'96 Explorer - Have to push gas pedal far + cruise control doesn't work anymore

[C1utch]

Recently, i've been having issues with acceleration on my explorer. I've been needing to push my gas pedal harder to get it up to highways speeds with any decent acceleration. I thought maybe my MAF sensor was dirty, so I tried cleaning that. Also, when this issue started, my cruise control stopped working and i've also noticed that I have been getting terrible gas mileage (quarter tank of gas /~40 miles).

Any idea of what's else it could be causing my problem would be great. Thanks!

 

[koda2000]

just a thought... check the spot-welds that hold the gas pedal to the firewall. they've been known to fatigue and break. doesn't explain the fuel economy or cruise control though. could it be that the brakes are dragging?

 

[C1utch]

It looks like it's a plastic foot pedal that connects to the throttle cable with the spring on it. It may be a brake issue. I know that from time to the ebrake light comes on randomly, even though the ebrake is not on. Is there an easy way to check if the ebrake is not dragging?

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Does any one of the catalytic converters get unusually
hot? That would mean it is partially clogged.

You'll have to jack up each wheel and rotate it by
hand to check for dragging brakes. The cure for my
E-brake light was a squirt of WD-40 on the switch
(located right above the pedal).

 

[Josh C.]

I'm not sure which engine you have but if its a 4.0 take off the top plastic piece of engine fascia and look where the cruse control cable connects to the throttle body. I cant remember exactly what it looks like but see if there is a broken clip/connection. I think the throttle cable mounts to the same area. Something might have gotten loose. I'm not sure about the 5.0 set up but I'm sure its close to the same.

As far as the ebrake, is there a chance your foot accidentally hits the ebrake pedal? If my pedal is anywhere other than full release the computer thinks its on.

 

[Flash]

The throttle cables on these things have been known to stretch meaning you don't get full throttle.

Have you had the brake switch repair thingy done? If that's faulty that can knock the cruise control out.
It can catch fore too, so i've heard.