1999 Mercury Villager / Nissan Quest Throttle Sticking

[jcoffee]

I have a 1999 Villager Estate Van (Same as the Nissan Quest made in Ohio) and since I bought it new I have had a sticking Throttle condition that is intermittent. While still under warranty, they replaced the throttle body and the problem went away for a year or 2 and then came back. The dealership stated that if the car was not under warranty it would have cost almost $800 to do the repair. It is now doing it again at 82,000 miles. I have searched the web and found very little. Also I am looking for a service manual if anyone has one to pass along as a download.

Any Help out there??

Thanks,
JC

[keithleblanc@cox]

Originally Posted by jcoffee

I have a 1999 Villager Estate Van (Same as the Nissan Quest made in Ohio) and since I bought it new I have had a sticking Throttle condition that is intermittent. While still under warranty, they replaced the throttle body and the problem went away for a year or 2 and then came back. The dealership stated that if the car was not under warranty it would have cost almost $800 to do the repair. It is now doing it again at 82,000 miles. I have searched the web and found very little. Also I am looking for a service manual if anyone has one to pass along as a download.

Any Help out there??

Thanks,
JC

Don't let them stick you for the $800 bucks. I have a 2000 Quest that has the same exact problem. It was recalled sometime back to repair, but it recently began having the same problem. What's happening is that the throttle body intake becomes very dirty & grimy which causes the butterfly flap to stick, thus causing the throttle to stick. Also the throttle cable usually has a too much slack and needs to be retensioned. If you are in any way mechanically inclined, the fix is very easy. It will take about an hour to fix. I will try my best to step you through it. Please forgive any typos.

1: Remove the air filter then disconnect the round rubber flex tubing from the air breather leading to the intake assembly. Note that the intake will have two cables attached to it. The one closest to the front of the vehicle is for the cruise control, the other is the throttle cable going back to the accelerator pedal.

2: Using your thumb, roll the cam that the throttle cable is attached to backwards to open the butterfly flap. Using a flashlight,
look inside, Filthy???...Take a clean rag soaked with carburator cleaner or some other solvent and clean as far down the intakes throat that your fingers can reach. It will take some time to clean it good. Also clean the butterfly itself as best as you can. You may also want to put a straw on your spray can and shoot some solvent directly inside the intake were the butterly is hinged on both sides.

3: Once you are satisfied go ahead and test it by pressing the accelerator pedal, if it is still sticking don't get discouraged, all you will need to do is retension the throttle cable.

4: Start the engine and set the park brake.

5: Loosen the two nuts that hold tension on the throttle cable. They are located just behind the cam that the throttle cable is attached to.

6: Adjust the cable just to the point where the engine begins to rev up and then back off the tension just until the engine returns to idle. Once you have found the "Sweet Spot" tighten up the nuts while being careful not to change the cable tension.

7: Almost done! Where the throttle cable attaches to the throttle body you will see a set screw which serves as a recoil limit for when the accelerator pedal is released. Loosen the nut and adjust it just until it makes contact with the cam making sure that the engine does not rev up. Once done, tighten the nut and test your pedal again.

SUCCESS I HOPE. GOOD LUCK.........

[jcoffee]

I did as you directed and it appears to have done the trick. This was a very easy repair and while I had the Air Box off, I inspected and cleaned all up and changed the air filter. Thanks for your expert help and I hope otehrs out there can avoid costly repairs!!

JC

[keithleblanc@cox]

Originally Posted by jcoffee

I did as you directed and it appears to have done the trick. This was a very easy repair and while I had the Air Box off, I inspected and cleaned all up and changed the air filter. Thanks for your expert help and I hope otehrs out there can avoid costly repairs!!

JC

You are welcome! I am really glad to hear that it worked for you. It is a real shame what the dealerships charge for such a minor fix. You will probably have to repeat this about every 1-2 years. That seems to be the frequency for my Quest anyway. Just out of curiousity, did you have to retension the throttle cable?

Keith

[jcoffee]

I did tighten it a bit, but I am not too sure it did much other than make the gas pedal more responsive (less slop). One tip for you is to keep a look at your battery terminals for corrosion. I had to replace both cable ends as they rotted off and left me stranded once. I am also needing to replace the stalk switch that controls the bright / dim /turn signal as it does not want to got to bright and flickers and causes a relay in the dash to "rattle and hum". Other than these issues it has been a great family car since we bought it new and have 82+k.

Thanks again,
JC

[Eddie45]

Originally Posted by jcoffee

... I am also needing to replace the stalk switch that controls the bright / dim /turn signal as it does not want to got to bright and flickers and causes a relay in the dash to "rattle and hum"...
JC

I have the exact same problem. How did you take care of this? and where did you find the switch?

Thanks
Eddie

[jcoffee]

Originally Posted by Eddie45

I have the exact same problem. How did you take care of this? and where did you find the switch?

Thanks
Eddie

I have yet to do the repair as it mostly a daytime mommy coach. I will more than likley go to a dealer and talk with the parts / service guy to start with. they can tell you alot if you ask nicely. I was looking for a service bullitin and have not found one yet. I will let all know when I complete mine how to do.

Thanks for the interest
JC

[Eddie45]

Mine, a '99 has the high/low beam on the same turn signal switch stalk. My high beam wouldn't work all the time and low beam would go out without warning and sometimes would start to flicker. Eventually, my turn signals wouldn't work half the time.

I though this switch was the culprit. Ordered it and waited for it to arrive, it never arrived and when I contacted Advance-auto they said they never had it in the first place and admitted should have told me so before placing an order. Next I called the dealer and the guy told me the price is around $90 and they have it in stock... went after work to pick up, only to be told they didn't really have it and can order it the following day. I placed the order and went home from there... I decided to take the switch out and take it apart. It had several small pieces inside (all looked brand new) and a quick look at them I found that when they greased the parts upon manufacturing it, they went overboard and there was grease on many copper parts that got hardened and did not provide proper contact. I cleaned them with electrical contact solvent and tooth brush and put them back together and that solved everything... now it's as good as new and I didn't have to spend $90 for nothing.

I hope this information helps someone with similar problems.

Eddie