I bent my gas pedal trying to install it...uugh HELP PLEASE

[MBar]

The pedal was in the trunk. I bought the BMW OEM Pedal Bushing. Had to use channel lock pliers to squeeze the bushing onto the rod. It went on and I assume it goes flush with the end of the rod? Ok, so I then tried to put the pedal on... I found I had to hold it in the "full throttle" angle to line up the nubs.. Applied as much force as I could and it wouldn't go on. I read somewhere that you just have to press hard enough. Finally, I hit it with a hammer and now the metal on the pedal is deformed...uuugh... what's the scoop?   All help is appreciated.

[Tommy]

Maybe a little silicone to lube the nubs? Some silicone based grease might be good also to slow down wear later on. Straighten the bent metal first.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Tommy

[esty]

no prob...bend it back in shape

 

[Mike Self]

Some years ago I found this stuff called "Slick Tape"--it's sticky-backed Teflon tape about the width of masking tape.  If you clean off the back side of your accelerator pedal (after straightening it!) and install a 2 1/4" piece of Slick Tape to cover the shiny portion where the bushing rubs it then you'll not have to grease that joint, and have the grease attract dirt and generally make a sticky pedal and a mess.  And the bushing will last a lot longer.

 

And as was pointed out, use a little silicone grease on the nubs/sockets that hold the pedal to the floor.  It's a tight fit but a little lube will help it pop right on.

 

mike

[tech71]

Is the area around the nubs clear? After installing an Esty carpet kit I had trouble getting the pedal to engage.  Fresh carpet  and thin sound insulation was a little too high and was making things difficult. A bit of careful trimming fixed the problem.

Edited March 24, 2022 by tech71

[MBar]

1 hour ago, tech71 said:

Is the area around the nubs clear? After installing an Esty carpet kit I had trouble getting the pedal to engage.  Fresh carpet  and thin sound insulation was a little too high and was making things difficult. A bit of careful trimming fixed the problem.

Yes, the area is clear...thank you...

[MBar]

1 hour ago, Mike Self said:

Some years ago I found this stuff called "Slick Tape"--it's sticky-backed Teflon tape about the width of masking tape.  If you clean off the back side of your accelerator pedal (after straightening it!) and install a 2 1/4" piece of Slick Tape to cover the shiny portion where the bushing rubs it then you'll not have to grease that joint, and have the grease attract dirt and generally make a sticky pedal and a mess.  And the bushing will last a lot longer.

 

And as was pointed out, use a little silicone grease on the nubs/sockets that hold the pedal to the floor.  It's a tight fit but a little lube will help it pop right on.

 

mike

Hey Mike

I wonder is there a particular angle the pedal should be in for it to line up and go in best? I felt I had to go to the floor with it. I pressed as hard as I could before resorting to the hammer...I will try the lube and also look for slick tape. Thank you

[Mike Self]

18 hours ago, MBar said:

I wonder is there a particular angle the pedal should be in for it to line up and go in best?

Since you have to hook the bracket on the pedal's backside over the bushing first, the installation angle is kinda fixed.  But the knobs are spherical, so your angle of attack doesn't really matter.  When mine got fussy and wouldn't press on, I gave the base of the pedal--where the sockets are--a whack with a rubber mallet.  That did the trick.

 

mike

[Leucadian]

If you have a bench vise, your should be able to stick the pedal in there and bend it back.  

[Chris_B]

I did the same thing recently with a new aftermarket pedal (which looked remarkably like the factory original pedal I removed, except for wear). I tried to install the pedal base with a small hammer. Wound up bending it and not getting it properly on the nubs. I removed it and straightened out the base with a few whacks, applied a bit of Redline synthetic grease to the mount holes in the pedal base, and it slipped into position with a few light taps of the hammer.

 

I am not saying that Redline is necessarily the way to go- just any reasonable lubricant will do the job.

[Son of Marty]

Use a mallet and drive the "tail" of the gas pedal straight down along the axis of the nubs, a little bit of your preferred lube will help.  

[Tommy]

3 hours ago, Chris_B said:

I am not saying that Redline is necessarily the way to go- just any reasonable lubricant will do the job.

Any lubricant will help to mount the pedal but there was a point to recommend something silicone based, like brake lube. All rubber/plastic/whatever compounds are not compatible with petroleum based lubricants and may swell or perish when in contact. So just to be safe ?