Guest AlexWeber Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I always knew this car would be the death of me. Fortunately it's 1st close call was unsuccessful. My accelerator started sticking a few weeks ago whenever I would push the pedal more than halfway. It would unstick itself if I gave it a good boot. That is last night until I decided to race a co-worker after work. She didn't like being floor-boarded and I could not get the pedal to unstick.I got some carb-cleaner today and cleaned the air intake but that didn't do the trick either. When I toggle the throttle I can move it but it doesn't spring back like it should. I get E041 from the computer if that helps narrow down the problem.What do I need to replace? She is not leaving the driveway until I get this fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCReatta Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I doubt that the E041 has anything to do with your problem. It sounds like you just have a problem with your throttle linkage. Not sure what could be done except to replace the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveskyhawk Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Cradle bushings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Could just be a corroded throttle, TV cable, or transmission cable or possibly a gunked up throttle plate. You need to start with what (cable or linkage) is sticking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Cradle bushingsSince the throttle is on a flexible cable, even if the motor fell out in the rear the throttle would still work.I am speaking from experience. About 5 years ago I bought a car in Michigan where the cradle bolts had broken and the whole thing was hanging down. Pulled out the steering linkage too. I straightened the wheels, started up the car with the engine hanging down and drove it up onto my car dolly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveskyhawk Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Toyota blamed a similar problem of sticking throttle on the floor mats. Somehow I just dont see PB Blaster fixing this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mc_Reatta Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Could just be a corroded throttle, TV cable, or transmission cable or possibly a gunked up throttle plate. You need to start with what (cable or linkage) is sticking.There's the cruise control cable in the mix as well, and of course the return spring. A close inspection and a little poking around should reveal the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDirk Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I'd say check the throttle cable closely. This is a braided steel cable (much like a hand brake cable on a racing bike) and if it has corroded or frayed where it enters the protective sleeve (check on the engine side particularly, less likely inside the cabin) it could be hanging up as a few loose steel "threads" are creating friction. Since the OP is in Minnesota, corrosion is a real possibility with that northern weather and all that comes with it. Suppose it could also be a sticky pivot on the pedal itself, but that would almost require that something got bent or misaligned. I will agree sith Steve also that the cradle bushing and motor/tranny mounts should be checked, if only for good measure. I can't see how those would skew things enough to cause a sticking throttle without causing other obvious and serious problems, but they need to be looked at in any case. KDirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mc_Reatta Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Sounds like this Reatta had a willing accomplice in this attempted "drivercide". First thought on reading the thread title was another post on the death trap Teves braking system. :eek:Wonder if there is any source of data on how many people were killed while driving or riding in a Reatta and what the cause(s) of the unfortunate event was. I would venture a guess that the death rate in a Reatta is probably the lowest of any two seat sporty car on the road save maybe a Mercedes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tomt Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Ain't WD 40 a wonderful thing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wws944 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Toyota blamed a similar problem of sticking throttle on the floor mats...Some of you may remember back in the mid-1980s, 60 Minutes did an 'expose' about 'sudden acceleration' problems in the Audi 5000. The interesting thing to me was that I owned an Audi 5000S at the time. The floor mat would occasionally creep forward enough to jam the gas pedal. The solution, of course, was to simply reach down and pull the mat back. Audi actually offered a kit to hold the mat down a bit better, but I never bothered to get it. Unfortunately for Audi, the bad PR from the 60 Minutes hit piece destroyed their reputation in the U.S. market for about 5 years.I doubt this is a problem in a Reatta, as Buick has had 'floating' gas and brake pedals since the 1960s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Pardon me if I don't get too worried about these minor problems, you see, I have owned many Corvairs. If you are old enough to remember, the Corvair was characterized as a "death trap", Ralph Nadar wrote a book, and the DOT tested them and declaired the car was safe.I was paranoid for years, people used to follow me waiting for the car to flip. I always had a window down so I would not die of carbon monoxide gas. I worried about wearing out the sidewalls of the rear tires because everyone claimed the tires "tucked under" when you turned. This caused major stress in my life because for some reason I kept buying them, in total I owned more than 35 (not at one time) So much for my problems, back to yours.You can disconnect the throttle cable at the engine and this will allow you to determine if the problems is in the cable or the butterfly at the mass air assembly. The service manual notes to lub the linkage at the mass air assembly and also lube the pivit point at the accelerator pedal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard D Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 1966 Corvair Monza, Sharp looking and driving car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Just a note: Ralph wrote about the '63 and earlier Corvair. 64 had a kludge to fix & 65-up did it right. Also Tom McCahill noticed the tuck under earlier, but in a Tempest, not the Corvair.And if you read UAAS, there is more on the VW than the Corvair.Finally: GM planned to kill the Corvair when the Camaro came out in '67 but because of the publicity, it stayed around through '69. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveskyhawk Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Funny thing about the Corvair. People that have actually owned one (me included) loved their cars. People that never sat in one bad mouth them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCReatta Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Funny thing about the Corvair. People that have actually owned one (me included) loved their cars. People that never sat in one bad mouth them.I've never owned one, or sat in one. I think they're a great little car. My gramps has a Glenn Pray Cord that's Corvair powered. Great little car. I'd like to own one one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 That Glenn Pray 8/10 Cord is a unique vehicle. One that many have never seen or heard about. They were fairly expensive when new and now very hard to find. (sales pitch... several years ago, a fellow in Ohio had one and needed a cover, I had Covercraft make a custom pattern for them....... so tell Gramps we can make a cover if he does not already have one.)I believe there are two lines of thinking on the Corvair........ the non-automotive, uninformed types that believe what they hear, and the other group that has either owned, or read everything about the Corvair and understand most, if not all the stories were "old wives tales" that became ledgend. One classic sketch that often appears with the Corvair swing axel discussion shows the inside rear wheel tucking way under the car. The only way this could happen is if you disconnected both the rear shock and rear brake line. The shock is the main downward limiting factor and will not allow the wheel to tuck like the sketch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCReatta Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 That Glenn Pray 8/10 Cord is a unique vehicle. One that many have never seen or heard about. They were fairly expensive when new and now very hard to find. (sales pitch... several years ago, a fellow in Ohio had one and needed a cover, I had Covercraft make a custom pattern for them....... so tell Gramps we can make a cover if he does not already have one.)Sure, I'll tell him! This car is one of his prized possessions. He had a new custom top made for it, had it professionally painted, and it's been sitting for a few years now. But come spring, he'll be selling the building he's storing it in, so he's going to need to move it. A cover (and a custom one at that) would be a nice addition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnelle Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 No one has mentioned a possible cure. Stop racing!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booreatta Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I owned 2 Corvairs in my youth,, one was even a station wagon...YAWN. The coupe was ok but needed more powerChuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I tend to get fixated on cars and at one point in the early '70s it was Corvairs. Used to seriously and successfully autocross a lightened Corsa convertible with a quadrajet, had a Corvan and a Fitch Sprint turbo, got very deep into everything including building a crash box for an A/SR.Recently I had a 66 Monza converible with 110hp engine and powerslide.Major problemfor me is that they do not take a/c well (none of mine had a/c) and in stock form are not that plesant to drive (stock is five turns lock to lock) & on their best day never even got to 20 mpg of premium.Sold it to finance the white Reatta convertible with for me at this stage of my life, is a lot nicer.Today, the Fiero is a lot better Corvair, also has cult status, has a 5 speed, the V-6 gets about the same MPG as a Reatta, & has a wonderful sound out of the box (Corvair needs trombones).BTW there are numerous Covair clubs around - see Corsa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 I am a life member of CORSA and help organize the Corvair club in Austin Tx. A/C is an issue in the south on Corvairs. People in the Houston and Dallas clubs have done some inovative things with A/C on Corvairs. While the car does not remain stock, many of the changes are hard to see unless you open hoods and crawl under the car. The most popular changes are using a small compressor that takes less power than the original. Mounting the condensor in the front so the engine does not deal with the extra heat. The front mounted condensor is mounted low in the luggage compartment and airflow is supplemented with electric fans. This is also done on the FC (forward control van and pickups) Jay Leno may have helped with his restroration of a Corvair Rampside, but the prices of the Rampsides are almost as high as a Corvair convertible. Corvair are still a bargin today as the prices have not gotten out of sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steveskyhawk Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Barney makes a good point on the Corvair OEM air conditioning system. It seems the condenser is mounted on top of the engine and is all that is seen when opening the engine compartment. Fortunately the Corvair has plenty of space for an aftermarket system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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