Throttle stuck OPEN, very high revs

[furry]

My father has a '95 Camry V6 which is getting quite scary to drive. The problem involves removing your foot from the gas pedal (while in 'Drive') only to realize that the RPMs are going even higher. When this happens, you have to use the brake pedal to hold back the car, or else it will continue to accelerate on its own. Once stopped, if you put the car in 'Park' or 'Neutral', the engine will race up to near its redline.

Specifically, the other day, the car acted up on the highway. My Dad got off the highway and went down a few streets to his destination, all the time using just the brake pedal. He stopped, put it in 'Park', engine raced, then turned off the ignition. He started the car after a minute or so, the car raced up to redline again, turned off the car. He sprayed WD-40 on the throttle body linkage, car still raced. He called CAA. While waiting for roadside assistance, a cop came along to tell him to move his car from the 'no parking' zone he was in. He said he couldn't because of this problem, cop asked him to prove it, so my Dad fired up the car which proceded to rev like crazy. Cop left, tow truck came, guy starts car, it runs fine! He drives home with no problem.

This 'sudden revving' problem has happened about 5 times over the last two years. After each incident, my father lubricates the throttle body linkage.

I just looked at the car. The throttle plate rotates smoothly, the gas pedal doesn't bind about its pivot point, and the throttle cables can be pushed in and out of the cable housings without any fuss. The only thing I did not check was the cruise control box.

Anybody ever have any of these symptoms?

[Mike Gerber]

Try cleaning the throttle body and that throttle plate (including the back side) with throttle body cleaner or carb cleaner. Do a search on this site for "throttle body cleaning". There is a thread somewhere with some good pictures.

Mike

[Toysrme]

Exactly, it's not normally a linkage problem. Clean the throttle plate.
If you're smart, also do an IAC & EGR valve cleanings.