Bad earth seizes throttle cable

[oakeedokee]

my throttle cable siezed up while off raoding last weekend, leaving me the problem of how to get home. With a little bit of ingenuity, we disconnected the heater cable from the top of the heater matrix and re-connected it to the injector pump, and, voila, a hand throttle!! Got me home alright. Anyway I told the man in the shop that the cable I bought from him two weeks ago had gone solid and his reply was "oh yes, that will be a bad earth then!! apparently if there is a bad earth, the current will find the easiest route back to earth which in this instance happened to be the cable. It eventually got hot and the coating on the inner swelled to such an extent that it could no longer move freely against the outer sheath. You learn something new every day!!

[Wanderer]

It can also take the handbrake cable as it's easiest route to earth.

Ed

[V8MoneyPit]

A common problem with our Mini customers. The earth strap is along an engine steady bar so 'works' away all the time and frays. Then the under bonnet lighting starts with glowing throttle, choke and heater cables! It is usually accompanied by slow starter motor cranking.

[Pete5844]

Mine was the same only if set fire to the poxy little earth under the bonnet :shock:

[Range Rover Blues]

Mate's old cavalier used to do that on the clutch cable, made driving very interesting.