Car : 1990 Civic Si 1.6L

It only has 116k Miles

My problem is that my throttle seems sticky. After driving, and at idle at a light or any stop the idle will rest at 2,000-3,000 RPM's. I just changed my distributor cap, rotors, spark plug wires, and plugs, and i managed to use some TB cleaner while i was at it, but it seemed no good.

I have went under the hood while it was running and played with the throttle. No matter how much i adjust it, the spring mechanism still seems to be sticky, before i purchase a throttle body, what else could i do ?

Any input will help. thanks

 

Sticky?
When you idle at 2~3k rpm, can you pull up on the accelerator pedal and get it to go back down?
If so, probably need to replace the cable or try lubricating it.

 

Yes exactly !!

If i were to replace it, would it be difficult? I do have the money to replace but i would rather repair, because i have other parts to buy as well.

And if i were to lubricate it, what would i use ?

 

Generic pic of some random throttle cable.


Clean the exposed throttle cable and linkage (parts with the spring). WD-40 and a clean rag work pretty well for this.
Then slide the rubber boot off the threaded tube and slide the boot away from the adjusting nuts.
Spray cable lube (PJ1 cable lube) or even oil into the threaded tube. (White lithium grease is "ok", but doesn't get far into the cable.)
If you can get some help, have somebody pressing on and off the accelerator cable while you spray. This will help work the lube down into the cable.
Clean up any excess and put the rubber boot back on the threaded tube.

 

Hey thanks alot ! I'm going to run to the parts store and pick up some wd-40 and cable lube.

Thanks for the help, and hopefully it works, or il just have to buy another Tb.

 

why not determine if it's the T-body or the cable first? using the above picture, loosen those nuts and allow a LOT of slack in the cable. Then see where your idle is at. If it's still up there, it's not the cable (well first check that the cable still has the slack you allowed). If this is the case, then shut the car off, let it cool so you can touch the t-body. Open it wide open and use a rag and throttle body cleaner to clean the edges of the throttle plate as well as the body opening where the plate would seal up.

If the idle goes back to normal with extra slack in the cable, then buy a new cable. Lubing it is a short term solution, and cables are cheap from Honda.