# Bit of a panic with my car tonight... Possible causes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 26, 2022, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466 "2022-04-26T04:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/1 "2022-04-26T04:03:24Z")
I think I mentioned before that my car is a 2000 Civic; it’s old, yes, but it still seems to work, and the car market is majorly inflated due to supply chain issues anyway. But tonight, there were some seconds where the car was reacting as though I was pressing on the accelerator, even when I was not, including on when I was pressing the brake. I don’t think there was anything physically on the gas pedal. I tried shifting into neutral, then park, but it didn’t work at first; the engine just got louder. But then whatever it was unstuck, and the car was normal again for the rest of the way home. I don’t think I was in any serious, immediate danger, but as you can imagine, I was shaken a little. I had it in for service just on Saturday, and drove it quite a few miles on Sunday without issue , so I’m not sure if there’s an obvious cause here. My radiator is leaking, so I’m planning on telling the service guys about this whenever I get that taken care of, but any ideas as to cause? I know little about cars and mechanics, unfortunately. I’m probably not going to drive until it’s time for my radiator fix, just in case, but info would be appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/2 "2022-04-26T04:16:07Z")
is it manual or automatic? could be a throttle cable issue. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/3 "2022-04-26T04:17:01Z")
Ooh, yeah, that would’ve been relevant, wouldn’t it? Automatic. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/4 "2022-04-26T04:53:57Z")
Vacuum leak (good luck finding it!), and dump a bottle of Bar’s Leak in the Rad. Stuff really works. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/5 "2022-04-26T05:01:05Z")
But don’t panic. You can drive stuff like this for YEARS before it becomes critical (depending where you live I guess). The trick is, if you know you got a leak, you know you gotta keep refilling it. Just like putting gas in. Just another thing you gotta do till you get something else. I drove a truck without a reverse gear for 7 years. Just learned to park where I could alway get out. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/6 "2022-04-26T05:12:22Z")
It usually causes the opposite problem (loss of acceleration or braking ability), but make sure the floor mat didn’t slide up and maybe get itself up over the pedal or snagged on the bottom of it temporarily. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/7 "2022-04-26T13:00:55Z")
Did the gas pedal seem to be ‘lower’ when you tried it as it was happening? If so it sounds like the cable or linkage. As mentioned it could also be a vacuum leak, but I think it would be more constant. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/8 "2022-04-26T14:01:39Z")
A 2000 may still have a throttle cable. Newer cars use a Throttle Position (TPS) Sensor. The computer uses the TPS to control the throttle plate. A dirty or bad Mass air flow (MAF) sensor can also cause acceleration problems. A dirty air filter is an easy fix. The correct fuel/air mixture is what makes the car go. The computer relies on sensors to make fuel calculations. I stopped working on my cars after they got so complicated. I keep up with the technology by watching pro mechanics on YouTube. You couldn’t pay me enough to do their job. Just getting access to parts can require extensive disassembly. I still want enough knowledge that I can recognize a potential scam and go to another mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/9 "2022-04-27T02:37:50Z")
Have you been driving your normal amount lately, or less? I ask because when my mom had a _very_ similar set of symptoms with her car it was when she’d driven less often, which made her vehicle attractive to rodents…for food storage. The car was fine once the acorns jammed into the engine were removed by her mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/10 "2022-04-27T02:41:06Z")
Seconded. Bar’s Leaks does indeed work surprisingly well. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/11 "2022-04-27T03:41:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > A 2000 may still have a throttle cable That’s where the acorns were jammed 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/12 "2022-04-27T04:26:43Z")
I’m going to give them a shot at fixing my leaky power steering system on the Jeep. With a shout-out to T! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/13 "2022-04-27T04:33:48Z")
Yeah, the cheap and easy and you would be lucky fix is the floor mat. Can’t hurt to take a look. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/14 "2022-04-27T11:18:51Z")
Some options: 1. throttle plate got stuck open because of gunk in the throttle body. You can detach the intake tube fairly easily and inspect it for gunk. 2. throttle cable is old and dried up and the cable got stuck in the sheath. 3. cruise control module malfunction A vacuum leak would be more constant as suggested above. This model of civic has no maf and any sensor issues wouldn’t have resulted in this symptom anyway because the computer doesn’t control the throttle. Except for the cruise control module which is pretty basic. The floor mat is definitely a potential culprit but I’d have a mechanic check the throttle body and throttle cable anyway. I’d recommend against putting any kind of stop leak in the radiator, it can work but can also gum up thermostats and heater cores and be a pain to clean out if and when the actual cause of the leak is dealt with. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/15 "2022-04-27T11:38:00Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > is it manual or automatic? could be a throttle cable issu The reference to “park” would be a clue…😉 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/16 "2022-04-27T14:31:00Z")
They make a power steering product? All I’m familiar with is their weird little pellets and liquid that gets poured into the radiator cap. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/17 "2022-04-27T17:56:43Z")
Counterpoint Bar’s might stop the leak for a while but it can also clog up your heater core, which is often an expensive and difficult repair. It’s like fixing a squeaky door with a hammer, it might work but might cause damage too. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/18 "2022-04-27T20:42:05Z")
Seems like it’s a bit overprotective of a 22 year old car, if you ask me. On such an old car, the fix may not even be worth it, but $10 of radiator sealant might be. That’s the sort of tradeoff you have to look at with older cars like that- sometimes the $10 cheap fix is the smart one, when the whole car may not be worth much more than $1000, and a radiator repair might be $200. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/19 "2022-04-27T20:47:21Z")
Perhaps, but it’s the sort of thing you’d want to make sure is clear before someone clogs their heater core on a car that wasn’t actually on its last leg. Civics of that era have held their value pretty well. 2001 is when Honda ditched the double wishbones and they became less desirable. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466/20 "2022-04-27T20:47:46Z")
That occurred to me, but the current problem I have is car prices (even used) with the supply chain issues. Who knows when they’ll go down? Plus the fact that I don’t trust myself to remember to do the fill in time. I went ahead with the repair. It’s not like there aren’t older cars on the road all over. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bit-of-a-panic-with-my-car-tonight-possible-causes/963466.md?page=2)