adjusting the throttle body spring tension?

[goorackerelite]

Hi everyone, I have just bought a 99 year Saab 9-3S and I'm totally in love with it. However I have arthritis in my right knee and the gas pedal pressure is a little too heavy for me, I'd like my gas pedal to require a delicate touch and not require a brute stomp like it currently does. I was wondering if the spring in the throttle body can be altered to become less resistant or if it was possible to replace the spring with a lighter tension one. I'm desperate for a solution, thanks all for the help or comments.

Thanks you all, what a car!!!!

[boxman]

this must be a first, i would have to look at my throttle body to know the answer to this


ps welcome to saab central

[Drew'sSaab]

i had the same problem.....but mine was soo tight that it was sticking...and keeping it open after i released the pedal....take a can of WD-40 and spray a generous ammount on the springs when the car is off of course...lol..and then push the throttle up and also spray it on the cable coming off the throttle body and then play with it and move it in a out to get the WD-40 all over the cable...then go out for a drive....it will looser and more responsive

[goorackerelite]

I was thinking maybe I can trim off a section of the spring and then it'll become lighter? The WD40 is a great idea, I'm gonna do that right now and see how it does. Thanks

[Tweek's Turbos]

I find when driving my car super hard like around a short autocross track, the thing loosens itself.

[goorackerelite]

I have been paying attention to the pressure of the gas pedal, and it seems that the WD40 made the gas pedal depress smoother when the car is not on. in actual driving conditions, the tension required to depress the pedal increases substantially, if I had to guess it goes from 2 lbs of required pressure to about 8lbs of required pressure to depress the gas pedal while in gear. This makes me belive that there is some kind of hydraulic mechanism seprate from the throttle body springs that controls the stiffness of the pedal. I belive that Saab did this to emulate the pedal travel and pressure from old none "drive by wire" systems. Does anyone know of an adjustment? or know of a resource where I can fabricate a system to lighten it up?

[Drew'sSaab]

i wouldnt imagin your throttle mechanism being much different than mine....did u put the wd-40 all over the cables too....as far as the other stuff...idk...mine was fine after i sprayed it....and it been smooth ever since...thats as far as my expertise goes....lol...


drew

[Shirozina]

Excuse the obvious question - but if you find the gas pedal too hard then how do you manage to use the brake pedal effectivley?

[Flashheart]

side note - I had a similar problem when I bought my 97 - ended up being a bad cable. Replaced the cable - and it was infinitely better. You can check it by disconnecting the cable at the throttle body - and making sure the plastic end of the cable housing is all good - and that the cable moves freely. Easy thing to check.

[9-3sleeper]

Originally Posted by Drew'sSaab

i wouldnt imagin your throttle mechanism being much different than mine....did u put the wd-40 all over the cables too....as far as the other stuff...idk...mine was fine after i sprayed it....and it been smooth ever since...thats as far as my expertise goes....lol...


drew

I dont mean to nit pick, but I don't think the wd40 is going to help his case. What he seems to be looking for is a pedal with less than the normal amount of resistance, with your throttle, you were probably way stiffer than a normal throttle do to a lack of lube in the joint, so the wd40 was a good choice. For him though, wd40 will only make the throttle as loose as it was when it was first created, he needs to find a way to loosen it up past the stock resistance. Like I said, I'm not trying to knock you, its just something else to think about.

That said, I don't have the ability to go look at my car right now because it isn't anywhere near me, so I can't give any specific advice, but off the top of my head I would say that you need to try and find a looser spring than the stock one, or perhaps get the stock one to loosen up a bit.

[Drew'sSaab]

i see what ur saying

[goorackerelite]

okay so the gas pedal pressure is softer now when the engine is off. However, when the engine is on, it feels like a throttle cable is rubbing against something and it makes the whole driving experience not fun because it really bothers my right knee, hip and ankle. Is there a mechanism that comes on to stiffen the gas pedal when the engine is on?

[goorackerelite]

http://www.4x4wire.com/tech/josh4x4/techtricks/

this link does excatly what I want to do to my saab 9-3 99 year. Can anyone confirm that this can be done on our car? it says that it should work on any GM throttle body. So hopefully this is it