On my way to work today my accel. cable decided to snap on the one place on the freeway with no shoulder. I tied the carb linkage to a casette-tape adapter to a shirt that I fed through my passenger window and yanked on that to give me gas to get the rest of the way to work.

Normally I'd just replace the cable, but this car has something wierd... a second little lever just in front of the center console that acts like a manual throttle - almost like a cruise control. I haven't opened it up yet to see what needs replacing (I've got to drive it home like this tonight), but I wanted to know if this was something you'd seen before.

I originally bought the car from CAMP (running BEAUTIFULLY otherwise - still so glad I went there), and I think Craigh had said it was some kind of 914-6 cable that had been added... Do you guys have experience with this kind of cable? Is it a stock replacement part? What can I expect for the job? Any info appreciated...

Thanks!

Aaron

914/6's had a hand throttle. black knob

QUOTE

914/6's had a hand throttle. black knob

Yep, you can use that for your gas throttle to get it home if it is still attached!

Jeff

QUOTE (Jeffs9146 @ May 13 2005, 12:58 PM)

Yep, you can use that for your gas throttle to get it home if it is still attached!

hand throttle just acts through a link to the pedal cluster, and uses the same cable to get back to the engine...

So is the hand throttle attached to the pedal cluster? Can I use a standard 4-cyl cable and do a normal swap from the pedal? Does the hand throttle attach to the cable in any way? I haven't opened the thing up yet and I know this will probably be simple once I open it up, but can someone sketch on a napkin or something?

Mostly I just want to know what parts to order, and the 914-6 hand throttle is a trip.

Also - the hand throttle went out when the pedal went out, so I'll be driving it home by hand tonight... (pulling on the snapped cable though, not the shirt/wire connection...

QUOTE (ammason @ May 13 2005, 01:29 PM)

So is the hand throttle attached to the pedal cluster? Can I use a standard 4-cyl cable and do a normal swap from the pedal? Does the hand throttle attach to the cable in any way?

yes - the 914.6 hand throttle (unlike the 911 one...*) has a link that runs forward and presses the gas pedal for you. since that's all mechanical linkage, if the cable is broken anywhere, the hand throttle won't help you - the hand throttle connects to the pedal cluster upstream of the cable.

no, you can't use a /4 cable - they're different.

the hand throttle does not connect to the cable in any way. it connects to the gas pedal.

the /6 hand throttle mechanism is in the upper left; the lower left is the heater linkage.
_____________
* the 911 throttle does not use a cable, and the hand throttle lever -does- operate on the throttle rod in the tunnel. 914.6 is different.

Hand throttles were a primitive cruise control, but they're also very handy on cars like the early 911 and the 914/6, which don't have cold-start or warmup circuits in the carbs. Set the hand throttle to keep the car at a steady (high) idle while you wait for the engine to warm up, and you don't have to keep your foot on the gas. Quite useful if you start the car and get out to clean frost off the windscreen, for example.

I guess my question, and I don't know if you'll even be able to answer this as it's a custom mod, is what kind of cable would I need to use?

The car is a 2.0L with carbs and the /6 hand throttle. It seems to be that the /6 cables ran back to the transmission and had a bracket there that connected with the carbs. My car does not have this - it's got dual webbers with the post-on-the-block style linkage (no hex rod - Craigh if you've still got the pics from CAMP, could you post?) that seems like it could use a standard throttle cable just fine.

Were the /6 cables different at both ends? Did they connect at the pedal in the same way? If all I'm concerned about is getting a cable out of the cab, would I be able to use the /4 cable? Differences?

Thanks!

Use the -4 cable. I believe that the only real difference between the -6 and -4 cables is the length. Use the cheaper -4 cable. It is "probably" the one that was used on your car.

The hand throttle just pushes the bellcrank on the pedal cluster--in pretty much the same way that the pedal does. So the hand throttle is not relevant to the cable in any way shape or form. Ignore it for the purposes of ordering a new cable.

--DD

That's my guess as well... New cable ordered!

Also - for any of you Bay Area folks - if you need good used (or new) parts, EASY in Emeryville (http://www.easypor.com) is awesome. I'm kinda partial - they're like 4 blocks from my house which makes them super-convenient - and their warehouse is like a giant cavern filled with hundreds of cars worth of 914 and 911 parts. Plus they're quite nice, working with me to get the cable tonight after they're closed.

QUOTE (ammason @ May 13 2005, 02:25 PM)

Were the /6 cables different at both ends?

the /6 cable terminates at the engine end in a threaded rod for a ball socket and hex jam nut.
the /4 cable (seems to...) terminate at the engine end in an unthreaded rod that is retained in the VW-style pin with 5mm clamp bolt (hey - it has a 111 part number...)

donno if that's going to make a difference for you. if you're expecting the engine end to have a threaded rod connection, the shorter /4 cable won't have it, and you'll have to fabricate something else. (i'd guess that unthreaded rod could be threaded M5 like the /6 one...)

they connect to the pedal in exactly the same way.

and i'll suggest tthet you check out the clutch- and throttle-cable installation threads because it's *really* easy to get the cables intertwined in the tunnel giving you an engine that races exactly when you don't want it to (disengaging the clutch...)

Cables are not interchangable. Yes, the 4 has a smooth end while the 6 end is threaded. If this is an original six or conversion someone used all factory parts on, you will need the 6 cable.