Throttle Cable Adjustment, WOW!

[302Xplorer]

It made a BIG difference with my 5.0 Explorer.
Before starting, I did a little investigating and found that my throttle plate was only 2/3 open w/ my gas pedal pressed to the floor.

My cost for doing this: $0.
Total time: aprox. 25 mins
I used: Zip tie(s) (depending on the amount of slack in cable), wire snipers, Drip line tube and a razor blade.
First, pull gas pedal up towards the seat looking at the top of the pedal where the cable is attached to see how much slack is there you can measure it to figure how much tubing you will need.
Cut the hose to needed length, take the razor blade and cut one side of the tube so you can put it over the cable. Then take a wide zip tie or ties and place over the tubing, pull tight and snip off the excess.

After all is completed take her for a test drive and Wow!
It's a completely different vehicle.
It is awesome, she's now a beast !

 

[Mr Nice]

Is your gas mileage gonna go down cause of this mod ??

 

[andyd]

if your take up was more than normal adjustment allows for, you may be looking at a stretched and fraying cable.

 

[eljefino]

Well ford wanted you to have a restrictor plate to go with the squirrely underinflated firestones.

 

[Jim 5]

Interesting. Fox bodied mustangs had a big "dial" shaped throttle cable adjuster for this reason.

The first step in diagnosing carburetor problems is to check and to ensure you are getting WOT when the gas pedal is floored. Makes sense that this would apply to throttle bodies as well.

302 explorer is a hot rodder's junkyard gem. Last brand new HO 302's (that carried over into the 4.6 modular years) and they had all of the go-fast technology developed for the mustang gt's. Mass air, roller lifters, and GT40 heads too. My friend built an AC cobra kit car and was lucky enough to get one of these.

 

[OVERKILL]

Dial-shaped throttle adjuster? Not on 86-93.......

They had a big dial-shape CLUTCH adjuster (auto clutch tensioner) but the throttle cable adjustment is not done this way.

The Explorers were a great junkyard score. The Explorer intake is the same internally as the GT40/Cobra intake (they all share the same lower) and can be picked up for a FRACTION of the cost. 96 and 97 intakes had internal EGR as well, so they are a bolt-on for 86-93 Mustangs.

The 96 to early 97 engines had the GT40 heads; 97 to 2002 had the GT40P's, which feature a relocated spark plug hole and modified combustion chamber. These heads flow slightly better stock.

The Explorer engine also had EDIS (which many have converted to work on a Mustang) and a torque-happy roller cam, which a few in the Panther-chassis community have used with great success.

The Explorer engine also came with a 65mm throttle body, which can be converted to work on a Fox with a little work.

They have hypereutectic pistons though (93 to 95 Mustangs did as well) which do not handle boost or nitrous as well as their forged predecessors.