[philipgrayson]

I've noticed the odd mention of this in comments, and thought it might be useful to have a subject header that highlights this issue.

On our i20 1.4 auto I've begun to suspect a sticky accelerator. I'm quite light footed with the accelerator, especially as we are still running our new i20 in. First manifestation was that I found myself zipping away from a standing start faster than I intended (as I'm still trying to treat the engine gently in its first 1000 miles). My wife, who is less sensitive through the feet, positively roars away and she wouldn't normally be hitting 3000+ rpm turning out of our drive!

I've tried depressing the accelerator with my fingers, as gently as possible, to see if I can achieve a very gradual raising and lowering of revs, and it seems to either over-rev, or drop off too rapidly. However, it's not a big deal at this stage, more a suspicion that it's not quite right. Has anyone else found this, and if so, any diagnosis and/or solutions?

 

[chris48]

Hello. Yes I have the same problem with the Accelerator pedal. The wife, who is learning to drive, refused to drive the car as she could not get the revs right.
The car has been back to the dealer 5 times now, with Hyundai saying it is the cable thats at fault. New cable was fitted, after a week the jerky throttle came back again. What I have found is if you squirt some silicon lubricant over the spring mechanism on the injector, where the cable ends, this then eases the jerkyness for about a week. My dealer thinks Hyundai have washed their hands of the subject, as they do not have any replys at all concerning the sticky throttle. It looks like we may be getting rid of the I20, as many other people have. I have noticed many second hand I20's at my dealership. It makes you think dos'nt it.
Chris

 

[awt41]

QUOTE (Chris-heidi @ May 12 2010, 09:32 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=322028

My dealer thinks Hyundai have washed their hands of the subject, as they do not have any replys at all concerning the sticky throttle.
Chris

Do you mean that your dealer has contacted Hyundai about this problem and they have not responded?

I asked my own dealer about this and was told "they all do that"!!

It would be interesting to see what results a direct approach to Hyuidai would bring, and also perhaps a few letters to motoring magazines.

Toyota have paid dearly for their recent accellerator problems which I understand they too chose to ignore the early complaints.

 

[ht100]

My car also shows the ‘sticky accelerator pedal’ problem .

Now I plan to lubricate the throttle cable assembly using a teflon based spray.

1. Is it allowed to do this? I read about lubricants attacking the cable’s (teflon/nylon) lining, thus worsening the problem.
2. How do I remove the throttle cable assembly from the car (or disconnect it from the throttle body)?

Thanks for your replies.

 

[petersheldrake]

I have also noticed this issue on my 1.4 style.

My dealer just says you need more mileage on the car as it has only done 1800miles.

So this weekend I decided to take a look at the cable routing on inspection I realised that the path taken wasn't ideal so I relocated the cable over the top of the intake tubing which I am glad to say has improved the feel of the pedal and a lighter response.

Well worth the 5 minutes it took. :beer:

 

[ht100]

QUOTE (Captain Slow @ Aug 3 2010, 09:13 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=346878

My car also shows the ‘sticky accelerator pedal’ problem .

Now I plan to lubricate the throttle cable assembly using a teflon based spray.

1. Is it allowed to do this? I read about lubricants attacking the cable’s (teflon/nylon) lining, thus worsening the problem.
2. How do I remove the throttle cable assembly from the car (or disconnect it from the throttle body)?

Thanks for your replies.

Took my car to the workshop for 15.000km inspection. The dealer acknowledges the problem: "they all have that". Throttle cable, accelerator pedal and throttle body were inspected, no deviations found. Finally the throttle cable was lubricated which helped.....for about 2 days.

 

[ht100]

QUOTE (PS56 @ Aug 16 2010, 09:02 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=349728

I have also noticed this issue on my 1.4 style.

My dealer just says you need more mileage on the car as it has only done 1800miles.

So this weekend I decided to take a look at the cable routing on inspection I realised that the path taken wasn't ideal so I relocated the cable over the top of the intake tubing which I am glad to say has improved the feel of the pedal and a lighter response.

Well worth the 5 minutes it took. :beer:

Hello PS56,

My car has done 15.000km (9320 miles), and the problem persists.

I'd like to implement your solution on my 1.2i. Unfortunately I'm not exactly a handyman.
Therefore, would it be possible to post a picture of the relocated cable?
Thanks.

 

[awt41]

QUOTE (PS56 @ Aug 16 2010, 08:02 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=349728

I relocated the cable over the top of the intake tubing which I am glad to say has improved the feel of the pedal and a lighter response.

Could you give a few more details of exactly where/how you re-routed the cable?
Thanks

 

[petersheldrake]

On my 1.4 style if you follow the cable you will see, or at least it was on mine, it ran along the top of the engine then turned towards the front of the car.

It then dropped down & under the air intake trunking, where it appears at the other side it went in an upward direction before dropping down again to the quadrant on the throttle body.

I removed the breather pipe first then released the clip where the pipe is attached to the throttle body. All I did then was to remove the air cleaner top with pipe, lift the cable and refit the air cleaner under the cable, which allows the cable to take a much smoother line and removes the various bends.

I can't really advise if this can be done on a 1.2 as I don't know where that cable runs.

However to me after my many years in the trade any cable is best run as straight as possible so it doesn't bind inside, plus modern cables do not need lubrication.

Hope this explains what I have done to mine.

 

[awt41]

Thanks for the detailed information. I'll give it a go on my 1.4.

 

[awt41]

QUOTE (awt41 @ Aug 19 2010, 12:19 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=350382

Thanks for the detailed information. I'll give it a go on my 1.4.

Hello again - I've just been out to look at my cable. It would appear to take a different route. It goes along the top of the engine, then down under the air intake, then just carries on down to the throttle. It doesn't go in an upward direction after passing under the air intake.

So - back to the drawing board, although it was worth a try - Thanks.

 

[petersheldrake]

QUOTE (awt41 @ Aug 19 2010, 12:42 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=350384

Hello again - I've just been out to look at my cable. It would appear to take a different route. It goes along the top of the engine, then down under the air intake, then just carries on down to the throttle. It doesn't go in an upward direction after passing under the air intake.

So - back to the drawing board, although it was worth a try - Thanks.

HI Maybe the upward direction is only slight but if you take the cable over the top the bend down to the air intake will be less of a bend therfore smoothing the pedal

 

[ht100]

QUOTE (PS56 @ Aug 18 2010, 09:00 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=350192

On my 1.4 style if you follow the cable you will see, or at least it was on mine, it ran along the top of the engine then turned towards the front of the car.

It then dropped down & under the air intake trunking, where it appears at the other side it went in an upward direction before dropping down again to the quadrant on the throttle body.

I removed the breather pipe first then released the clip where the pipe is attached to the throttle body. All I did then was to remove the air cleaner top with pipe, lift the cable and refit the air cleaner under the cable, which allows the cable to take a much smoother line and removes the various bends.

I can't really advise if this can be done on a 1.2 as I don't know where that cable runs.

However to me after my many years in the trade any cable is best run as straight as possible so it doesn't bind inside, plus modern cables do not need lubrication. Hope this explains what I have done to mine.

(reply with respect to cable routing moved to post Captain Slow @ 24 Aug 2010)

 

[ht100]

The throttle cable routing seems to be an important factor in the ‘sticky accelerator pedal’ problem. This would mean that the problem is dependant on the type of car (right/left hand drive) and engine (1.2/1.4/1.6).

The pictures below show the cable routing in my left hand drive i20 with 1.2 engine.

Except for the extensive length of the cable and the sharp bend at the beginning (detail A), the situation in the 1.2 doesn't look that bad. Still the cable doesn't move smoothly.
Anyone suggestions for improvement?

(Note: the situation in my 1.2 indeed differs from left hand drive 1.4, in which the cable runs straight from the firewall to the throttle body. In the 1.4 the cable is much shorter, and there is no sharp bend right after the firewall).

[attachment=19953:1.Throttle_cable.jpg]
[attachment=19954:2.Detail_A.jpg]
[attachment=19955:3.Detail_B.jpg]

 

[awt41]

QUOTE (PS56 @ Aug 20 2010, 06:46 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=350717

HI Maybe the upward direction is only slight but if you take the cable over the top the bend down to the air intake will be less of a bend therfore smoothing the pedal

There is not enough slack in my cable to re-route it over the top of the air intake. See Photo.

[attachment=19985SC02863.JPG]

 

[stevep62]

Hello all.
I picked up my brand new i20 1.4 Comfort last Thurs. From the very off the sticky accelerator cable problem was apparent. The pedal seems to be stiff and doesn't respond to the slightest touch, but then with a bit more pressure the revs jump up and then come down slowly. As a consequence, I would either stall or shoot off with the engine over-revving. Having looked at the previous posts I have looked at the throttle arrangement of my car and it doesn't look particulary "snagged" with sharp turns. I note, however, that there doesn't seem to be a threaded barrel cable adjuster (like you get on mountain bike brakes) to adjust the sensitivity of the throttle. I am going to have another fiddle with a few things (eg. try a bit of silicone spray etc.) to see if I can analyse the prob. By the way, my garage have ordered another accelerator cable for the car but can't fit it for a few weeks. I will report if this seems to do the trick.
Regards.

 

[ht100]

QUOTE (SteveP62 @ Sep 25 2010, 06:56 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=358687

I note, however, that there doesn't seem to be a threaded barrel cable adjuster (like you get on mountain bike brakes) to adjust the sensitivity of the throttle.

This is how the throttle cable adjuster looks like on AWT41's picture.
[attachment=20423:Throttle...adjuster.jpg]

To adjust the cable, look here: http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?showtopic=50327.

 

[cjeffrey]

My wife's I20 has this problem since the first 500 miles; the car is now 1yr old and still has the problem. (the demo car had the same -guess we should have known!). I think the car is dangerous to drive sometimes as it jerks forward or stalls the engine, & my wife often prefers to drive my car instead. In all other respects she loves the car

The dealer has been quite responsive but the problem is NOT resolved. It has been back at least 3 times, new cable fitted, cable lubricated & cable re-routed around the intake. Each time the problem appears fixed, but returns after a short while after a few weeks
I suspect either a component fault with a manufacturing batch or a basic design fault, maybe in a right-hand drive conversion for the UK (?)

Anyway the problem appears to be due to the cable itself & its routing through too sharp angles rather than the throttle pedal or intake butterfly. Re-routing around the intake has NOT FIXED IT. I now suspect the problem lies in the way the cable is routed through the engine compartment bulkhead.

Does anyone have any new thoughts on this; it's going in to the dealer again tomorrow

 

[ht100]

QUOTE (Captain Slow @ Aug 3 2010, 09:13 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=346878

My car also shows the ‘sticky accelerator pedal’ problem .

Now I plan to lubricate the throttle cable assembly using a teflon based spray.

1. Is it allowed to do this? I read about lubricants attacking the cable’s (teflon/nylon) lining, thus worsening the problem.
2. How do I remove the throttle cable assembly from the car (or disconnect it from the throttle body)?

Thanks for your replies.

QUOTE (Captain Slow @ Aug 17 2010, 02:52 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=349907

Took my car to the workshop for 15.000km inspection. The dealer acknowledges the problem: "they all have that". Throttle cable, accelerator pedal and throttle body were inspected, no deviations found. Finally the throttle cable was lubricated which helped.....for about 2 days.

At 20,000 km the dealer replaced the throttle cable. Before fitting the new cable, it was lubricated.
One month and 5,000 km later I say: problem solved! :cheer:
The cable now responds to the slightest touch! The difference was so big, I again had to learn how to drive my car.
Hope I can keep it this way. So far, so good.

Note: no apparent defects were found on the old cable. The mechanic who fitted the cable immediately noticed the big improvement too.

 

[simondbarnes]

My i20 1.4 comfort had a sticky accelerator pedal from new. I kind of got used to it but mentioned it when the car went in for 1st service. The garage replaced the cable under warranty which has completely solved the problem.