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Anybody have a fix for improving the VS pedal without having to remove the entire pedal cluster.  The Youtube videos I have seen appear to want you to lift a large section of the carpet, hate to screw that up on a virtually new car.  Got and installed one of the EMPI kits but it is not much better than the VS, probably the same.  The action also seems rough, like the cable is rubbing.

 

Any ideas will be appreciated.  Thanks

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There is a guy that makes a great accelerator pedal improvement/replacement and i had it saved, but the hard drive crashed in this thing 2 weeks ago and I have to get back to our IT guy to find out if the Favorites file (as well as a few other things) is recoverable. IIrc he advertised on the Samba, so have a look there. If I get bored later I may have a look as well. Al

PS- It's the 1 that Brian (above me) posted. Thanks dude!

http://www.classicbugparts.com...dal-cluster-upgrade/

Last edited by ALB

The base of the accelerator pedal is part of the base casting of the entire pedal assembly, so you will retain that half of the accelerator hinge no matter what you do unless you replace the entire pedal structure (clutch, brake and accelerator).  

Yes, you have to lift the tunnel carpet from the firewall to just before the shifter on the tunnel, and the carpet in the driver's footwell.  It's not a big deal and goes right back without further adhesive (usually).

What, exactly, do you not like with your current accelerator?  That might help us to help you.

Last edited by Gordon Nichols

After you check the items mentioned by Al, you could check in the engine compartment the cable/throttle tube/linkage return springs.

if the stock throttle tube is worn, the braided cable will catch on the sharp edge, eventually snapping.   

I replaced the stoc tube with the attached, and it made a difference...

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/cl...detail.php?id=786740

IMG_1707

Also something worth checking is the tension on the return springs on your linkage/carbs assembly.

When I got my VS back in 2013, the springs were much stronger than needed. They applied to much tension on the cable, and the pedal was sticky/ it bound at times ( as it caught on the throttle tube).  I replaced with softer springs, and it made a world of difference... unfortunately by the time I did, I had already worn the edge of my throttle cable tube...  so I replaced with the above roller throttle tube.  All works great now.

I ran a simple test back then by using a wire, & reducing tension from the return springs on the linkage assembly .  See attached photo.  The change in pedal resistance/consistency was immediate.  Pedal no longer stuck.  May be worth testing...

IMG_0720

Hope this helps!

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  • IMG_1707
  • IMG_0720
Last edited by Lfepardo

I've recently run in to accelerator pedal issues on my VS similar to what apparently (from a search of this site) plenty of other folks have complained about as well: the little 'fin' on the back of my accelerator pedal was riding to the left of, and subsequently binding on, the OEM cheap plastic roller behind it resulting in a very stiff and difficult accelerator operation.

I'd like to offer an easy solution that I am considering to be temporary (I am going to replace my pedal cluster this winter), but I think could be used longer term.

After doing a little sniffing around on this site I decided that as a temporary fix I would simply try to 're-align' the accelerator pedal by adjusting (read: bending) the fin on the back of the pedal. Within just a moment and with minimal effort, SNAP - instead of bending at all, the damn thing broke right off.

Well, SHEEEEE-iiitttt . . . . . . . . what now?? This is 'crap-tastic'!!

After extricating myself from the confines of the footwell I took a couple of deep breaths, exhaled a couple of my choice 'go to' expletives, and started to just root around in my collection of spare hardware.  After some brief experimentation, I made an interesting discovery:

With the back of my newly modified accelerator pedal now flat, I pulled the e-clip that held on the cheap plastic roller, removed the roller from the small 'axel' pin on the cable assembly, and instead installed a small diameter roller blade wheel.  The bearings of the wheel fit PERFECTLY on the axel pin (and I believe these bearings are all the same size, regardless of the diameter of the actual wheel, which can vary). I added a small fender washer to help with spacing and positioning of the wheel, and secured it with an e-clip. 

My accelerator is now VERY smooth, easy, and comfortable to operate. The wheel behind the pedal is solid, secure, and basically hidden behind the pedal. The pedal is not constrained to any sort of a 'track', so if it moves left or right slightly it doesn't  negatively effect the operation - the wheel just rides anywhere on the back of the pedal as it is depressed.  Again, ultimately probably just a temporary fix, but one that works pretty damn well!!

Cheers, B.-

 

You know, if you leave your Roller Blade wheel on there and completely remove the flat pedal you end up with what VW had as a gas pedal up until around 1967 or so.  In fact, that VW version didn't have a bearing, just plastic against the axle pin, so yours is still better than even THAT!

Excellent Rework, B!

(now, maybe I can talk one of my grandsons out of a rollerblade wheel........)

JMM (Michael) posted:

That is brilliant!  I bet that's smooooooth in action!

I'd go for the smallest diameter I could find, and maybe even grind it down some.  Too big and it might hit the firewall before full throttle. 

If you measure the stock position then you could use a quad roller skating wheel and even ground that down I would think and we would want to be able to pretty much fill the back of the pedal. 

@Stan Galat the wheel diameter is 2 1/2 inches. I dug around for the smallest wheel on the smallest inline skate I could find in my garage (sorry, Lexi!). I considered grinding it down a bit (just as JMM (Michael) and IAM-RAY suggested), but after a quick dry fit I just decided to go with the wheel as it was. Works great, although I am a bit curious about IAM-RAY's 'quad' skate wheel suggestion. Those wheels are wider and flatter, correct? Seems perfect! My wheel doesn't cover the entire back of the pedal, but is very solid and smooth feeling (far and away better than the original mechanism). And as I previously mentioned, the most interesting coincidence is that the standard inline wheel bearings fit perfectly on the VW axel pin! Super easy and quick to make the swap from the original plastic roller.

@ZFNHSN my car is a VS, and on the CocoMats site there is a drop down selection for 'replicas' when selecting make and model of vehicle, and you'll see the various replica builders listed!! Pretty cool!! The mats fit perfectly, and are absolutely top quality, btw.

Thanks everyone! 

- Brent

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