The 'E' Type Forum

Recently I had an annoying budgie type squeak from the accelerator pedal.
If I put my foot on the pedal it would squeak like a budgie , if I took my foot off it would stop.
After lots of WD40 on the pedal , throttle linkages etc it would stop for a while then restart again.
I have since found the problem but I thought I would leave it to fellow E Type owners who may have had the same problem to guess what it was ?
Over to you my fellow E Type lovers. Can you guess what it was ?

your right knee?

NOPE

WD-40 is a terrible lubricant. What happens is that the solvent carrier will quiet things down until it evaporates, leaving everything dry again. It's great stuff for drying out wet ignitions ("WD" stands for "Water Displacement"), but little else. Use a quality white grease on the moving bits and I thing you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The bushing at the rear end of the throttle shaft? (They make a terrible squeak, but usually also stop the linkage from returning to idle consistently).

WD 40 is ok for cleaning, and not bad as a penetrant, but it's crap as a lubricant unless you can immerse the bits in a permanent bath.

White moly is good, as is Viscotene. Viscotene is my goto lube for things like window winders, throttle cranks etc. It stays where you put it, even if heated. The spray cans here come with an 80cm hose.

Bingo Jag Waugh yep its the little rubber bush at the end of the throttle linkage.
Mine had perished causing the linkage to drop and squeak when you put your foot down.

I've had exactly the same issue! The replacement part from SNGB is a rubber grommet that leaves considerable free play at the end of the throttle shaft. Unless there is a better part available from another supplier I was expecting to have to get something machined in nylon.

Ross , I got round it by simply fitting a correct size rubber grommet from Halfords
Price £ 1.95 for two , works perfectly.

After replacing that bushing, you'll find that you have far better throttle response as well!

for a light but penetrating lube use ACF 50 rather than WD40. It is brilliant....great too if wiped over aluminium and Chrome in winter to keep damp and corrosion away....

not too clear as to where this bush is-just to check mine! Throttle sometimes 'lazy' to close completely once car/engine totally warmed up.

david muir wrote:not too clear as to where this bush is-just to check mine! Throttle sometimes 'lazy' to close completely once car/engine totally warmed up.

It's on a bracket on the firewall by the wipermotor. The bushing is where the linkage changes from running across the firewall to forward to the carbs. It holds the rearmost end of the throttle rod.

[quote="Moeregaard"]WD-40 is a terrible lubricant. What happens is that the solvent carrier will quiet things down until it evaporates, leaving everything dry again.

Absolutely correct. It's not a lubricant, any more than is copper grease. Many people use WD 40 as a penetrating oil, which it manifestly is not. As you say, it is a water displacing fluid - great for reviving soaked ignition systems. In the short interval before it evaporates it will have certain lubricating properties, but so does water!