HELP!! The damn gas pedal broke off!!!!

[Nitrous SSC]

I don't know how the hell this happened. I was just driving and then I couldn't go. The bracket that secures to the firewall completely came off!!!!!! I had to drive home 2 footed. My right foot with no shoe using my toes to keep it straight and my left to brake.

I'm home in one piece but I gota get this fixed. Its my work ride!!!

There isn't any bolts that hold it on! I don't know if it was riveted or tacked. I can't tell.

HELP!!!!!

 

[BeauJ]

wtf!

Don't even tell me we you weren't gettin on it. If you need to fix it fast, and there are no bolts, drill and hold it on temp. If it's tached on, go to a machine shop and get them to do it. I'm a damn good welder, but you stay too far away

 

[Nitrous SSC]

I wasn't. I didn't floor it once today. Although I have found myself to floor the explorer alot. Its been slowly getting worse. I just took a road trip to idaho over the weekend and up hills I kept thinking "I know I have more pedal than this" but i was wearing different shoes so I didn't really think to check.

The thing that pisses me off the most. Is I finally got my heater working TODAY at the office before the drive home. And then the pedal just went completly sideways and limp under the brake pedal. Oh that was fun btw.

 

[davidmmm69]

Oh My God before i moved up to mass a few months ago I was working one day in Tampa and this is what happened..
driving on the higheway to a job i had scheduled I lost alot of power in the truck i had no idea what was going on!!!
i got off the highway and the pedal seemed not to move to the floor. so i reached down and the whole pedal i could move in my hand WTF I said also..
i was able to baby it to the job i was going to and thank god i had all my tools and suck in the car and my huge box of hardware and bolts.
there are 2 bolts that hold the pedal bracket to the firewall.
they are bolts welded to the engine part of the firewall.
well on mine one bolt fell off and the other was copletely stripped out maks sense but what to do to fix it as it was very hot and so was the engine..
it is easy to get to not much on the firewall where the pedal goes to.
I wasn;t sure where the hole was so i pused a 4 inch bolt thru the hole to find out where it was once located i pulled the huge bolt back out and took another bolt i had shorter this time and put it in the hole thru the pedal bracket with a washer on the front...
i double bolted it from the engine copartment, and it has been almost 6 months and no problem since . actually haven;t even thought about it till i just read this post.
I thought iit was just ome freak thing that happened to me.

Hope this helps as it was really annoying to me but it is a really easy fix...
thanks and I hope i could help you...

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Ok cool. Yeah it sucks when the Entire assembly moves around like that. There wern't any bolts in there at all. Maybe they vibrated out? I'll go work on it in a minute after I calm down. I'm so freaking pissed right now its not even funny. :fire: I've got so many things going on right now. I guess its just the man upstairs giving me another challange in life EH? I guess this is a sign I need more power so I stop pushing the pedal so hard.

What size were the 2 bolts you used? I have some that are kinda short in my garage.

 

[section525]

Lead Foot No 347 for you.

 

[Nitrous SSC]

This is a calling. I must put in a 347 with a KB in the X so I won't abuse my gas pedal so much. Damn it, Its dark and cold outside. I can't use my garage because its a mustang slaughter house right now. :fire: :fire:

 

[X~FACTOR]

Well at least you are not alone.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86567&highlight=broke+pedal

This is the worst yet for Ford. :thumbdwn:

 

[davidmmm69]

maybe 1/4 inch bolts 3 inches long i believe that is what i used...won;t take you long at all to fix it..

 

[boominXplorer]

happened to my 95. A 1/4 drill biut and 2 nuts and bolts it was good to go again

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Alright thanks guys. I'll find someone to haul me to the nut/bolt shop tomorrow if I don't have what I need here in the garage.

I was begining to think I'm the only person who hits the "go stick" a little hard.

I'm going to take pictures of the R&R. Can someone host them?

 

[section525]

You know it.

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Alrighty then. I made it to the office and was able to fix the problem at home in about 20 minutes.
I took after pictures to see what it looks like done.

Step 1. unbolt gas pedal from bracket using a 10mm wrench.
Step 2. On the bracket there are 3 little spots, either they are tacks or JB weld. Either way its pretty damn ghetto for the way they are attached. Drill using a 3/8ths drill bit into the center of the top and bottom welds/tacks/JBwelds.
Step 3. Use a 1/4 inch bolt thats 1" long with a washer on the head and pass it through the top and bottom holes from the engine side of the firewall. I had to thread them in a little and this made things alot easier so they wouldn't pop out while I was under the dash.
Step 4. hang the bracket in by the 2 bolts. Then put some red lock tight, lock washer, and thread the nut on. At this point make sure the part of the bracket the pedal attaches to is down. Or you'll have to take it apart and flip it. (I did this)
Step 5. Get everything as finger tight then crank on it. Lucky for me the bolt and washer grabed the firewall and I could tighten everything without a wrench on the other side.
Step 6. Slide gas pedal into bracket and reinstall the pivot bolt and you're done!!!
Step 7. Have a Beer/coke/vodka/etc.

First time I hit the gas I was amazed. The truck took off like a rocket. I remember when I first got the X I noted how sensitive the gas pedal was. Its that way again.

 

[davidmmm69]

Glad it went a easy for you as it was for me...
it took me about the same time...

Davd M

 

[expo5.0]

mine fell off a whle ago too

 

[Gus615]

Mine broke off today, in Atlanta traffic !!! Remember John Wayne bringing in his plane....that was how it went today. B-52 inbound sir...she looks wobbly !

Can anyone tell me where in the engine side I can find the holes?

 

[Turdle]

you guys, I know I saw a TSB about this
www.nhtsa.gov

 

[Turdle]

Technical Service Bulletins Summary

Make: FORD
Model: EXPLORER
Year: 1997
Type: ANY
Service Bulletin Number: 00243
NHTSA Item Number: 616531
Summary Description:
ON SOME VEHICLES, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BRACKET MAY BECOME LOOSE OR SEPARATED FROM THE DASH PANEL. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY REPEATED EXCESSIVE FORCE ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, RESULTING IN CRACKING OF THE DASH PANEL SHEET METAL AT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BRACKET. *TT

 

[Nitrous SSC]

Mine broke off today, in Atlanta traffic !!! Remember John Wayne bringing in his plane....that was how it went today. B-52 inbound sir...she looks wobbly !

Can anyone tell me where in the engine side I can find the holes?

Just behind the intake manifold/valve cover on the drivers side.

Do what I wrote up and you'll be back in business.

 

[jlppimb]

Nitrous SSC,

Thanks for the how-to. I like your way better than the others I have seen. This is the second time mine fell off. First time had a shop do it, this time me and a friend will attempt the repair.