A carburetor is a really important piece of machinery in a standard combustion engine. Its purpose is to blend the fuel and the air in order to produce a mixture that will be exceptionally combustible for engine power.
Additionally, it will regulate the engine’s speed as well as the proportions of air and fuel that need to combine for engine thrust. An important part of your carburetor’s success is undoubted, the throttle cable.
In recent years, an electronic system “drive by wire” is in use where the throttle butterfly connects to the electric motor with the help of sensors, so the traditional throttle cable is no more. But there are still a good number of vehicles in circulation that use the traditional throttle cable.
Consider that a carburetor’s throttle cable can be subject to occasional cracking resulting in leakage or it just may be old. In this situation, your throttle cable will need a replacement.
Also, consider that any orifices, openings, passages, and jets within a carburetor are subject to clogging. This can happen when an air filter does not receive proper maintenance, or perhaps if some vehicle fuel sits for too long of a period in your gas tank and thus degrades in its quality. It may also be a result of fuel that has suffered contamination, reaching the carburetor.
If any of the scenarios happen, your carburetor will necessitate a good cleaning. To ensure a good and above all thorough cleaning, you will need to remove the carburetor and take it apart to clean the individual pieces.
Removing the carburetor will then require the removal of the throttle cable in order to be able to clean and inspect. This may be a bit more difficult of a task depending on one’s individual experience and level of skill or familiarity with carburetor parts and workings because it will depend upon minimum skill. It is necessary to do this removal well, otherwise, it can ruin the cable throttle.
How to Remove Throttle Cable from Carburetor?
So, whether you need to replace the throttle cable itself or to remove your carburetor for cleaning, here we discuss exactly how you can remove a throttle cable from your carburetor. While throttle cable removal can seem daunting, here are the necessary steps to follow for its successful removal.
What you need to begin:
- protective gloves
- safety glasses or goggles
- screwdriver
- nose pliers
- Your first action will be to shut off the fuel tank’s fuel valve to remove the throttle cable.
- Locate the fuel line and trace it as it leads down to your carburetor. Now, we can begin with removing the hose. If you notice that the fuel line has cracks in it, or appears to be old, you will want to replace it to prevent any type of leakage in the future. Likewise, you need to remove the overflow from the inside of the hose. Make sure that the hose is totally empty.
- Both the front end and the rear end of your carburetor will have clamps that have screws. Now you need to loosen these screws.
- With the screws loose, you should be able to see the carburetor and that the throttle cable is holding it. In order to remove your carburetor, you will initially need to pull the cable’s rubber. Remove the carburetor.
- You can now unscrew the locknut that is closest or directly in front of your carburetor. Unscrew this locknut away from the carburetor’s throttle cable. This locknut will be attached to a fitting that has a shape like an “L” and is tubular. The fitting emerges from a cover that is triangular and is on the side of the quad. It is on the quad’s brake side.
- After successfully undoing the locknut, you now need to unfasten head screws from the covering plate. There should be three to unscrew.
- Lift the cover plate and glance underneath. Having successfully lifted the cover plate, you can clearly observe the throttle cable. It attaches to a plug that is either brass or gold in color directly underneath this cover. Using your fingers, you must raise the piece where the cables connect. The butterfly will be able to open thanks to this piece.
- While the piece remains raised, using nose pliers you will need to turn the gold plug or brass plug with your other hand. Keep turning until the plug leaves the butterfly. With the plug out, you will see a little hole as well as a channel inside.
- Now slowly twist the cable while exerting some pressure. You will need to continue turning until a small ball at the end of the cable appears and leaves the plug.
- Begin to take out the cable, by pulling it very slowly, from inside the tubular L-fitting. The throttle is now successfully out of the carburetor.
Symptoms that indicate you need a new throttle cable
- Acceleration is slow. A cable that has slack may delay the throttle return response. Also, a particularly dirty cable can cause a delay in throttle response.
- Problems with Cruise Control. Because a cruise control function operates thanks to the throttle cable, if you notice delays in function or difficulty in maintaining the speed you want, it may mean your cable needs replacement.
Frequently Asked Question’s
Is it expensive to replace a carburetor throttle cable?
This will depend on the make of the vehicle and the manufacturing year.
Are throttle cables universal to all vehicles?
Actually, they are almost obsolete due to the use of electronic sensor pedal assemblies that use “drive by wire”.
Conclusion
Whether you need to remove your throttle cable from your carburetor because you need to clean the carburetor, or because you need a new throttle cable, by following this step-by-step easy guide, you will be able to successfully remove the throttle cable from your vehicle’s carburetor. Prepare your tools and your work area, and above all, take your time.
