It all started when my accelerator cable froze. Wasn't sure where it was frozen, but no matter, just pull it out and install another.

Rube Goldberg stepped in at this point. The light flashed and I figured that if I attached a thin wire to the pedal end and pulled it through, I could attach the wire to the new cable and pull it back. This would avoid the smoke and mirror portion of wrapping the cable around the clutch cable. Simple ...heh? Oh, I used a small piece of duct tape to attach the wire to the cable.

At the back I started pulling the cable out of the housing and wella, it stuck. So, I gave it the "mighty tug" and it came out a little farther. Another "heave ho" and it stopped ... period.

I pondered this a bit and cut the cable near the firewall, leaving enough to grab onto with vise grips. Using grunts and leverage, I pulled more of the reluctant cable through the housing when it finally broke and there was no more left to grab onto. Holy Bull Shit ... now what.

For the rest of the day, and with the help of friends to, we tried to pound the stuck cable out the front to no avail. The mechanics at our shop even tried but nothing moved. Really neeeded a Fleets at this point.

Fast forward .... After nothing worked, I finally decided to cut a hole in the center tunnel so I could punch a hole in the forward firewall to put a 10/32" X 6' rod into the throttle tube and punch the offending stuck whatever out the back. We welded two 3' sections of spring steel together and I fed it into the tube. First whack of the hammer and the weld broke.

Fast forward ... well, we cut into the rear section of the tunnel, and cut the throttle guide tube where the jam was. One more day of work, pouunding 2" sections of the the spring steel and the jam came out.

Lesson learned ... don't try to defeat the Porsche Engineers. A couple of photos for your enjoyment. Laughing is allowed.

Anytime you want something really f**ked up, give me a call!!

The offending plug in the tube:


The cut in the center tunnel at the rear:


The hole in the forward tunnel area:

Lighter=faster. It's a little lighter now.

Just put the carpet back, mabey nobody will notice

at least the problem is solved, that feels good right

Yep, I was soooooo pissed. Didn't want to cut holes in a virgin body.

I changed a throttle cable in 30 minutes in a cold hotel parking lot in Alabama.....



Seems like you can F-up a wet dream............

Thank god for other peoples mishaps

now I don't feel so bad about mine

That supplemental "thin wire" caused all the problems. Why does ANYONE think they need a wire to pull the cable through? It's not like it can go anywhere but through the tube ................. The Cap'n, who has said this before, right here on this site.

Nice coffee cup holder!!!!!

I feel your pain though. Nothing quite like making a simple job into a disaster, even worse when someone is paying you to do a job and it ends up costing you money!

No smart ass comments, I'm just going to go ahead and

Hiya Ron!

Thanks for the What Not To Do tip. I was thinking if I ever had to change mine, a tag line might be a possibility.

I had a throttle cable break inside on a friends car after we tried to replace it. I welded a drill bit to a thin piece of steel rod and rotorooter it out but it still took 6 hrs to finish the "10 minute job"....

too bad you had to cut the car to fix the fix

perhaps a lighter/thinner piece of tape? maybe scotch tape. nice to start the morning off with a little humor after the day of fasting, 4 liters of mystery liquid, and the colonoscopy party yesterday.

k

recently i was driving my car when al of a sudden idle zommed up and would not drop down. it turned out my throttle cable was frayed - luckily i had one on the shelf but when i tried to install it i found tat the end that connect to the peddle had a thick shoulder on it and thus would would not slide into the tunnel tube -so i ground off the shoulder and then it worked - wow - how shitty would that repair have been had i been half way to CA with my bench grinder handy : ))

WHAT! Will this myth NEVER die? Please explain to me, as well as all the others here, EXACTLY WHY you "think" you need any sort of string, tape, wire, leather thong, guitar string, rope, hawser, midget, or any other type of device attached to the throttle (or clutch, for that matter) cable when installing/uninstalling it. Both cables go through tubes just a tiny bit bigger than their own diameter, both go from wide open and easily accessible space to a similar, although smaller, space at the other end. They can't get lost, and they don't have to be maneuvered around any obstacles. In the case of the throttle cable, the fit is so close the swaged part often needs to be trimmed to allow it to pass through the tube.

KILL THE MISINFORMATION MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Cap'n

SCOTCH TAPE! jon, SCOTCH TAPE!!! it will barely hold an evelope closed. run out and get a sense of humor with a side of irony at lunch time.

Here's something we can all relate to and laugh about (maybe you've seen this before, but the truth hurts!).

Andys

Oil Change instructions for Women :

1) Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 miles since the last oil change.

2) Drink a cup of coffee.

3) 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.


Money spent:
Oil Change:
$20.00
Coffee: $1.00
Total: $21.00
==========

Oil Change instructions for Men :

1) Wait until Saturday, drive to auto parts store and buy a case of oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree, write a check for $50.00.


2) Stop by 7/11 and buy a case of beer, write a check for $20, drive home.


3) Open a beer and drink it.


4) Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.


5) Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.


6) In frustration, open another beer and drink it.


7) Place drain pan under engine.


8) Look for 9/16 box end wrench.


9) Give up and use crescent wrench.


10) Unscrew drain plug.


11) Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil: splash hot oil on you in process. Cuss.


12) Crawl out from under car to wipe hot oil off of face and arms. Throw kitty litter on spilled oil.


13) Have another beer while watching oil drain.


14) Spend 30 minutes looking for oil filter wrench.


15) Give up; crawl under car and hammer a screwdriver through oil filter and twist off.


16) Crawl out from under car with dripping oil filter splashing oil everywhere from holes. Cleverly hide old oil filter among trash in trash can to avoid environmental penalties. Drink a beer.


17) Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to gasket surface.


18) Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.


19) Remember drain plug from step 11.


20) Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.



21) Drink beer.


22) Discover that first quart of fresh oil is now on the floor. Throw kitty litter on oil spill.


23) Get drain plug back in with only a minor spill. Drink beer.


24) Crawl under car getting kitty litter into eyes. Wipe eyes with oily rag used to clean drain plug. Slip with stupid crescent wrench tightening drain plug and bang knuckles on frame removing any excess skin between knuckles and frame.


25) Begin cussing fit.


26) Throw stupid crescent wrench.


27) Cuss for additional 5 minutes because wrench hit bowling trophy.


28) Beer.


29) Clean up hands and bandage as required to stop blood flow.


30) Beer.


31) Dump in five fresh quarts of oil.


32) Beer.


33) Lower car from jack stands.


34) Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during any missed steps.


35) Beer.


36) Test drive car.


37) Get pulled over: arrested for driving under the influence.


38) Car gets impounded.


39) Call loving wife, make bail.


40) 12 hours later, get car from impound yard.


Money spent:
Parts: $50.00
DUI: $2500.00
Impound fee: $75.00
Bail: $1500.00
Beer: $20.00
Total: $4,145.00
but you know the job was done right!

Trust me, if it's on the internet, There are a LOT of people who will think it's the truth. Look at JB Weld ..................

The Cap'n (BTW, yours was the quote of convenience. Nothing personal.)

As much as I hate to agree with John, I with him on this one. I changed a few in my time and never had a problem. This time I didn't feel like laying on my stomach with an inspection mirror and it cost me dearly .... The wire I used was the thickness of kite string, but I gonna blame on the duct tape and sheer stupidity.

You can spell check me now.

Oh thanks! Now everyone walking past my office is wondering why I am crying! Now all the ladies are excited because they think I am getting a divorce!

Yeh, and I saw a couple of Carrera GTs drop a tear or two .....

Hahaha! They would be crying!

that was a funny read. especially capt's reply

So Capt, are you suggesting JB Weld instead of Scotch tape? In theory, sounds plausable.

I feel for you.
I made the same dumb mistake last fall. I had a fear that the cable would get twisted around something so I did the string thing with the same bad results. What saved me was an electricians fish tape. This is pretty stiff steel. I cut the end down and bushed it in the the tube from the back of the car. Using vise grips and a hammer, I was able to force out the blockage. What should have been a 20 minute job turned out to be a half day job

OMG.

Sorry you didn't see my saga, I could have helped you solve it in that 10 minutes.

my misery

Maybe this repair needs to get moved to classics...

PEOPLE:

If your throttle cable sheathing end has become detatched from the tube running into the firewall YOU WILL PROBABLY CONFRONT THIS ISSUE ONE DAY!

Forewarned is forearmed.

Paul

Holy Bullshit! Pull harder! LOL

DANG!

I went to replace my cable, snapping it off as well. I cut a little access panel so I got the cable out but the damn plastic tube is still stuck in the metal tube!

Not too sure what I'm going to do about that yet... I tried pulling the end of the plastic but just snapped it off--it wasn't going anywhere...

Wow! Going off of the Capn's reply... imagine if you could find a small enough midget that could operate a welder, plasma cutter, or run wires through the various passages in a 914.

"Dude, midget, I have a rust spot in my passenger long that needs to be fixed, crawl in there and get it done."

"Yo midget, broken wire up under the dash, grab the soldering gun and heat shrink wrap, have at it."

"Hey Midge, I think there's some kind of crap in my gas tank, here's a snorkel, scraper, and a pool strainer, if you get dizzy come up for air."

That guy would make some serious cash....

When you get done fixing the cable, bring the car by my garage and I'll fill the holes and paint the tunnel for you.

Car should be ready to roll in a year or two

I sometimes don't know wether to cry or laugh. I dare not laugh as they may happen to me tommorow.... but man that was funny.

I was just yesterday trying to understand why my windsheild wipers and horn stopped working....cause it started raining. So as I was going through the AA quick fix reference it noted " the motor is easily accessed through the front trunk, just remove the charchol cannister, the fresh air tube, ect. NOTHING on these cars is easily accessed! I had to "feel" my way with a mirror and an alligator clip to check to see if the motor was getting power. It turned out to be a relay.

Anyway..... these cars are like a golf game. Long hours of pure frustration punctuated by moments of shear delight at the first mountain road in fourth gear.

When my cable breaks I'll be careful.

Rob

Looked like a metal tampon!

you peeps keep making this a joke!

it's not.

repeat:

if the firewall end of the cable has not been seated properly, years if not decades of moisture and debris have collected in the tube. check yours today, because:

the teflon then becomes BONDED with the tube.

i don't care how great you are or what method you use, IT WILL NOT BE PULLED OUT.

you will be hosed for days or you can borrow my custom drill bit and avoid cutting your car.

Having read the old thread through, I find myself wondering why the cable still didn't move freely Or did it? If it moved freely when not connected, I would have suggested you rebuild the pedal cluster .......................

The Cap'n

Me too?????

Why not some pictures I am perplexed why this becomes such a terrible problem. I want to look at the cable sheath in my car to understand the issue.

the key comment is my summary post #15:
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&...st&p=943757

"...i determined the throttle cable was never installed completely over the (firewall) tube. this allowed the grime and grease to accumulate in the depths of the tube and over time fused the nylon to the tube wall and created the issue."

Cap'n (& everyone else interested); the sheathing (probably teflon not nylon) is at issue. Not the cable itself. that is what you see in the first pic of this thread. the very top piece of material in the first picture is the offending broken piece of teflon sheathing.

road grime, oil and moisture collected at the crook of the tube (it's lowest point), corroded the steel tube and fused the sheathing to the inner wall of the tube.

most people will not have this problem. the metal boot at the end of the black jacket always fit properly onto the firewall tube and kept the moisture and grime out like it's supposed to.

everyone should inspect their accelerator cable at the firewall right now.
i guarantee anyone who finds the housing not properly fitted to the tube, the cable's never been replaced and the car has more than 25-30k on it, they'll be confronting this issue one day.

i've since found the correct tool for the job. there is no cutting of the car or dropping on the engine or any other infuriating result from this problem anymore.
hopefully kris (kpfoten) will purchase the item and post his successful repair adventure for all to see!

paul

Why oh Why can't we just cut off the teflon cover, and run straight wire into the tube? Bike cables run inside a metal sheath, without a liner. If the car is driven then rust shouldn't accumulate inside the tube to cause a problem, now would it? Or is there another reason?

if your boot fits, it's not an issue.
(i added my favorite tool in my kit... hockey tape and sexwax to my assembly. should be good for a couple years.)

i don't know enough, but i think i'd rather have the teflon. maybe there is corrosion inside the tube that would fray the cable. that's just me.

Slits,

They lied to you. There are no 35 year-old virgins!

Less friction with the Teflon?

I understand the sleeve issue. However, if the cable is broken, it has to come out first. Once it's out, the teflon liner issue can be resolved. Way back when this started, the primary issue was a busted cable, and the immediate problem was the poorly considered attempt to attach a wire to the old cable in order to guide the replacement cable into place. Here are a few thoughts on the whole process:
Using a wire/string/whatever as an installation aid is dumb because the swaged end often barely fits through the tube without anything tied/taped to it. In fact, the swaged end of the replacement cable is frequently too big, necessitating in the careful grinding of the little flaring on that end
You don't NEED such a device because the cable assembly fits through a tube nearly all the way through the tunnel.
Any tangling with the clutch cable is usually a result of slack, not misguiding of the new cable.
Once the cable has broken inside the tube, failure of the teflon sleeve can generally only be addressed AFTER the cable has been extracted.

I can't address the issue of incomplete installation of the cable sheath. Failure to do so results in there not being enough cable to properly install it at the throttle arm., so I do it right.

The Cap'n

Minor Hi-jack
Just noticed Carlos (Carlitos way) came back from whereever he has been hiding

Hey Carlos

back now to the regularily scheduled program

Gary

Ok John,

Since the exit of the tubes (clutch & accelerator) are one on top of the other and are about 6" back from the open end of the center tunnel and are of equal length and you are pushing a flexible cable with a fishing weight on it's end from the ass end of the car ... tell me why the cable cannot possibly get underneath the clutch cable as you continue pushing it towards the open end of the center tunnel and as you pick it up to thread the fitting on the pedal end that it is impossible to wrap it around the clutch cable.

I suppose you could coat it with a liquid Viagra solution so it stayed stiff and maintained it's relationship to the top of the center tunnel as to not possibly foul the clutch cable .

Oh, and I do agree with you about wrapping anything around the pedal end of the cable as that is WHAT CAUSED MY INITIAL PROBLEM. Dumb .... I don't think so until you've done it and discovered the consequences and then did it again 'cause you're to stupid to remember what happened the first time.