metroplex

Has anyone figured out how to make a throttle assembly for the S197 that takes out the 1/8" of initial pedal dead-play? I am not talking about throttle lag or throttle hang, which can be re-programmed. I am referring to the fact I can tap my gas pedal without causing the RPM's to jump, as if there was dead-play in the throttle. TMS members have found this to be the design of the potentiometer contacts.

A co-worker installed a FR1 kit along with the tune and said the dead play is still present on his setup, although he has an auto and that doesn't affect it as much. With my manual 07 GT, the dead-play makes smooth shifting very difficult.

metroplex

What are my chances of getting a "good" accelerator pedal if I bought a new one from the dealer? Apparently there is no software fix for the dead play, so that leaves a mechanical solution as the true fix. Any ideas? How risky is it to bend the contacts in the sensor?

GTMark052

I remember reading a post on that subject last year. The person who did it had photos and everything...I wish I could remember where I had seen it. I do remember him posting that you had to be extremely careful bending the contacts since they were so fragile. He had claimed that this procedure corrected the pedal "dead zone" issue. If I find it again, I'll post a link.

GTMark052

Here it is:
http://forums.bradbarnett.net/showth...22dead+spot%22

metroplex

BTT.

SCT hasn't found a solution either. I'd be willing to buy an OEM replacement gas pedal if I knew the tolerances would be better or it fixes the problem.

SStang

Your chances of getting a good one are poor, because it will probably be put together with the same slop as the one you already have. If you don't want to bend the brushes, follow the instructions in post #5 in that thread that was linked to. That's the way the assembly should've been put together at the factory. It will take you about two minutes longer than it would to install another assembly, and no new parts to buy.

metroplex

Have people confirmed that the method in post #5 is guaranteed to work? How much torque is required for the cover bolts?

EastCoast07GtCs

Subscribing...

MustangRetribution

I guess Im one of the lucky few, have absolutely no dead space

metroplex

An easy way to check is to turn the key to the RUN position and test the throttle. You can hear the motor. I definitely have 1/8" of dead play in my throttle. It isn't on ALL the S197s, but is found on MANY of them (05-08). I haven't asked any 09 owners yet but I saw a few in the parking lot at work (45th anniversary).

SStang

It will work. It moves the position the brushes touch onto the carbon part so resistance can be measured just like if you bent them. Go try it, it will take you ten minutes.

metroplex

I was thinking about giving it a shot, but I am concerned that the gasket won't seal properly with the cover shifted over. Are the case threads just made out of plastic or are there metal screw inserts?

SStang

Yours is probably shifted from the factory - the wrong way. The cover is slotted, so it'll only move so far. And the gasket lays inside the slot, so as long as you don't lose the gasket, I don't see how it wouldn't seal.

I don't remember seeing any inserts. I think that would be way too extravagant for this junky $2.50 part.

metroplex

Thanks SStang. I will look at it today. Any tips for removal/installation? Should I use any threadlocker for the screws, or torque it to a certain value?

RRRoamer

Ditto. After reading this thread, I gave it the toe test the next time I took it out. My tack starts to move with the barest pressure on the throttle. Heck, my 05 has a whole lot LESS free play (none) than my cable operated carb on my '81 Ford F100 pickup.

The pickup isn't bad either, but there IS a tiny bit of mechanical slack. I probably shouldn't complain given that it is 27 years old...

Mr. Ugly

I just did that fix on my 2007 this evening. Works great. That pedal slack had been driving me crazy.

After I removed the pedal assembly, I loosened the cover screws and used a C-clamp to shift the cover towards the mounting base of the pedal assembly. I could hear the contact springs scraping as the cover shifted. I retightened the screws, took off the clamp, and reinstalled the pedal.

No more free play.

Awesome!

metroplex

I pivoted the sensor cover and the sensitivity is now on-par with a cable throttle. The first time I feathered the clutch to start from a stop, the RPMs rose so much because my foot was used to the stock throttle. That goes to show how much dead space there was in the DBW throttle.

BTW, when I took the entire throttle assembly to the work bench, I saw how the entire thing was made of Zytel nylon. That is not very re-assuring given that I have seen nylon parts snap in half. There was a pic of an Evo X polymer throttle that snapped in half. I assumed the Stang's gas pedal had some rubber pad like the clutch/brake, but nope - it was all plastic. Now I am thinking of buying an aftermarket throttle pedal that can be bolted in place so I can do heel-toe downshifting.

Did anyone else notice that their stock carpeting (not the floormat) prevents the pedal from going WOT?

RRRoamer

I'm not too worried about the carpet. It has self calibration routines so it can adjust for wear and changes in the signal over time. The fact that the sensor won't get to 100% throw is actually a good thing.

ryan1112

That's the only thing that is keeping me from doing this. I'm worried that if I mess with it I won't be able to get to 100% throttle.

SStang

This will definitely not prevent you from getting 100% throttle. Look at the picture of the circuit board in the other thread and you can see that if you move the spot where the brushes contact at idle, you're moving the entire length of travel towards the WOT side. If anything, it would make 100% throttle happen before the pedal was on the floor, and it would be the same distance from the floor as the dead space you had before the mod.

That's not what it's going to do though. As long as the brushes are on the carbon pieces, it's programmable at both ends to tell the computer that this much resistance/voltage = idle, and this much resistance/voltage = WOT, and everything in between is variable throttle. If the brushes go completely off either side onto the gold contacts, the computer just sees that fixed voltage as idle or WOT (depends on which side), even if the pedal has more travel. When you have that pedal travel with no change in voltage at the idle end, you have dead space.