5.7L Accelerator Cable

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Green_K1500

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1998 Chevy K1500 5.7L

I noticed recently my gas pedal seemed to be sitting low, as in it didn't have much movement to it. Vehicle is relatively new to me (9 months) so I didn't observe any progressive decay, just happened to notice it.

I looked down at my pedal and sure enough I could bottom out the pedal on the carpet and still pull the cable another inch or so. Most exciting discovery yet, untapped power! I went to buy a replacement accelerator cable, part number 15735412. They have been discontinued by AC Delco, unfortunately.

So I bought the Pioneer replacement cable CA-9110. "Manufactured to OE specs" their marketing materials say.

I went through the burden of replacing the cable (wrangling plastic clippy-bits in tight spaces is my least favorite garage task). I was sure surprised to find the issue even worse than before! Now I only have about 1.5" of pedal engagement before hitting the floor... bummer.

I should have checked, but I just assumed it would fit as multiple online distributors as well as the manufacturer, Pioneer, stated it was the correct cable for all 96-99 GM vehicles with the 5.7L. However, the cable is 48.07" long. The OEM cable is supposed to be 41.220" long.

Pioneer Cable I bought:

OEM Cable:

Now to add insult to injury, I cannot find ANY cable in 41.220" length. NAPA, and everything on RockAuto is 48.07" length. OEM cable is gone from existence far as I can tell. Anyone been through this before? Any leads on a OEM size accelerator cable?

Thanks!
 

Erik the Awful

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The length of the cable doesn't matter. What matters is that it's securely mounted on either end. If either end is loose you're not going to get full throttle throw.
 

Green_K1500

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I see your point, guess I never thought of it that way. The total length of the cable is irrelevant. What matters is the cable length less the housing, as that is what will define where the pedal sits and whether you get full range.

So really either the cable is too long OR the housing is too short. Or both.
 

Schurkey

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Most likely source of the problem: Gas pedal lever arm is bent. Grab that puppy with a bigass pliers, bend it until the cable has almost no slack.

I've seen this more than once. The "real" fix is to bend it until it works right, then WELD IN A REINFORCEMENT because over time it's just going to bend again. And assure that the throttle and TV cables don't bind, and the throttle itself isn't stiff WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING--so that the lever arm isn't overloaded.
 

1999 Suburban

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I have a '99 Suburban K1500 with a very tight accelerator cable, no slack at all. Reason for this is vandalism. Yes, one night some idiot dediced to yank on the cable causing the bracket that holds cable to bend and cable itself stretch to the point of seeing wound steel inside of casing all stretched. When I went to start it that day, unknowing of the vandalism, rpm's increased rapidly to almost 5500 until I realized something is wrong and luckily was able to shut it down before catastrophe. I was able to hit the bracket back in place with a hammer but I really needed a new cable but unfortunately it's discontinued. Well, I've been driving the truck for awhile since but I think the cable being so tight is causing issues with fuel ratio, kickdown, etc. I have a check engine light that keeps coming on with code P0430. I did notice that when I climb a steep hill and put load on the truck it will run rough just as I crest the hill. When I crest the hill and go back to normal load, the truck shifts into overdrive but if I try to gas it and speed up just a bit more, runs really rough.
 

1999 Suburban

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I have a '99 Suburban K1500 with a very tight accelerator cable, no slack at all. Reason for this is vandalism. Yes, one night some idiot dediced to yank on the cable causing the bracket that holds cable to bend and cable itself stretch to the point of seeing wound steel inside of casing all stretched. When I went to start it that day, unknowing of the vandalism, rpm's increased rapidly to almost 5500 until I realized something is wrong and luckily was able to shut it down before catastrophe. I was able to hit the bracket back in place with a hammer but I really needed a new cable but unfortunately it's discontinued. Well, I've been driving the truck for awhile since but I think the cable being so tight is causing issues with fuel ratio, kickdown, etc. I have a check engine light that keeps coming on with code P0430. I did notice that when I climb a steep hill and put load on the truck it will run rough just as I crest the hill. When I crest the hill and go back to normal load, the truck shifts into overdrive but if I try to gas it and speed up just a bit more, runs really rough.
So I figured out I've been driving the truck with the damaged throttle cable and bracket for over a year. At the time of the vandalism I did find a bracket and cable at a local salvage. Unfortunately, the throttle body end of the cable was half gone so I decided not to install it since the truck ran fine mostly. Recently, I came across a guy with a machine shop and he made a new end for the throttle cable and braised it to the cable. When I finished installing the salvaged bracket and cable I reset the ECM but the check engine came back on during the first trip. I let about a week pass and then reset the ECM again. It's been over a week now and no check engine light.
 

eran tomer

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mind that the pedal is swinging, so when it hits the floor you can press on the upper part and it will give you the extra clearance.
 
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