Finally got my 86 spider running pretty well. Today I go out to crank it and it starts but the yellow fan light on the dash won't go out. Then i try to give it some gas and the pedal feels funny and doesn't do anything. I pop the hood and am able to rev the motor by hand. Sit back in the car and try the pedal and it finally revs really high and sticks. I shut the car off. I did install a new stereo last night. Could that have caused a problem? Any ideas of what to look for or what caused this?
What did I do? 86 spider
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Linkage? Check all of it for binding.
Did the yellow fan light go out after revving the engine by hand? Was the fan actually on, or just the light?
Next, check all your stereo wiring. Location of ground is most important, and where you fastened the power for the stereo. There are several posts on wiring stereos, do a search on this BB.
Did the yellow fan light go out after revving the engine by hand? Was the fan actually on, or just the light?
Next, check all your stereo wiring. Location of ground is most important, and where you fastened the power for the stereo. There are several posts on wiring stereos, do a search on this BB.
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Zounds....weird.First thing I'd do is disconnect the stereo, since that seems to be when the problem started. How does the pedal feel "funny"? Is there no pressure?
Does the car have cruise control?
Wrt the yellow light, it's the fan light. Is the fan running all the time now, or is just the light on? Where did you get the power for the stereo from?
Check the power for the stereo against the wiring for the fan and indicator light.
As for the throttle, I'm guessing that either the stereo or the wiring for the stereo is in the way of the throttle itself. Look at the gas pedal, it should go straight up and through the firewall. Is there something from the stereo rubbing against it? If so, that's where the interference is from.
HTH,
bs
the fan is running but the light comes on as soon as the car starts. I will double check the stereo wiring but the stereo works and I connected to the same wires used for the old stereo. i will search the old threads for stereo wiring to make sure i did it correctly.
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ok, the pdeal is definately binding somewhere. I just can figure out where. When i move the throttle from under the hood by hand it doesn't want to return smoothly. when i push the pedal it isn't moving the throttle unless i slam it to the floor but then it doesn't release. Not sur ehow this happened? Also, disconnected the radio and the fan light is still on
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Do you drive the car frequently, or do you drive it very infrequently? If it's the latter, then it could just be your throttle linkages gummed up and binding. Last spring/summer, when I was having my nightmare electrical issues, the car was hardly driven. Then, in early fall last year, we solved that problem, but then my throttle was sticking open. Mucho bad-o. Liberal application of penetrating oil to the return spring & pivot points, and 30mins of "working the throttle" manually, did the trick. Since then the throttle has behaved properly. If your car is scarcely driven, then that could be the problem. But if you drive it regularly, then something from the stereo installation must be physically binding the linkage somewhere. Good luck, and please report back what you find!
David
David
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Keep hunting, it's got to be physical interference with the linkage. Suspect you did something to provide power to the fan and light. Try disconnecting the switch and tracing the switch wires. If the fan still runs with the switch disconnected, you're half way home. I'm not familiar with the '86 console. My '85 is a rat's nest and it's a simpler car. Electrical problems can be so entertaining.
the car has been driven ina botu a year. Over the lastw eek i have been able to get the car running and the pedal has been working fine in the driveway. The car needed a clutch master cylinder which i just got today. I will try to oil the linkage and see if that is the problem. i pulled the radio out and didn't see anything that woudl keep the throttle from working correctly
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18,590 Posts
The throttle bell crank (under the intake plenum) can bind/sieze. Look at this thread (especially the photo near the bottom of page one) for a good picture of the bell crank. A few squirts of penetratring oil might help.
However, since all your issues began after installing the stereo, it seems likely there is a correlation. Go back and recheck everything even remotely related to what you did. Something wrapped around or stuck behind the throttle pedal. Something crossed in the connections causing the fan light to come on.
However, since all your issues began after installing the stereo, it seems likely there is a correlation. Go back and recheck everything even remotely related to what you did. Something wrapped around or stuck behind the throttle pedal. Something crossed in the connections causing the fan light to come on.
thanks, think i go tthe pedal figured out. I lubed everything up and kept wokring it back and forth. It was sticking. Guess it was a coincidence that it happended at the same time as the radio install. still cant figure out the fan light though. Will i do any damage driving it that way?
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I'd find the problem. Lots of old wires, carpet and other combustibles in there. Glad you got the pedal problem solved.
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Glad your pedal works again, JDW! Good on ya,
David
David
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It's really hard for us to tell you what you did to affect the fan light when you were installing the stereo.
The yellow fan light is lit because it's now getting power. Locate the light, then trace the wires back to where it's getting it's power source. It's probably something that was done when the stereo was getting installed.
bs
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