I've got an '89 F150 with the straight 6 engine. Overall, I've been very satisfied with the truck which now has 182,000 miles.
In the past few months, it's developed a problem with the throttle sticking- sometimes. What happens is- it's fine when I start up in the morning- then I drive some distance, then park it. Then, if I don't let it sit overnight- sometimes when I start it up the second or more times in the day- as soon as the engines starts- the throttle is racing at high RPMS.
One mechanic said that the springs that normally push the cable back- the cable that connects to the gas pedal- when a vehicle is old- sometimes get rusty or frayed- so that causes the cable to not return to normal when I let up on the pedal. He installed an aftermarket spring to "help" the existing 2 springs. I could really feel the extra spring as I worked the pedal, but I didn't mind if that solved the problem- which it didn't. A few days later, as I started it up- this time it was stuck at the highest possible level. I got out, and manually forced the end of the cable to close.
I then went to a second mechanic who took off the clip that holds the end of the cable in place and shot some WD40 in there- he said that that should loosen it up enough so it won't stick. However, after a week or so- the problem returned again. Now if it happens (most days)- I do the same, shoot some WD40 on those springs and into the end of the cable. That solves the problem for a few days.
I suppose the ultimate solution is to replace that cable. That shouldn't be too big a job, should it? This problem is an aggravation- I'd rather spend the money and solve the problem. Perhaps the mechanics saw that I wanted a cheap solution so they gave me one- that didn't work.
Any comments will be appreciated.
Yes, yes- I should buy a new vehicle- but I can't afford to now- as long as the problems aren't too big, I'll keep fixing it. Oh, I wouldn't think of going to a Ford dealer- the closest one has a reputation of really gouging people. Last time I went there- the service guy said, "you have to commit to spending up to $350- so that if we find a problem that costs that much- you must have us do it." What the ****???? That's probably illegal. If a mechanic gives me a diagnosis- I don't feel I have to have him fix it, but of course I should pay the guy a fair price for his time- that's all he should be demanding.
-- Joe Zorzin