The accelerator pedal, made of some rubbery material, attaches to the metal portion of the accelerator rod right at the pedal through a round hole that's built onto the back side of the pedal in a little frame thing. This rubber has a TERRIBLY frequent tendency to tear, break, come off, twist off, and otherwise shred itself. When this happens, the early symptom is that the pedal feels like you're forcing it through a bind. Then you stomp it a little harder, it finally tears in half, and you're left with a pedal that is attached at the floor but not to its shaft. The shaft lodges in another part of the pedal back, thus making the angle of travel wrong, and it quits pressing at all. To get out of traffic you have to remove the pedal and just accelerate by pressing the metal rod.

Point is: get on your hands and knees and inspect the pedal where it is attached to the rod it pushes. See if it's ready to fall off in your hand and therefore in need of replacement.

I know this is how my 1986 pedal works. I BELIEVE yours is the same, but if it is not, then nothing I said is valid.

__________________


~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL