My accelerator pedal is dead

[chemman]

As Pew mentioned, an inexpensive Bluetooth OBDII dongle like this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011NSX27A/?tag=elightbars-20

And the Torque Pro app ($5 one time registration/license fee) will allow you to monitor and save data from just about every sensor on your vehicle once you set up Torque Pro (which takes under 30 minutes). With the saved data, you can look at it using Excel or other spreadsheet program and analyze it.

Good Luck!

 

[labfan]

When this happened to me in my chevy the electronic pedal was fine. But the little plastic junk gear inside the throttle body broke so it couldn't move the plate. Changed just that and it was fine.

 

[Elkins45]

Well, that didn’t take long to figure out once I actually started removing parts. When I reached back to unclamp the air intake I wondered why there was a ragged wire bundle stabbing me in the arm.

Mice had chewed the wiring harness completely in half. It’s not surprising the throttle didn’t respond considering it was completely disconnected from the system! There was dry dog food in the bottom of the air box. I’d been out of town for four days and apparently that was enough time for them to take up residence under the hood.

I figure I have three options: 1) try to splice it back together 2) buy a new wiring harness and try to install it myself or 3) pay a real mechanic to replace the entire wiring harness. If I do 3) I’ll try to turn it in on my insurance under the comprehensive.

Ah, the joys of living in out in the boonies!

 

[Thermo1223]

Well, that didn’t take long to figure out once I actually started removing parts. When I reached back to unclamp the air intake I wondered why there was a ragged wire bundle stabbing me in the arm.

Mice had chewed the wiring harness completely in half. It’s not surprising the throttle didn’t respond considering it was completely disconnected from the system! There was dry dog food in the bottom of the air box. I’d been out of town for four days and apparently that was enough time for them to take up residence under the hood.

I figure I have three options: 1) try to splice it back together 2) buy a new wiring harness and try to install it myself or 3) pay a real mechanic to replace the entire wiring harness. If I do 3) I’ll try to turn it in on my insurance under the comprehensive.

Ah, the joys of living in out in the boonies!

View attachment 149783View attachment 149784

Well at least it wasn't chasing broken insulation on a wire in the harness!

Obvious problems tend to be the best kind.

 

[researcher]

Well, that didn’t take long to figure out once I actually started removing parts. When I reached back to unclamp the air intake I wondered why there was a ragged wire bundle stabbing me in the arm.

Mice had chewed the wiring harness completely in half. It’s not surprising the throttle didn’t respond considering it was completely disconnected from the system! There was dry dog food in the bottom of the air box. I’d been out of town for four days and apparently that was enough time for them to take up residence under the hood.

I figure I have three options: 1) try to splice it back together 2) buy a new wiring harness and try to install it myself or 3) pay a real mechanic to replace the entire wiring harness. If I do 3) I’ll try to turn it in on my insurance under the comprehensive.

Ah, the joys of living in out in the boonies!

View attachment 149783View attachment 149784

glad you got in there to look! dang mice.. if you put peppermint oil on cotton balls around the engine bay they won't come in, learned that during storage of my tC..

It's up to you how you'll handle it, but personally I'd splice the existing harness back together using insulated crimped, butt-type connectors, then heat shrink tubing over them. People say to solder but if you don't do it right, you can burn the insulation, it's a mess..

If your insurance is going to pay for it, I always worry about who is the tech/mechanic who's putting it back together, if they are talented or not. A new harness will probably give you a heart attack when you see the price!

But hey at least you found the problem! and it's just wire, if you ignore being angry about the mice..

 

[Elkins45]

glad you got in there to look! dang mice.. if you put peppermint oil on cotton balls around the engine bay they won't come in, learned that during storage of my tC..

It's up to you how you'll handle it, but personally I'd splice the existing harness back together using insulated crimped, butt-type connectors, then heat shrink tubing over them. People say to solder but if you don't do it right, you can burn the insulation, it's a mess..

If your insurance is going to pay for it, I always worry about who is the tech/mechanic who's putting it back together, if they are talented or not. A new harness will probably give you a heart attack when you see the price!

But hey at least you found the problem! and it's just wire, if you ignore being angry about the mice..

I broke the little click tab off removing the connector so Plan A is to get a new one. I see them on Amazon but I’m going to check with a dealer first to see if an OEM replacement is available. A used wiring harness is about $250 on eBay (and much more work) so replacing the whole harness is really low on my list of things to do.

The throttle plate was as shiny as a new quarter. I was amazed how good it looked!

 

[Nukeman7]

I broke the little click tab off removing the connector so Plan A is to get a new one. I see them on Amazon but I’m going to check with a dealer first to see if an OEM replacement is available. A used wiring harness is about $250 on eBay (and much more work) so replacing the whole harness is really low on my list of things to do.

The throttle plate was as shiny as a new quarter. I was amazed how good it looked!

I would try to find that portion of the wiring harness pigtail & plug at a local "Pick & Pull" salvage yard. It is probably common to several Toyota 4 cyl. motors of that vintage. If you are not able to source a new plug, I would just splice it back together with solder and heat shrink tubing and replace the plastic wire loom conduit. You can adequately secure the plug with the broken click tab by using a small Ty-wrap (zip tie) and/or a dab of hot glue. This will be much simpler than replacing the $250 wiring harness.

 

[dumkid]

alot of plugs will stay even without the click tab. i have an ignition coil plug held on with a zip tie. no problems yet

 

[researcher]

I broke the little click tab off removing the connector so Plan A is to get a new one. I see them on Amazon but I’m going to check with a dealer first to see if an OEM replacement is available. A used wiring harness is about $250 on eBay (and much more work) so replacing the whole harness is really low on my list of things to do.

The throttle plate was as shiny as a new quarter. I was amazed how good it looked!

oh good news how clean the throttle plate was! ahh so you'd need a new connector, just like hose ignition coil connectors break too.. I know they have replacements for that, maybe the dealer can get another for the throttle body! glad to hear you're going to be able to get that fixed..

about the mice.. forgot to mention that dryer sheets work well to get rid of them too.

 

[brianl703]

glad you got in there to look! dang mice.. if you put peppermint oil on cotton balls around the engine bay they won't come in, learned that during storage of my tC..

It's up to you how you'll handle it, but personally I'd splice the existing harness back together using insulated crimped, butt-type connectors, then heat shrink tubing over them.

They make insulated butt-splice crimp connectors with a built-in adhesive lined heatshrink which is waterproof.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner...at-Shrink-Assortment-24-Pack-GBX-TK/205861923

Use a Klein 1005 to crimp them, they will NOT come apart.

 

[researcher]

@Elkins45
update: had to see what the aftermarket had for throttle body connectors.. replacement.. found SMP (Standard Motor Products) part S2817, at oreilly auto for $12.99 for your throttle body. I found the original part at SMP's website..
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...-6-terminal-pedal-sensor-connector/std0/s2817


What I like about the aftermarket is they include the heat-shrink butt connectors, but hey thought I'd let you know what I found..

 

[researcher]

They make insulated butt-splice crimp connectors with a built-in adhesive lined heatshrink which is waterproof.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Gardner...at-Shrink-Assortment-24-Pack-GBX-TK/205861923

Use a Klein 1005 to crimp them, they will NOT come apart.

Thanks Brian, those are the ones I forgot about! What's ironic is the SMP replacement includes those exact heat shrink butt connectors! Perfect.. And Klein does make some nice crimping tools, I have a couple of their tools.

 

[brianl703]

And Klein does make some nice crimping tools, I have a couple of their tools.

I've used the Klein 1005 to crimp 8-gauge ring terminals with no problem! The amount of leverage it has is amazing compared to some cheaper crimping tools.

 

[researcher]

I've used the Klein 1005 to crimp 8-gauge ring terminals with no problem! The amount of leverage it has is amazing compared to some cheaper crimping tools.

ya Klein is NOT cheap but I've never had one of their tools fail me. Kind of get what you pay for!

 

[brianl703]

ya Klein is NOT cheap but I've never had one of their tools fail me. Kind of get what you pay for!

I've had mine for at least 15 years. A cheaper crimp tool probably would have been replaced several times in that span.

 

[14Accent]

For my money, Ford has the easiest and most complete pigtail repair kits out there. They include correct diameter wire, weatherproof heat shrink, and compact yet functional butt crimps. None of which requires a special crimper or soldering skills.

That said, their catalog is less than complete. I had a 2018 Focus roll in last week with a chewed #2 coil connection. The dealer couldn't find it, so I ended up reverse searching until finding a Standard part. The quality wasn't to Motorcraft standards, but it served it's purpose.

 

[researcher]

For my money, Ford has the easiest and most complete pigtail repair kits out there. They include correct diameter wire, weatherproof heat shrink, and compact yet functional butt crimps. None of which requires a special crimper or soldering skills.

That said, their catalog is less than complete. I had a 2018 Focus roll in last week with a chewed #2 coil connection. The dealer couldn't find it, so I ended up reverse searching until finding a Standard part. The quality wasn't to Motorcraft standards, but it served it's purpose.

Thanks for the info! That's good to know about Standard brand's part. So not terrible quality just "cheaper" than the OEM level is how I'm taking that.

 

[FishFry]

Yup, have to replace the entire throttle body to replace the TPS.

Ahhh - the fun of driving by wire and operating everything electronically.

 

[Elkins45]

There are two green wires on the connector that don’t seem to have any markings to distinguish them. I’m uncertain how to know which green wire goes to which spot on the harness and I’m afraid of frying either the throttle body or the ECU if I get it wrong. Or maybe it doesn’t matter? I hate the thought of paying to have it towed to a dealer and paying someone to splice wires, but the more I think about it what aI would be paying for is their knowledge more than their labor.

This may all be moot because I haven’t actually unwrapped the severed harness. There may be shading on the wires I just can’t see from this limited view. I’m sitting in the hospital with a relative and probably won’t get to work on it for a few days so I thought I would try to gather info preemptively if I could. I debated opening a new thread about this and I still might if I don't get any responses.

 

[brianl703]

Look for dashes on the wire. Toyota uses wires with colored dashes, from what I've seen. They may only be visible from one side of the wire.