So now that I've got your attention, most of you probably have done this at one point or another on your 4Runner or other vehicles that were made before electronic throttles were put into production. I'm talking about adjusting the tension of the cables on your throttle body that control key parts of your engine, transmission and cruise control. For those who have a manual transmission, this isn't as big of a deal. For those with automatics, it is.
I've done this with every vehicle I've ever worked on that had a cable-driven throttle and transmission but the 4Runner is the most dramatic changes I've seen. It's simple and takes only a few minutes of your time. Why does this matter? The cables slowly stretch over time so if you've never done this and owned the vehicle a long time, you're overdue. In this case, there is no "factory setting" since it changes as the vehicle ages.For us in the 2nd gen 4Runner, 3rd gen Pickup crowd, it can get to the point where your cables are so stretched out we have to buy new ones. Luckily I have yet to hear of this for 3rd gen 4Runners. If your cables are out of adjustment, you may experience any of the following symptoms:
- Poor Acceleration or squishy accelerator pedal
- Shifting points are too low and runs the engine at low RPM's
- Shifting too high or will not shift correctly
- Wandering or inconsistent idle
- Poor cruise control function
Basically, you're looking at the three cables that attach to the throttle body:
For those who have a 3RZ, it look a little different but basically the same function.
First things, make sure your engine is COLD (the cables expand every so slightly when hot) and your engine is off. All you need is an adjustable wrench, or if you don't have one than a 14mm and 12mm wrench does the trick.
All you need to do to test your cables is simple to firmly grab the cable and pull it until you see or feel the throttle begin to open. If you are new to working on engines, remove the air cleaner hose to be able to see down into the throttle body (and why not clean it out with some carb cleaner and a rag while you are at it) and watch how the cables open the throttle. There should be a very minimal amount of slack in the cable. When I say minimal, it means just enough to feel that the throttle is completely closed without full tension, but just a slight amount so when pressure is applied the cable reacts immediately. If one or more is too loose, you'll want to loosen the inner nut (the one closest to the throttle body) and rotate closer to the end of the cable. Then tighten down the outer nut so that the cable housing is now slightly farther away from the throttle body. This increases the tension on the cable. With a little adjusting you can get it pretty much perfect, just go about a 1/4turn at a time and be patient.
If you are in the rare case that one or more cables have no slack (which means you or someone else messed with it at some point) then reverse the process and move the cable housing closer to the throttle body.
The throttle cable is the most important to have right since it's the one that actually opens the throttle but the others have crucial functions as well.
Do not overtighten the cables, make sure you have that tiny amount of slack. If you overtighten the transmission cable, for example, you'll experience high shifts and overrevving the engine (it thinks you have a lead foot).
That's all there is to it. Like I said, most of us on here have done this before but it's always a good idea to check. Personally, this fixed the transmission's refusal to shift up when pressing on the gas in overdrive (4th gear). I also knew when I bought it the cables were never adjusted because the gas pedal was squishy and non-responsive.
Hope this helps someone!
Quick Fix for better Throttle Response, Better Shifts (Throttle Cables)
Linear Mode
