jordy478

ok so i have a 1994 accord and when the car running and i press the brakes all the gauges turn off and all the dash lights and clocks. same is i turn on the head lights or use the electric windows. well i just noticed today that the throttle cable is some how getting voltage to it and cause it to heat up. What could be causing this? brand new battery and the alternator is charging fine.

jdowen2

If the throttle cable is getting voltage you have a nicked wire that is grounding or shorting. Did you measure voltage on the throttle cable?

jordy478

yea its pulling 12 volts. but only wire i can see that even close to touching is the brake switch wires...had it not just started storming i would fully checked that lol.

Roader

Inspect the engine grounds too.

jordy478

Well I've come to the conclusion that there is a bad ground...unhooked the throttle cable and the car wouldn't start. hooked it back up and it started lol...

jordy478

now whats the best way to look for a bad ground?

holmesnmanny

You don't have a bad ground. You have a short to ground.

Arthas

Throttle cable acting as a ground, thats a first!

I would definitely follow it from beginning to end and see if anything is rubbing on it.

civicvp

"i press the brakes all the gauges turn off and all the dash lights and clocks"

Since this is happening, I'd check the brake system. Sounds like you're pinching a hot wire that is making it short to ground, which in turn is making contact with your throttle cable full time. Like holmesnmanny said, "You don't have a bad ground. You have a short to ground."

Roader

There should be one on the valve cover that splits into two and, I think, connects to the engine mount and body. Check for corrosion/tightness at all three points.

Roader

Nice pics:
So many problems...throttle cable, electrical??

Arthas

Its not the ground, hes getting a short TO the ground.

AccidentproWn

Everything sounds like a grounding issue with the exception of the throttle cable having voltage. I find this hard to believe. How did you go about testing voltage on the throttle cable? Seems like the cable would melt if it had power going through it since it grounds itself at the throttle body. or a fuse would blow on whatever wire is shorting.

I haven't owned a Honda for a few years; used to have a turbo Accord, but just got a 95 Accord wagon as a daily beater. I have a 91 Mr2 and the throttle cable getting hot is a common problem with Mr2s. It's always because of a bad ground though. I would check all grounds for good connections. Im not sure where all of them are on our cars but I know there's a big one on the transmission and the one that connects to the valve cover, left motor mount, and body. See if either of those are missing, corroded, or poorly connected. Also check the one at the negative battery terminal.

jordy478

that link Roader posted is exactly what my car was doing thanks..and Accidentpro i tested it with a volt meter...the throttle cable was burnt when i bought the car. but my cousin who i bought it from didn't have all the ground wires connected...so i fixed all that then 2 weeks later this problem started. it been raining for the past 2 days so i haven't been able to mess with the car but hopefully soon.

Roader

Hook one end of a jumper cable to the negative battery post and the other end to the engine; the lift hook or whatever metal is handy. If the symptoms go away (starts without the throttle cable/throttle cable no longer gets hot) then start looking for bad engine ground(s).

jdowen2

You could pull fuses one at time while checking for voltage to give you an idea where to start looking

papa1408

Did you ever find out the problem?. I know its been a long time

MAD_MIKE

Last Activity: 04-24-2014 07:32 AM

Don't think he will be on again anytime soon.

If you have voltage on your throttle cable, it is probably the only thing grounding the engine.

Verify the bonding jumper on the engine mount is connected to both sides of the mount and to the cam cover.

Verify the main negative cable from the battery is attached to the transmission.

Both connections need to be clean and tight.