I've just bought a 52 reg Almera automatic and have noticed when moving off from cold that the accelerator pedal sticks leaving the car to creep forward a few yards until the pedal finally moves and the car surges forward.
The salesman told me that he's seen this on other Nissans and doesn't know what causes it. While the car is going back to the garage to be looked at, has anyone had any similar experiences, and knows what the problem is?
Thanks Steven Thompson
Is that your first automatic? Automatic is factory set to creep very slowly and gently forward at engine idling speed. This creep is by design.
No, I've had automatics before. Once you ease off the brake you should be able to press the accelerator to pick up speed, but the accelerator is sticking.
Sticking on or sticking off? Do you mean the pedal moves but the car doesn't acelerate as it should? I'd check whether the car has a 'fly by wire' throttle or some fancy electronics to sense the pedal position and point the finger at that for starters.
If the pedal just won't move I'd have a look in the drivers footwell for things around where the pedal pivots and where the cable (if there is one) gets pulled through.
Yes. If there is a delay in the response from the accelerator peddle, then the throttle switch and the throttle potentiometer (or position) sensor need to be checked in the first instance. A digital voltmeter can sort out problem here, although a DVM with a bar graph facility would be even better for the latter as that can demonstrate if the TPS is responding smoothly to the peddle. These tests are straight forward but you need to know where to look and identify the signal wire from among the three wires in both of their respective multi-plugs. Corrosion and damage may be one cause of malfunction.
Oops... "pedal", not "peddle".
Incidentally, on a scope, the TPS trace looks like this:
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required