How do you repair a throttle cable in a VW Beetle?

Answer 1

Loosen the screw on the barrel nut on the left side of the carbeurator and pull the cable loose from the assembly. Be sure you don't lose the barrel nut assembly. Now, get a light and stick your head down by the accelerator pedal. Pull the pedal forward and you will see a roller on top of the pedal lever. Along the hump adjacent to the pedal Umaybe inder a little carpet) you will see a tube with the cable coming out of it. Trace it to the side of the pedal lever. Take note of how it goes it. it is a dog-leg fiting that slips into the pedal lever and is held by pressure. Work it out of the hole.

Now get your shiny new cable (you got the right one, yes?) and slip the straight end into the little tube and begin pushing it back toward the engine. I use Teflon marine grease sparingly to lubricate and protect the cable. It will exit IN FRONT OF the fire wall. I like to have an assistant watch for it with a light at the back of the car. Now the tricky part. You have to feed the shiny new accelerator cable into the guide tube that goes from the rear (toward the back of the car) and around the fan housing. If you ever see your engine on a stand you will see how this tube works and you will wonder why you made this part so hard. Be patient and have a lot of light so you can see what you are doing. One strategy is to use a thin wire and feed it from the rear, through the tube, and use it as a fish wire for the new cable.

Having fed the cable all the way to the accelerator insert the metal stud at the end of the wire into the barrel nut and adjust the free play. Work the pedal several times to make sure it moves smoothly. This is very important since any catching will result in unpleasant collisions. Start it up and motor away confidently.