Anyone ever notice that really anoying 1/2" or so of dead space in the gas pedal before the engine actually begins to rev?
My last car was a Subaru WRX with a cable throttle, I LOVED it, so responsive, so crisp.
Then I get my Mustang. The gas pedal is unresponsive, has load of dead space, and is a drivers nightmare.
Everyone always claims a tune helps their throttle response, so I purchased a Brenspeed C&L intake + SCT flasher combo. Unfortunately, 9 days after ordering it, no tracking # or item...
So today I'm at work thinking how I can mechanically remove that "dead space" in the gas pedal.
In my head, I picture the gas pedal module as being a carbon potentiometer, with a brush that is connected to the gas pedal, and moves, changing the resistance of the potentiometer, and thusly telling the ECU to open the throttle body.
Thinking some more, I decide to get my hands dirty.
I go in my footwell and look at my gas pedal. Simple enough, a black box with a plastic pedal coming out of it, three 10mm nuts, and 5 TORX screws holding a cover on the side, with an electrical connector and harness plugged into it.
I remove the three 10mm nuts, unclip the harness, and remove the entire pedal assembly.
Holding it my hand, I look at the cover, and take my T15 TORX driver and remove the cover. I pop the cover off, and VOILA to my assumption, a small circuit board, with a wedge shaped carbon film set of tracks, I think there are 6 to be exact.
I look at the inside of the gas pedal, and I see 6 little metal tabs, with about ten very fine metal wires, spot welded to the metal tabs, and bent up in a _/ shape to make contact with the carbon film on the circuit board.
I can clearly see a shiny track in the carbon on the circuit board where the metal brushes were rubbing against.
To my amazement, the track was starting about 2mm before the brush actually even TOUCHED the sensitive carbon part!!!
I take a pair of fine jewlers pliers, and bend each metal brush and tab just a few millimeters so that they will make perfect contact right on the edge of the carbon film.
I screw the cover back on, screw the gas pedal back onto the firewall and plug in the harness.
Start the engine, wait for the idle to drop. Perfect, idling around 700. I tap the gas pedal (with the tip of my TOE!)
and......
OH MY GOSH THE THROTTLE IS SO RESPONSIVE.
THE DEADSPACE IS GONE! ITS PERFECT!
It's amazing how such a small modification makes a HUGE difference in driveability and response.
If anyone wants pictures on how to do this, let me know.
Remove Three 10mm nuts holding gas pedal to firewall:
Step 2:
Slide back red lock tab on connector: Step 3:
Use flat head screw driver to press tab down inside of connector, and pull connector away from gas pedal assembly:
Step 4:
Take pedal assembly over to your workbench. Remove five TORX T-15 screws on electrical cover.
Step 5:
Remove electronic cover: Notice how the circuit board says REV 1.0? That means they haven't revised this gas pedal assembly since they first used it back in 2005!!! (My car is a 2008!)
Notice the circuit board with the wedge shaped carbon tracks. Notice the shiny marks on the tracks. See how they start slightly before the end of the gold track? That is your deadspace! Any movement before the very edge of the gold track will not be registered by the ECU!!!
THE ONLY WAY to fix this is mechanical adjustment. NO amount of tuning can remove this deadspace, it's simply impossbile!
Step 6:
Look at the pedal assembly. Notice the metal tabs and fine wire brushes? These are what we want to modify.
Very carefully, bend the brushes up so that they don't have such a steep angular bend in their tips. I have already done this in these photos, so it's not apparent how sharp the bend in the wires were prior to me modifying them. They are like this _/ and you want them to be straighter so that they move closer to the edge of the brass/carbon track.
Using some fine pliers, carefully bend the tips of the wires. These are VERY fine wires, be very careful.
Now bend the entire metal tabs up very slightly to compensate for the change in angle at the tips of the wires.
More pictures of the wires:
Another shot of the circuit board: Notice that by bending the wires, we are moving them closer to the edge of the carbon/gold seam. This removes the dead space.
Step 7:
Put the cover back onto the pedal assembly. NOTE: There is a rubber gasket that goes in the slot. MAKE SURE not to lose it, or crush it, this could cause your vehicle to accelerate uncontrolably! Screw the 5 TORX screws back in VERY CAREFULLY do not distort the cover, or you may bend the wires and cause bad ju ju.
Re-install the pedal, and enjoy your new dead space free throttle!
I am not responsible if you ruin your 50$ gas pedal assembly by breaking off the fine wires, or over bending them.
< Message edited by tube -- 8/31/2007 9:10:39 AM >
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2008 Mustang GT Premium White Manual Factory HID headlights
Remove Three 10mm nuts holding gas pedal to firewall:
Step 2:
Slide back red lock tab on connector: Step 3:
Use flat head screw driver to press tab down inside of connector, and pull connector away from gas pedal assembly:
Step 4:
Take pedal assembly over to your workbench. Remove five TORX T-15 screws on electrical cover.
Step 5:
Remove electronic cover: Notice how the circuit board says REV 1.0? That means they haven't revised this gas pedal assembly since they first used it back in 2005!!! (My car is a 2008!)
Notice the circuit board with the wedge shaped carbon tracks. Notice the shiny marks on the tracks. See how they start slightly before the end of the gold track? That is your deadspace! Any movement before the very edge of the gold track will not be registered by the ECU!!!
THE ONLY WAY to fix this is mechanical adjustment. NO amount of tuning can remove this deadspace, it's simply impossbile!
Step 6:
Look at the pedal assembly. Notice the metal tabs and fine wire brushes? These are what we want to modify.
Very carefully, bend the brushes up so that they don't have such a steep angular bend in their tips. I have already done this in these photos, so it's not apparent how sharp the bend in the wires were prior to me modifying them. They are like this _/ and you want them to be straighter so that they move closer to the edge of the brass/carbon track.
Using some fine pliers, carefully bend the tips of the wires. These are VERY fine wires, be very careful.
Now bend the entire metal tabs up very slightly to compensate for the change in angle at the tips of the wires.
More pictures of the wires:
Another shot of the circuit board: Notice that by bending the wires, we are moving them closer to the edge of the carbon/gold seam. This removes the dead space.
Step 7:
Put the cover back onto the pedal assembly. NOTE: There is a rubber gasket that goes in the slot. MAKE SURE not to lose it, or crush it, this could cause your vehicle to accelerate uncontrolably! Screw the 5 TORX screws back in VERY CAREFULLY do not distort the cover, or you may bend the wires and cause bad ju ju.
Re-install the pedal, and enjoy your new dead space free throttle!
I am not responsible if you ruin your 50$ gas pedal assembly by breaking off the fine wires, or over bending them.
< Message edited by tube -- 8/31/2007 5:55:55 AM >
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2008 Mustang GT Premium White Manual Factory HID headlights
i dont think ford can do this w/ the ecu bc what he is saying is that there is no electrical connection for the first 2 mm so any kind of electrical re calibration would not do any justice....kinda confusing but not really..TACO BILL WHERE ARE YOU>>>>
I don't recall ever seeing this many people online in one post.....lol.
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2006 GT 5spd, Screaming Yellow, 296rwhp...311tq (Found out I had a vacuum leak. Hope these # are higher next time) BAMA 91 Race Tune FR 4.10 Steeda UPDs Airaid CAI MAC LTs + Prochamber Magnaflow mid mufflers Pro50 Shifter
Tube that is awesome, very well done. Hey I noticed your in Ann Arbor, I'm in Howell. Maybe we could meet up and you can show me how to do this. That way I'll only hold you for $25 and not the full $50...joking
< Message edited by doctorj77 -- 8/30/2007 10:51:32 PM >
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2006 GT 5spd, Screaming Yellow, 296rwhp...311tq (Found out I had a vacuum leak. Hope these # are higher next time) BAMA 91 Race Tune FR 4.10 Steeda UPDs Airaid CAI MAC LTs + Prochamber Magnaflow mid mufflers Pro50 Shifter
The ECU calibrates the throttle pedal every time you start the car. That's why it has 6 tracks, there are really 3 different sets of + and - carbon slides. I'm guessing it averages all three of the inputs and it zeros itself on start up within a certain range.
You really can't screw it up, short of breaking the wires off. The only thing you're trying to do is move them forward about a millimeter to get them off the brass backed carbon, and onto the actual resistance sensing part.
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2008 Mustang GT Premium White Manual Factory HID headlights
Would it be possible for you to label all of these "2mm" direction and "onto" "off of" directions? Then make a diagram of how the original brushes look in paint and where the after will be.
Seriously this is an INCREDIBLY important mustang mod, but also one that nobody wants to screw up. Labeling is a godsend here. Be very specific.
Finally, how was idel and low speed manuvering affected?
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DIY THROTTLE RESPONSE MOD (MUST SEE!) - 
RE: DIY THROTTLE RESPONSE MOD (MUST SEE!) - 
