240d stuck at full throttle!

[Jaclson]

My 83 240d stuck at full throttle while driving! Admittedly, when I collected my wits and shut off the engine the cars behind me were still blowing their horn to get me out of their way.

It seems that my car has a little damper on the injector pump that connects to the throttle linkage. This damper came off at the injector pump and while dangling at full throttle, grabbed something on the way back up, holding the throttle at that position.

What does this little contraption do? I just took it off and I see no difference in the operation. I don't see that part here so it looks like a dealer item. What if I just left it off?