Scary Experience - Lesson Learned

cycleguy55 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-23-2014, 10:39 AM

A couple of days ago, after some work on the engine I decided to take the Cobra out for a short drive to check things out. Everything was fine until I stepped on the accelerator - it seemed a bit stuff so I pushed a little harder. It was at that point I realized the throttle was stuck open and it was taking off in a hurry. I live on a short cul de sac so I was running out of time and distance before I got to the end and a T intersection. Thankfully I had my wits about me and got it shut off and stopped in time, with no collision or apparent damage to the engine - though I may have lopped a few years off my life expectancy. As one of my friends said, "Which was closer to redline, the engine or your heart?"

I opened the hood and there was nothing out of place or jammed. I then reached in to the foot box and tried to pull the accelerator pedal back - note the word 'tried' - it was jammed HARD. I'm about 220 lbs. and in reasonable shape and it wouldn't budge.

Subsequent investigation revealed the outer metal jacket on the push-pull cable had broken about 1" from the pedal end and the broken off piece had jammed hard against the remaining piece, even showing a bulge when it jammed. Of course, when it jammed it also jammed the inner cable in place, resulting in a stuck throttle.

I have since replaced the cable and it seems to work fine, though I'm still not a fan of the Neal floor mounted / hinged pedal and the push cable arrangement - I'll probably be looking to replace it with a top hinged pedal with either a pull cable or solid rod / bell crank system to connect to the carb. I'd appreciate any profound thoughts on this.

Lesson learned: If you feel ANY unusual binding or resistance in the throttle - DON'T FORCE IT! EVER! Stop the damn thing and figure out what's going on before going further.

Buzz · #2 (**permalink**) 10-23-2014, 11:04 AM

Wow - thanks for sharing that. Very good thing that you kept a clear head and did what you had to do to shut it down in time. A lot of people in similar situations freeze or panic with disastrous results. I'm sure many with cable operated throttles will be adding them to the safety inspection checklist - if not already there.

Xack · #3 (**permalink**) 10-23-2014, 03:13 PM

Push cables are dangerous. My car had one and I replaced it when I installed my engine with a Lokar system. Pull cable and a spring on the carburetor. Works like a charm on a gold bracelet!

cycleguy55 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-26-2014, 12:37 PM

After my experience I now have three return springs, in addition to the one concentric with the carburetor throttle shaft: 1) on the pedal; 2) from the carb forward; and 3) from the carb backward. Only the last one is a new addition since the stuck throttle.

BTW, the throttle / accelerator pedal action is better with the new push cable than it was (pre-incident) with the old cable, but it still doesn't feel like it moves as freely as I'd like. I have to believe that's an inherent part of the push design. Also, as noted in my OP, I'm not a big fan of the floor mounted / hinged design of the Neal pedal.

I've looked at Lokar and Summit's own pedal (http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/sum-460005) - which looks like a copy of Lokar. I've also looked at the one from Factory Five (Accelerator Pedal - Factory Five Parts Catalog) and the matching cable (Accelerator Cable - Factory Five Parts Catalog) and I'm leaning toward the FF parts.

Xack: As the FF pedal assembly seems to mount in a similar fashion to the Lokar / Summit pedals, I'd be curious as to your experience mounting your Lokar. Any issues with mounting it in a West Coast Cobra? Did you find the action lighter or with less friction than the push cable?

kitcarbp · #5 (**permalink**) 10-26-2014, 04:12 PM

Sorry to hear about that. The push pull cable should never be used for a throttle. More suited for auto trans gear selectors.

It was a part I threw out when included by friggin

Ve!n.
Im Using a basic Lokar cable with dual return Springs. On my single carb setup.
Throw out that push pull cable!

RICK LAKE · #6 (**permalink**) 10-27-2014, 02:56 AM

cycleguy55 Gald neither you or your car where hurt. I have had the same cable issues on my 85 truck and jeeps of the 70's. Cable binds or has too tight a bent. Lack of lube over time wears out the inside surface and when hot it binds. If you can find a picture of an ERA throttle linkage, I would highly reccomend making a setup like this. Heim joints and tubing give easier movement and no binding with this setup. been running mine for 15 years with a double spring and movement is still easy. WOT doesn't effect the angles of the linkage either. I believe back in the old days of multi carbs, most setups ran linkage from carb to carb. The pedal to carb was a short straight run of cable. Good luck Rick L.

cycleguy55 · #7 (**permalink**) 01-15-2015, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RICK LAKE

cycleguy55 Gald neither you or your car where hurt. I have had the same cable issues on my 85 truck and jeeps of the 70's. Cable binds or has too tight a bent. Lack of lube over time wears out the inside surface and when hot it binds. If you can find a picture of an ERA throttle linkage, I would highly reccomend making a setup like this. Heim joints and tubing give easier movement and no binding with this setup. been running mine for 15 years with a double spring and movement is still easy. WOT doesn't effect the angles of the linkage either. I believe back in the old days of multi carbs, most setups ran linkage from carb to carb. The pedal to carb was a short straight run of cable. Good luck Rick L.

My first car, a 1956 Ford Sedan Delivery (would love to have that car again and resto-mod it), had a linkage from the accelerator pedal to the carburetor. No cables back in that era, but by the time my second car was made (1965 VW Type III Notchback Sedan) cables were far more common.

I'm looking at the Factory Five accelerator pedal (Accelerator Pedal - Factory Five Parts Catalog) and cable (Accelerator Cable - Factory Five Parts Catalog). They're quite reasonably priced and s/b proven, given how many kits produced by FF.

Has anyone has used this setup in a non-FF car - particularly a West Coast Cobra or Kellison Stallion?

Tommy · #8 (**permalink**) 01-15-2015, 07:00 AM

Sorry I can't answer your question, but I will chime in with a pointless story about an old car with a throttle cable. .. One of my cars during college (1960s) was an AH Sprite. I was 30 miles from home one evening when the throttle cable broke. I rerouted the manual choke cable to the carb linkage and drove home using the choke control on the dash. It was my first car with cruise control.