Throttle cable oiling

[John Wilson]

I've just freed up the throttle cable with a bit of oil down it. It might have been covered before, but I thought I'd share how I did it without having to take off any parts except the cable itself. This is the cable on my 2litre Z3.
The problem is that where you are working you can't see at all so it all has to be done by feel.
Firstly, I get a piece of string, about 18 inches long and put a small loop in one end. Next find the route of the cable to the throttle linkage. There is room for a hand to get through to it. It's just forward of the dipstick. You must feel the route of the cable before trying to remove the cable,otherwise you won't know how to put it back afterwards. You can feel the path of the cable along a grove underneath the linkage. The cable end has a ball on it which fits into a V shaped notch in the throttle linkage. The notch faces towards the rear of the car. Make sure you can feel where this is,because the ball has to be returned there afterwards.
You can move the linkage back towards you, against a spring. This brings the ball end nearer to you so it can be removed. Unfortunately, you need another hand to hold it whilst removing the ball, and other isn't room for 2 hands down there. However, there is a prong on the linkage facing towards the back of the car. If you feel for this, the loop on the string you have prepared, can be put around it and by pulling on the other end, the linkage can be made to come towards you.
Now you can remove the cable from the adjuster. This can actually be seen by eye, and by pulling the cable towards you and then to the right, it will come out from it's bracket.
Next, with the string pulled towards you with your left hand, try to remove the ball end of the cable from what it goes beyond the V shaped notch. It may be stuck so just keep wiggling it, but without kinking the cable. The cable can then be removed from that end. I don't bother with removing the other end of the cable and just lubricate it from that one and.
When returning the cable, you will find out how well you felt for the route before you started. You might want to adjust up the cable at this time as well, if there is some slack there.

[lightning]

My 3.0 has a drive by wire throttle.

Which versions of the Z3 have a throttle cable?

[Rafolian]

All the non fly by wire have a throttle cable including my '98 single vanos 2.8.

[Robert T]

I think something was lost in translation there...

It was only the very last models that were fly-by-wire. 3.0 and S54 ///M, definitely. Not sure about the 2.2 or double-vanos 2.8.

Cheers R.

[beerbelly]

we oiled ours with a professional motorbike cable oiler forces it through under pressure .it lasted about a month before going stiff and jerky again think a new cable was about £20 and took 15 mins to fit lovely and light now

[John Wilson]

It must be a couple of years since I had to free up the cable so I think it's worth doing. I was brought up to repair components rather than replace. I remember watching my father take apart a petrol pump, cutting a new diaphragm out of an old inner tube, and putting it back together, better than ever. Much more satisfying, and not costing a penny.

[g8jka]

This thread reminded me how stiff my pedal has been ever since purchasing the car 4 and half years ago. I have oiled the cable before a couple of times but it has never made much of an improvement so I've ordered a new one today. £21 delivered from Sopers and I will hopefully get it done at the weekend, along with changing the clutch hose to an earls braided one that I've only had in my drawer over a year

[beerbelly]

if the nylon coating around the inner cable inside the outer sleeve has any cracks in it no amount of oil will free it .back in the olden days cables were just a wire inside a steel spiral wrap then coated in a plastic sheath. oil worked fine in them .things are made with a lifespan nowadays I remember me granddad resoling his own work boots in his shed cheaper to buy new ones these days

[Mint]

It was only the very last models that were fly-by-wire. 3.0 and S54 ///M, definitely. Not sure about the 2.2 or double-vanos 2.8.

My 2.2 is definitely fly by wire. I fitted cruise to it earlier in the year. As said above a 10 minute job.

[Dino D]

This thread reminded me how stiff my pedal has been ever since purchasing the car 4 and half years ago. I have oiled the cable before a couple of times but it has never made much of an improvement so I've ordered a new one today. £21 delivered from Sopers and I will hopefully get it done at the weekend, along with changing the clutch hose to an earls braided one that I've only had in my drawer over a year

Get on and do it, it transforms things, you'll need to get used to not using the accelerator as a footrest thought and learn how to have a 'light' foot.
Mine was so stiff I could rest my foot and not move accelerator at all! With a new cable it's much more like a modern car, bit strange at first but overall much better and they way it should be giving better modulation rather than on/off which in winter is useful!

I changed mine a couple years ago now but noticed it also getting a bit stiff so oiled it recently.

[bertiejaffa]

Changed mine early this year - much much better. The comments about how the end of the cable houses into the engine is key... that was the only fiddly bit.