs cleaning. With my limited knowledge that's where I would start.

 

Yea, what he said. (a few of the aboves)

Take it loose from throttle and determine if it's the throttle body, cable or pedal.

If cable you can drip some oil down it, moving it in and out and pulling oil in (motorcycle shops have a kit just for lubing cables) if that turns out to be the problem, it prob. is shot in the liner. Just replace the cable. If TB........well, it's fixable but will have to be determined what part is hanging up. If pedal (doubtful), there's a bushing if i remember right that wore out. Maybe.....maybe some lube there will fix it well enough also.

 

Thanks guys I appreciate it