348 throttle cable replacement problem

I'm working on replacing the throttle cable in my '90 348. I've got it off the pedal, and off the engine. It should be free to slide through the tube, correct? I cannot see any points where it would be bolted in place, but I cannot see all of it. Is there somewhere under the center console or behind the gas tank that the cable is fastened in some way? Again, both ends are free, so it is tube end to tube end, but something is keeping it firmly in place.

 

Rust. No kidding. Lotsa WD40.

 

I was afraid of that. It won't even budge a mm. Thanks for the info.

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355s have a strong clip that holds the cable tube against the transmission tunnel under the carpet.
This may also be your problem.

 

Did you remove the holder that is attached to the thermostat housing? It's an eyelet, with a c-clip holding the cable..

 

Yes, I removed the holder. I have not found the clamp talked about before though. Is that under the center console?

 

Pulled the entire center console. No clamps. So, rust/build-up it is. eek

 

and it's out. I had to cut a section out just inside the firewall. It is NASTY. I had filled it with WD-40, but it was solid gunk. It came out, but it was seriously like snaking a totally backed up drain 4' long. Now debating if I want to try to clean the inside of the tube at all. The upper part is OK, but the part that runs under the center console is filled with dirt and gunk.

 

OK, here is the aftermath, and the very nasty old cable. The heart of the problem was the cable shielding cracked and came loose, then got gummed up by the dirt and such. I created this super amazing Ferrari Authorized vacuum tube to hook to the wet/dry vac and stuck it on one end. At first, even with the cable out, it was still 100% clogged. I used a coat hanger to pull out a lot of extra shielding. That opened up a small hole. Then I got a funnel and poured water down. That got the rest of the small bits out and I was able to fish the new cable through with relative ease.
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Wow!

You were on a mission to get that out.

 

Yeah. Gas pedal is important. There is a lot wrong with this car, but in time, I will fix it all. That is why I bought it.

 

You could probably engineer a better throttle cable system yourself. Ferrari did a lot of things wrong, sadly, and the 348/355 throttle control is pretty archaic.

 

Wondering if the rusty housing could be replaced with a length of bicycle brake cable housing. I think some even come with a fancy Teflon inner sleeve.

 

I don't know if the 348 and 355 share the same cable, if they do, PM me, I have brand new one I would sell for 25% off the price (my issue was not the cable)

 

It already is that type of cable. It is just a cable inside a sleeve, that is coating in plastic, that is then fed through the tube. I could understand the tube part over the gas tank as you would have to pull the tank otherwise to run a new cable. But the rest isn't required.

 

I had already sourced a cable before starting this, but thanks for the offer. My problem was the cable.

 

Glad you found the problem.