Go...no go

[paprboy]

Hello all, I'm new here and I'm going to start off with an interesting problem.
I have recently noticed that the accelerator seems to have a lag or a dead spot. When it is depressed off idle nothing happens then you hit a spot where it just takes off. NOT FUN. If anyone has experienced this or has an idea it would be greatly appreciated. My wife and daughters drive it and I really don't want them to have any problems.

 

[TOMANDPAT]

Try the "zip tie mod". Get down on the floor and depress the gas pedal enough to allow the throttle cable to protrude a little bit. Wrap a zip tie around the throttle cable, pull it tight, and trim. When you're finished, you'll see the zip tie on top of the gas pedal, not underneath. That should take care of the "lag" you're describing

Tom

 

[Joe Dirt]

Try the "zip tie mod"

I think the 2005 is a throttle-by-wire vehicle...

 

[paprboy]

yes it is drive by wire, i'm wondering if anyone else has had problems.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I wonder if the PCM might need to be reflashed...

I'm by no means a computer guy, but it sounds computer related... Maybe Electrohacker might have some input...

 

[Squirrelmaster]

Sadly, that is a very common issue for the '04+ drive-by-wire Ford vehicles. I ended up purchasing a Xcal3 from Henson Performance (he's a vendor on here) to help tune out the dead spot and make the throttle more linear on my '04 Eddie Bauer. Regrettably it is not the cheapest fix, but as dangerous as my Explorer felt when driving on snow and ice in stop-and-go city traffic, it was well worth the money.

Tom

 

[morziac]

just wondering if the thread by Jcuz where he shows how to modify the pedal assembly will fix this problem?? He says he gets a much smoother take off due to the new set up

 

[Joe Dirt]

No- the 2002 and newer Explorers are a drive by wire system, meaning it is electronic- not an actual throttle cable which could me modified like the older Ex's.

 

[Squirrelmaster]

I believe 2004 was the year they converted from a standard cable-actuated throttle to the drive-by-wire setup. The problem with the drive-by-wire setup is that it is programmed to benefit the longevity of parts, and as such does not present a linear output in comparison to the input. As such, a 10% throttle pedal depression doesn't correspond to a 10% throttle blade opening. In my Eddie Bauer, anything less than 15% at a dead stop corresponded to what seemed like a 0% output, and then at around 20% it was a sudden 25% (or more) output, so I'd go from not moving to almost spinning the tires (on dry ground anyway, on snow I most certainly was spinning the tires). A custom tune, such as those from Henson, can be programmed to have a more direct correlation between the throttle pedal input and the throttle body output, but I think that may be your only option other than just learning to live with it (I never did).

Tom

 

[Joe Dirt]

Just found this online- maybe it would help? No idea...

CLICK ME

 

[morziac]

No- the 2002 and newer Explorers are a drive by wire system, meaning it is electronic- not an actual throttle cable which could me modified like the older Ex's.

JCuz actually has an 04 Ex, and he modified the pedal assembly, not the throttle cable itself

heres the link to the thread
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203293