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DIY: Tightening your throttle cable (and cruise control)!

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    DIY: Tightening your throttle cable (and cruise control)!

    Hey guys!

    Anyone else ever feel like their throttle response was even slower than an M20 usually is? Having trouble with heel-toe? Feel a bit of a dead spot in the throttle pedal? You should check the tightness of the cable! I did it today and it made a HUGE difference for me. I took some pictures to share the process with others!

    First, do a quick check for slack in the cable by lightly pressing on the pedal while looking into the engine bay. If you can depress the pedal without the assembly atop the throttle body moving, you have slack.

    Take a look at the end of the cable:

    You'll see there's a plastic knurled thumbwheel and a super-tiny nut. You'll have to break the nut loose to be able to adjust the cable. Believe it or not, the nut is 7/32", not metric. Go figure.

    Once you've loosened the nut, you may want to hold the end of the threads with your fingers or a pair of pliers:

    Turn the plastic thumbwheel in until you've removed the slack.

    NOTE: Make sure you do not partially open the butterfly of the throttle body by overtightening the cable! This will raise the idle, drop fuel efficiency, mess up shifts, and generally suck. Leave a small amount of slack in the cable, enough to avoid this happening.

    My cable needed this much slack removed:


    Once the cable is adjusted, retighten the nut to the thumbwheel and you're good to go! Enjoy your improved throttle response and your regained self-confidence! :D
    Interested in vintage cars? Ever thought about racing one? Info, photos, videos, and more can be found at www.michaelsvintageracing.com!

    Elva Courier build thread here!

    #2
    Just a quick adder - you should adjust your stop under the gas pedal after adjusting the cable length. This is to ensure 2 things. One is to make sure the butterfly opens all the way when you floor it. The other is to make sure you hit the stop before hitting the end travel of the butterfly to ensure you don't prematurely stretch your cable more.
    Current BMW's:
    1987 325 Sedan
    2004 X3 2.5i (wife's car)

    Ex BMW's:
    1999 M3 Coupe
    1997 Z3 2.8
    1989 325i Coupe
    1987 325 Coupe
    1981 320i Coupe

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      #3
      I tried this... but unfortunately the problem is the throttle body itself and not the cable... :(

      Need to make a PnP run to find a nice and tight butterfly. Good info though for those who weren't aware. Nice post.
      "A good memory for quotes combined with a poor memory for attribution can lead to a false sense of originality."
      -----------------------------------------
      91 318is Turbo Sold
      87 325 Daily driver Sold
      06 4.8is X5
      06 Mtec X3
      05 4.4i X5 Sold
      92 325ic Sold & Re-purchased
      90 325i Sold
      97 328is Sold
      01 323ci Sold
      92 325i Sold
      83 528e Totaled
      98 328i Sold
      93 325i Sold

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        #4
        Hey guys... I just noticed something the other day... the little white/yellow plastic block on the cruise cable (the one you see in the pics above the throttle cable) has gone missing from my car. Is there a way to just get this piece, or am I going to have to MacGyver it?

        Never mind, looked at a different realOEM diagram and found it. In case anyone is wondering, the part number is 13541747519 ;)
        Last edited by estoguy; 07-23-2015, 03:36 PM.
        Estoguy
        1986 BMW 325, Alpenweiss ~ "Elsa"

        Need a photographer, come visit my site: http://estoguy.wix.com/unique-perspectives

        Comment


          #5
          You can also run the car and adjust the cable until it effects idle then back it off a bit. Then tighten things down and go for a drive. Then make a any more tweaks until you get it the way you like it.
          1986 911 Supercharged Frakenstrat/Stripped
          1987 325is Delphin/Black (Olga)
          1988 M3 Zinno/Natur (Elsa)

          Manual or STFU

          E30 Chapter of BMW Car Club of America
          E30 Oktoberfest 2017

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by enigmaticdream View Post
            You can also run the car and adjust the cable until it effects idle then back it off a bit. Then tighten things down and go for a drive. Then make a any more tweaks until you get it the way you like it.
            +1, this is the best way to adjust a throttle cable. tighten until you hear the idle start to raise, then back the adjuster off a few turns

            Comment


              #7
              I guess the bot was useful? If not for it bumping this thread, I would not have seen it and I would still think I had some sort of minor throttle response issue.

              I've had my E30 18 months now and never realized this adjustment was there, I recommend any M20 owner confirm theirs is set right. My car's driveability and obviously throttle response is greatly improved and heel-toe downshifts much smoother.
              Last edited by Vincent Brick; 07-14-2016, 05:47 PM.
              sigpic
              1991 325i Sport - Calypsorot Metallic - DAILY DRIVEN

              WTB in SoCal: 8"/10" Lukebox, leather Sport steering wheel, 60L MotoMeter fuel gauge, Thule/Yakima roof rack

              Comment


                #8
                Hey dudes, just wondering what I can do if I've twisted/tightened the throttle nut as far as it possibly can go and still have a bunch of slack?

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Mushroom Stew View Post
                  Hey dudes, just wondering what I can do if I've twisted/tightened the throttle nut as far as it possibly can go and still have a bunch of slack?
                  replace it. grab one from a junkyard for <$10.
                  "A good memory for quotes combined with a poor memory for attribution can lead to a false sense of originality."
                  -----------------------------------------
                  91 318is Turbo Sold
                  87 325 Daily driver Sold
                  06 4.8is X5
                  06 Mtec X3
                  05 4.4i X5 Sold
                  92 325ic Sold & Re-purchased
                  90 325i Sold
                  97 328is Sold
                  01 323ci Sold
                  92 325i Sold
                  83 528e Totaled
                  98 328i Sold
                  93 325i Sold

                  Comment


                    #10
                    great thread.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Great tips here with the adjustment. I would also suggest replacing the cable all together, it makes a huge difference. Here's a DIY on how to replace the cable:

                      Transaction Feedback!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I'll just add...a new Febi cable is $20
                        Seat Shocks....I have passed the baton to John Christy from Ninestitch. Email John or Garrett at ninestitch1@gmail.com

                        https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...86#post4944786
                        Alice the Time Capsule
                        http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=360504
                        87 Zinno Cabrio barn find 98k and still smells like a barn. Build thread http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...20#post3455220

                        Comment


                          #13
                          great thread.
                          will check that out today cause i notice ifi touch the gas a bit nothing happens until a press the pedal about 1/8 down or 1/4 and then it kicks in....
                          sigpic

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