Accelerator pedal laggy?

[JozefJ]

Hi all,

I have owned my '73 dart sport 318 for a month now. What I have noticed is that the accelerator pedal is pretty low near 'the firewall.. I seem to have to push it pretty far to get acceleration. There's no indication that there is no power, the pedal just seems a bit deep.

Now the accelerator cable (I guess) has some slack near the pedal (sticks out, so the pedal has to move some way to actually pull on the cable)..

Could I tilt the pedal up a bit, and shorten the part of the cable that sticks out too, so the pedal "grips" the cable sooner? Or would that do more damage than good..?

I attached some pictures of the current and possible future situation; hope that clarifies my story. (1: deep pedal, 2: possible adjustment, 3: current position)

Thanks for thinking along!

 

[mygasser]

i bet half your issue is too many layers of carpet/insulation and the pedal just can't get enough travel.
although you said lack of power isn't an issue so have you jammed the pedal down with a lever or bit of timber then checked if you have actually got full throttle at the carb'? if it's getting full throttle now lifting the pedal higher will only end up breaking the throttle cable, unless you fit a stop of some kind under the pedal pad on the floor.
neil.

 

[Professor Fate]

Adjust your throttle cable.

Under the hood, loosen the cable clamp nut (red circle).
Then slide the cable housing back (green arrow) until almost all the slack between the bracket and the carb is taken out of the cable.
Re-tighten the clamp nut.
Edit: @mygasser has a point- make sure your floor mat isn't just jammed up under the pedal first.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Adjust your throttle cable.
View attachment 1716306528
Under the hood, loosen the cable clamp nut (red circle).
Then slide the cable housing back (green arrow) until almost all the slack between the bracket and the carb is taken out of the cable.
Re-tighten the clamp nut.
Edit: @mygasser has a point- make sure your floor mat isn't just jammed up under the pedal first.

Yes, try this ^^^^^

 

[340six]

Yes, try this ^^^^^

I agree. Also have an extra person hit the gas pedal, so you can view travel. Make sure you have full travel.

 

[Mattax]

As far as the distance from the throttle pedal to the floor, that looks about correct. IMO the carpet is also in the way and you can confirm that while adjusting the cable for no tension when off, to full throttle. if its in the way of full throttle, remove the carpet.

Brake pedal to floor distance looks correct for that car.