PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - What should I lubricate the throttle linkage with?

dieseldiehard · #12 01-19-2005, 08:58 PM

I knew a "mechanic" (who turned out to be more of a fly-by-night used car salesman) that used Vaseline to lube the accelerator linkage parts. That actually worked ok I suppose but I won't go any further on that idea~
I have used the white lithium based grease and still have a tube of it where I can grab it if necessary but I have seen it get caked up, it sorta dries out or something. It also attracts dirt and that might be the reason I stopped using it in favor of a spray stuff, I don't have access to it from where I am but I recall it might be teflon spray from CRC or some company. I use that stuff now. I might even use antisieze if I had some next time I am lubing under the hood but that spray is so easy to get up into the joints you don't have to remove all of them to apply it. I still remove the ones atop the engine but its the ones along side the IP, between it and the block, that I try not to remove because its a PITA to put them back on!

Whatever you use, its probably less important to worry about what to use as it is to check the lube frequently, because I saw an accelerator on a 300D that stuck such that the engine was revved up nicely going down the road at nearly full throttle until one kicked the pedal real hard to free the linkage up! It turned out that the car had been detailed and someone probably used steam cleaning or a pressure wand to clean the engione and all the grease from the accelerator linkage was removed in the process. Some of the balls were rusty and the total friction exceeded the pull of the return spring under some conditions. Not a good thing!