Help!! This engine's suddenly got a mind of its own!!!

[shortshift]

There I was, having just paid for and picked up a 2001 Tucan Red Rose earlier today, intoxicated by the whole experience. Coming out of London on the A13, I notched it down to 4th and floored it, as I decelerated the revs wouldn't die down below 3500. I had to slot it into neutral and coast to a halt just off the M25. It ended coming home on the back of an AA low loader!! Not quite the dramatic entrance I had in mind. Now when I start her up, the throttle 'blips' a few times without me toucing it and then it revs itself up to about 4000 rpm. Can anyone shed any light on this. Is it terminal or something daft like a throttle sensor gone squiffy??

[andyoleary]

Not sure but maybe, could be the throttle cable snapping. I think there was a revision made of where the cable was routed around 2001 with a stronger cable being replaced and routed differently. This is mentioned on the Tuscan buyer's checklist somewhere I think.

Did the AA man take a look?

Andy

[shortshift]

Thanks for the advice. The AA man was totally confused. Although by the time we got it home it was dark and near the end of his shift and with no easy access to the engine bay, he wasn't too focussed! I will take the bonnet off this morning to have a look at the throttle cable but would a broken throttle cable cause those wierd charateristics? Somehow I think it's more likely to be electronic.

[NCE 61]

More likely to be a frayed throttle cable at the peddle box end. The later cable prevented this from happening.

[Big Al.]

I had a similar problem when I first got my Tuscan, turned out to be the pedal box!

Symptoms were, when changing gear, foot off the load pedal and instead of revs instead of dropping they increased to around 3000ish, not the easiest way to change gear!

Fernies took the box out gave it a good clean up and service and put back in, never had the problem since.

[SprintV8]

Drop the throttle cable off at the inlet and try again,

[shortshift]

Had the bonnet off, the foot well to bits and checked the throttle mechanism end to end. It all seems perfectly ok. If it were the throttle cable, I think the fault characterisitcs would be different. It doesn't seem so much like a sticky throttle as a inconsistant throttle. When I start the car, the throttle blips about 4 times all by itself before surging to about 4k revs and staying there - without me going anywhere near the pedal. A bit like 'Herbie'. I'm sure if I stuck it in gear it would drive itself up the road~!?

[nelly1]

It sounds like the throttle stop needs adjusting.
It only needs to be set a fraction too 'open' to cause what you're describing.

Make sure the throttle linkage isn't being fouled by anything first, and that it is actually sitting on the stop.

[custardkid]

make sure all the linkages are well greased at both ends of the cable, pedel box assembly and throttle body bridges.

[basil brush]

I think there may be a rev limiter when starting which is what is causing the initial reving effect. It sounds like the throttles are being held open somehow. I´d take the airbox off and make sure the individual throttle butterflies are not being held open by something, then check the linkage on the throttles. It could be the main throttle stop screw in the middle, or one of the individual adjustment screws on each throttle body. One of mine came loose recently and put the idle speed up to 1500 rpm.