Hard gas pedal when warm
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Senior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 293
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From: Jersey City, NJ
2001 C320 w/ Sprt Pkg
Hard gas pedal when warm
So my car has this utterly annoying thing where once it's at operating temperature, the gas pedal gets pretty hard. When she's still semi-cold and you start moving, the gas pedal is fairly smooth but once you're up to speed and warmed up, it feels hard. It speeds up fine, no hesitation, but the pedal requires some heavy input to move down.
Is there anything I can do to alleviate this? It can get very tiresome on long drives, especially on the highway.
Is there anything I can do to alleviate this? It can get very tiresome on long drives, especially on the highway.
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 5,295
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From: VA
THE C350
Wait so the pedal is just hard to physically move? The pedal is electric so if it is just a stiff pedal then you just need to replace it or it could just be the crazy cold temperatures we are having right now making the rubber/plastic stiffer than usual.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 293
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From: Jersey City, NJ
2001 C320 w/ Sprt Pkg
I thought about that, but then it would be the other way around. It would be frozen and hard to start, but once the heat gets going, it should soften up. But alas, my issue is the other way around. Once I am on my way and things are warmed up, the pedal gets stiff, or maybe it's not the pedal itself....but pressing it feels hard to get some acceleration going.
Member
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 131
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From: Wichita, KS
2002 C230 Coupe
As samartrey said, there's no physical connection from the pedal to any engine component. If something's hard to move it has to be in the pedal itself. You might pull the pedal and see if there's some crud in the mechanism. (or maybe a floor mat?)
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 293
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From: Jersey City, NJ
2001 C320 w/ Sprt Pkg
I've done the throttle reset, and can't say I am very tempted to dig into the TB. I know how fussy these cars can be, afraid I'll finish her off. 
I did note that while the throttle response is there, the distance it takes for the pedal to travel to sustain, say, 65MPH goes up. So, for example, I can start my drive with the throttle held at 15% of the way holding 65, but as the drive goes on and the engine warms up, it'll go up to maybe 20% travel distance to sustain that same 65. I only noted this because I have a very good foot and I usually sustain it and it holds the speed on any car I've had, but this one will slow down to 60 or 55 while keeping the same amount of pressure on the pedal.
I did note that while the throttle response is there, the distance it takes for the pedal to travel to sustain, say, 65MPH goes up. So, for example, I can start my drive with the throttle held at 15% of the way holding 65, but as the drive goes on and the engine warms up, it'll go up to maybe 20% travel distance to sustain that same 65. I only noted this because I have a very good foot and I usually sustain it and it holds the speed on any car I've had, but this one will slow down to 60 or 55 while keeping the same amount of pressure on the pedal.
