| GAS PEDAL SLACK ADJUSTMENT | |
| One of the easiest and most affordable modifications often done is removing the slack from the accelerator pedal. The stock cable has allot of slack and leaves the pedal feeling very unresponsive. Below is how you can remove the slack if you desire to, and some other things I learned while looking into this modification. | |
![]() Above is a picture of the cable where it connects to the gas pedal. Starting from the far right is a plastic housing which attaches to the firewall going from the engine compartment into the car under the dash, and secures in place using two 8mm screws. Next is a small plastic piece that clips into the gas pedal and keeps the cable secure so it doesnt fall off the pedal. Next are three small plastic zip ties used to take up the extra slack in the cable. And finally the end of the cable has a metal end which is what pulls the pedal. |
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Above is a picture of the cable where it connects to
the throttle body linkage. |
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![]() This is where the two 8mm screws attach to the firewall on the engine side. |
![]() Above is a diagram simply explaining the modification. It's easiest to unhook the cable from the throttle body by holding the spring back and lifting off the cable end. Then feed some slack in the cable so you can pull it down under the dash and work on it. This way you don't have to wedge yourself up under the dash.
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Above is a shot taken from under the dash looking up at the accelerator pedal linkage. You can see the small zip ties used on the top of the accelerator pedal used to take up slack on the end of the throttle cable. |
NOTE: The only thing this modification does is make the gas pedal feel more responsive. It does not add power.
After doing more research I have concluded that this could possible hurt the car for the following reasons: 1. Could stretch the cable causing further slack. 2. Could increase pressure on throttle body linkage or plates and possibly cause the plates to open further than they should. Some tests I did to answer the above questions are as follows; 1. Yes the cable can stretch causing further slack. 2. It does add unneeded pressure to the throttle body linkage. I attached an OBD2 scanner and measured my Absolute Throttle position at rest (20) and at full WOT (92.5) with the zip cables attached. I then replaced the modified cable with a brand new cable without the slack removed, and got the exact same readings. This tells me the throttle position remained the same with or without the slack. This would also mean I was applying more pressure to the throttle body linkage that wasn't needed for full WOT. I also checked my WOT breakpoint voltage with and without the slack and got the exact same reading of 4.106 volts. The breakpoint voltage is the point at which the car knows to switch from part throttle to WOT base on full pedal travel and subtracting .5 volts. |
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If you need a new accelerator cable, the following is
the Ford OE part number for a 99 Cobra. 1R3Z-9A758-CA |
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