fiesta 98 s reg auto

Im new here so bare with me.

I have a 98 s reg 1.4 zetec fiesta automatic, its only done about 50k and servied regulary. but for no reason the other morning from cold it refused to drive as it should do. When i pulled off the drive i put my foot down as normal but the accelarator was very stiff. it was hard to push down and the car went very slow, then if i really put my foot down ( about 3 " of travel later) it went like a rocket. This isnt very good and i cant drive it.

now a local garage isnt sure if its the throttle body housing or the gearbox, they did say that the throttle looked a little seized on the housing, although strangly enough its only stiff like this if the engine is runing, with the engine off the accelerator pedal works as normal.

a mate also said it could be a sensor, or even a vacum issue.

any help would be very useful, so i could save some time and money

cheers peeps

DOm

The throttle cable (from pedal to the housing arm) may be stiff. It is exactly the same type of cable as the one on your pushbike brakes or gear shifter. It doesnt sound like a gearbox problem. Your best bet is to take the cable out of the tube and grease it up or oil it with teflon spray (for example GT85). If this does not work then use the spray on the throttle housing (the swing arm and the induction regulator). If this doesnt work then have a mechanic look at it.
Ben