The accelerator was stuck on my car.....?

Question

I recently bought a 92 4 runner, it's been acting a little finicky lately. The worst thing yet tho was yesturday driving home I was accelerating once I hit 35 and eased off the gas, the car kept accelerating so I slammed on the brakes, got off the main rode, my hubby jumped out and said the throttle was wide open he closed it, we turned off the car. He drove the rest of the way home, I was a little shook up. It hasn't happened again , yet.
My question is, what could of caused this, & will it happen again?

Please don't answer the question if you have no clue.

Thanks.

Answer 1

It COULD be the throttle body plate sticking. That's the easiest to diagnose and repair. Open the air intake to the throttle body, usually takes a screwdriver. Get a can of throttle body spray cleaner from the auto parts store and follow directions.

It COULD also be the throttle cable. You can get some spray lubricant and get to it from the engine side.

It could also be in the cruise control, if you have that option. Maybe the cable or the linkage.

If those repair attempts don't work, get a dealer to repair it. You don't want the liability of this crucial function of your car in jeopardy.

By the way, I usually NEVER tell ANYONE to take thier car to a dealer for any out of warranty work.

Also, if this happens again, TURN THE KEY OFF IMMEDIATELY!

Answer 2

If it was really cold,the throttle could have formed ice inside causing the throttle to stick.The thing to do is to spray lots of WD-40 all over the throttle and cable.Work the throttle back and forth by hand with the engine off and make sure everything works smoothly.You might go ahead and order a new throttle cable from a Toyota dealer,it's not very expensive and it sounds like your husband can handle the installation.

Answer 3

Here's a couple of possibilites. A vehicle this old may need to have the throttle body cleaned. The plate should be clean and shiny. If it appears dull or black, it needs to be cleaned. You can buy this type of cleaner at an auto parts store, but unless you are familiar with working on cars, do not attmpt this as you can damage the sensors or the engine could back fire and you could be burned. Please consult a mechanic or a friend who is familiar with this repair. Also, your accelerator cable could be binding or the pedal itself could be sticking. A little WD-40 will take care of the pedal. If the cable is the culprit, it should be replaced.

Answer 4

I think that it will happen again. Just a matter of when. You have to find out where it was sticking at and see if you can lube it some how or you may have to replace some parts. Your 4 runner is quite old. Open the hood and do some poking around.

Answer 5

Clean the throttle body and linkage with WD-40..... for the inside of the throttle body you can use carb cleaner. Put some fuel injector cleaner in your gas tank as well.

Answer 6

Check the accelerator cable and make sure it isn't binding. Then check the accelerator cable connection at the throttle cable, make sure it moves freely.

Answer 7

sounds like you need to spray the throttle cable and assembly with wd40 or some lubricant,had this happen to me before.

Answer 8

get the throttle body cleaned. carbon and dirt builds up....Get dealer or shop cost 25 to 35...if you diy use Fuel injector cleaner NEVER carburetor cleaner...

Answer 9

IT ALSO COULD BE A IDLE SPEED CONTROL SOLENOID.BUT MAKE SURE YOU LUBE LINKAGE FIRST. IF YOU HAVE WASH THE ENGINE LATELY THERE IS NO LUBE.TRY ALSO GOING ON FORUMS.IF YOU GET ENGINE CODE.ADVANCE OR AUTO ZONE WILL CHECK ENGINE CODES FORFREE. EVEN IF YOU DON,T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ENGINE THEY MIGHT BE THERE.