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Accelerator is not smooth

10K views 23 replies 15 participants last post by  nickid 
#1 ·
Hi

I just bought a 1.4 SE honda civic (52 Reg). I am finding that accelerator pedal is not smooth. and hence i end up stalling the car in first gear when moving off. I dont know how to describe the problem but there seems to be some resistance on the pedal.

Any ideas on what can the problem be and possible solutions?

Thanks
J
 
#7 ·
does the acc stick when you get into the car or just stiff??,
if it sticks then remove the air intake at the throttle body and clean the inside where the butterfly valve is, common problem to get gunked up and cause sticking, i used brake cleaner!! just sprayed in and scrubbed, spot on now.
 
#13 ·
This may needd a new thread, but I think its related. We ahev just bought a Civic 1.4 max and are finding it hard to make smooth low gear changes and pull away. The clutch is OK, I think the accelerator is too responsive, giving all or nothing, so you end up stalling or lurching away. Is there a way to graduate the accelerator? Is this related to the 'gas' cable metioned above?

We are loving the car. Thanks for your help.
 
#15 ·
SatoruJk said:
I don't mind it, really. Makes keeping to that 30 limit in camera ridden streets alot easier :p
i have that too :) feels a bit sticky unless you just put you foot down.. took me some time to get used to it but now when driving in towns it makes it easy to stay at one speed.. though when pulling off in traffic i tend to find that i start kangarooing a bit whilst trying to tickle the acelirator
 
#16 ·
Hi Vinfilth

You describe it well, stiff , so you can not graduate the revs to pull away smoothly (all or nothing). You have to really concentrate to get the revs right to pull away (going to be fun in the ice), but if we do not get an answer on here I will pop it down to a Honda garage and tell you if its an easy fix.
 
#17 ·
I have this problem on my 04 sport. It didn't do it before so why now. Stalling at lights and having to heavy boot the peddle to get more juice and changing gear the loss of power to fine the same speed. It's doing my head in.
What's the answer? New cable new throttle body? New peddle? New hose ? Can some help before I buy all
 
G
#18 ·
Have you guys tried cleaning the throttle body and maf sensor, they can soot up over time and give the problems you describe, especially if you have a free flow air filter fitted - they are terrible for causing the maf sensor to soot up prematurely. All the awesome filtration figures the likes of K&N come up with are nonsense.
You go to pull away normally and all you get is a hesitation unless you give it more gas, I had this until I cleaned the throttle body and MAF sensor and now it's fine.
You do have to continually lube all 3 pedals and connected cables etc as well as the steering column since they all seem to suffer from stiffening up over time, piss poor IMO, never had this in any other car I've owned.
 
#19 ·
my mates was like that , my girlfriends sisters ep2 was like that i think its just the way they were made
I've got to say, my accelerator pedal isn't noticably stiff and fine control is about the same as any car I've driven. It's a 2003 model.

I think the accelerator is too responsive, giving all or nothing, so you end up stalling or lurching away. Is there a way to graduate the accelerator? Is this related to the 'gas' cable metioned above?
I've heard of people adjusting the throttle cable slack, although they wanted the opposite effect from you, tightening it for more instant response from the off, on another civic forum.

I think what hon65 was asking was to check whether poor throttle response from idle or a stiff cable was the issue.
If the MAF sensor is the hot wire type, clean that up, spray some carb cleaner into the throttle body. If the accelerator cable is stiff, I'd have a go lubricating it before buying another one. My old car had a cable operated clutch, and a squirt of spray grease every now and then helped a lot. You can get decent 2 thumbscrew cable oilers on eBay fo9r about £6, or messy ones like mine for less.
 
#20 ·
Sounds like the throttle cable to me (throttle wire as Honda call it!!) , could be worth trying to lube it , but chances are the inner braid is starting to fray , whether you can get a pattern cable I don't know, but Honda charge £40 + for this!! rip off price as is all their parts!! that's one of the things I miss about my Vauxhalls is the cheap parts, especially through their 'Trade Club'; alternative is to buy it from the States as they seem to offer a better deal on parts prices!
Cheers Pete
 
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