Throttle cable binding or sticking
 

I have a 1997 Honda Civic DX with a manual transmission and 132K miles. I get all servicing done at my local dealer, including a major service and the T-belt service last year.

About a week ago, the throttle cable started binding or sticking. When I took my foot off the gas in traffic, I noticed an immediate drag stronger than normal engine breaking. When I pressed down on the gas pedal again, there was no response for a second or two, and when the engine finally did respond, the car lurched forward and jerked back and forth a few times. This occurred in 2nd gear while city driving and also in 4th gear on the freeway. And this problem arose very suddenly. One day I didn't experience it at all; the next day it was quite noticeable.

I took the car to the dealer to diagnose and fix this problem. They replaced the throttle cable and cleaned the throttle body, and charged me $357.04. The tech noted on the invoice, "normal operation restored," but when I drove the car home, I experienced the same problems, though not as severe as they'd been before I brought the car in. So I brought the car back the next day.

I went for a test drive with the tech driving the car, and he acknowledged the problems I was experiencing, though he didn't seem as bothered by them as I was. He sent the computer codes to Honda's main technical office for a consult, and the main office said, "everything's fine." So now my service consultant (who's a former tech but who has not yet driven my car to experience the problem himself) is trying to tell me everything's fine because the computer says so and because the tech doesn't know what more he can do. But I know the throttle cable is still sticking or binding.

Does anyone know what could be causing this? And any advice on how to get the dealer to follow through on diagnosing and fixing the problem regardless of what the computer codes say?

By the way, I'm aware of a recall of the throttle cable for some Civics; that recall does not apply to my VIN.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

When it happens, pull over and stop the engine, and press and release the gas pedal slowly to see if there is any binding or sticking. Use your hand instead of your foot for greater sensitivity.

I suspect there is some other problem such as the throttle position sensor causing the engine to hesitate even though the gas pedal opens the throttle like it should. Is the check engine light coming on?

The check engine light has never come on for this problem.

I can try what you suggest (the car is still with the dealer right now), but let me clarify that this happens every time I ease up on the gas pedal and then depress it again. It also happens when I shift from first to second. The car in front of me slows down, I ease up on the gas: noticeable drag. The car in front of me accelerates slightly, I attempt to accelerate gradually by putting gentle pressure on the gas pedal: no response at first, then the car lurches forward and jerks back and forth a few times before it settles into a smooth speed.