Gas pedal is a little too firm?

[kingleonidasll]

Just like the title says, my gas pedal is pretty stiff throughout the stroke. Also, when the pedal is in its highest position, it gets kind of 'stuck' and requires me to push it down actually quite hard. I know this is all mechanical but just wanted to see if ya'll have remedied this problem in the past or something.

I sprayed the linkages around the carb down with WD-40 and that didn't really help... What if I cut a couple coils off the throttle spring?

Thanks in advance guys

[grabbergreen84]

Disconnect the cable from the carb, and then work the cable and see if it it what is hanging up.

[mmb617]

Disconnect the cable from the carb, and then work the cable and see if it it what is hanging up.

Yep, I would think this is the most likely cause. It's been my experience that this happens not long before the cable snaps.

[Walking-Tall]

Forget about WD-40, it's water based. Ask me how I know. Lubrication is the word of the day, and is what is OFTEN lacking in any cable situation. Un-attach the under-hood end of the throttle cable and up-end and give it a good drink of oil and work it back and forth good.

[9D83]

Maybe 2 different things going on-cable binding and a stiffer spring. Agree re checking and lubricating cable first but I can say my 79 had a noticably stiffer feel than all the 82,83 and later 5L cars I drove. It was almost coarser with tip in more abrupt

[kingleonidasll]

For sure about the WD-40, I know it's not a repair, just happened to be convenient at the time.

>It was almost coarser with tip in more abrupt
This right here. Really kinda have to push it and that makes it hard to drive smoothly!

[BlackMamba]

I have the same issue with my 86 and the quick spray with WD40 didn't help either. Haven't really looked into it as I don't drive the car much but it has the same signs and symptoms as the OP.

[JACook]

Sticking throttle off idle can be caused by misaligned throttle blades. You can verify this by popping the
throttle cable off the carburetor arm, then push the throttle to the idle stop (make sure the choke is open).
Then, gently pull the throttle open a bit. It should not stick at all. If it does, you will need to remove the
carburetor and re-align the throttle blades.

To realign the throttle blades, you back the idle speed screw out, then loosen the throttle blade screws and
position them so that they seat fully into the throttle bores. Then, while holding the blades closed by the
throttle shaft, tighten the screws. They will still stick at this point, because they're all the way closed. But
once the idle speed is adjusted back to normal, they should not stick.

I have also seen where the throttle blades were closed down all the way to compensate for a vacuum leak.
If that's your situation, there's probably no need to realign the blades, just find and correct the source of
the extra idle air.