No reaction to throttle

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Josh - 09 Jun 2006 19:38 GMT

All:

Today my wife said that the following happened on her '95 E320 (145k miles):

- Came to a stop light.
- Light turned green - she pressed the accelerator. Nothing happened (no
motion, no engine rev, etc.).
- Puts the car in park, then back in drive. Press the accelerator. Nothing
happened.
- Puts the car in reverse, pressed the accelerator, and was able to back up.
- Put the car back in drive and all worked fine.

Any thoughts? I have not been able to make it happen myself and cannot tell
if this was pilot error or signs of something about to go wrong.

Josh

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T.G. Lambach - 10 Jun 2006 01:11 GMT

This model has the old 4 speed hydraulic transmission so if the engine
didn't rev up when she pressed the accelerator the problem is in the
engine's controls, not the transmission.

My '97 E320 has its throttle cable attached to a device on the left
fender - I suspect a "drive by wire" type of control - if your model is
similar I suggest you check that first.

Your wife has good presence of mind to try various combinations to get
the car moving, most drivers would just sit and call a tow truck.

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Josh - 10 Jun 2006 01:51 GMT

The throttle cable seems to be working ok but I went ahead and shot some
WD-40 on the end just to clear of the gunk. But would the accelerator still
be able to move if the throttle cable was stuck? Also, could this be a sign
of a bad throttle actuator (I hope not as they are quite pricey).

Josh

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Tiger - 10 Jun 2006 01:25 GMT

I would check the throttle cable and the transmission fluid level.

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