Alternator died on SWMBO's Exploder (99 5.0 V8). Swapped it out (not a bad job, actually), and jump started it afterwards (she'd nursed it home on the battery). I reached for the throttle body to rev it up a little after it started..
..and there's a plastic cover bolted over where the throttle cable connects to the butterfly. I E36 M3 you not. No more hand revving? Un-American. Pfft. 
i think they did that to protect if from debris..
doesn't it have a separate box on the fender for the cruise control? you can use that to crack the throttle if it has an exposed cable.
just a guard to keep little fingers away from a pinch point. Thank you nanny.
Pffft.... At least it has a throttle cable.
In reply to ditchdigger:
This. I usually do the engine load test pay of our battery tests by hand, and I can't do many newer cars because of drive-by-wire.
Another vote for ditchdigger. At least this one had a little 8 or 9mm bolt that I could undo if I wanted to take the cover off.
haha yeah I've noticed that as well.. kinda sucks when the car with the plastic cover is in an automotive school and you're doing a tps troubleshoot. lol
If you remove that cover, there will probably be a silica packet inside.
Am I the only one, that when I see a sealed fastener or something that has a "no serviceable parts inside" sticker, that takes it as a personal invitation to mess with it?
dean1484 wrote: Am I the only one, that when I see a sealed fastener or something that has a "no serviceable parts inside" sticker, that takes it as a personal invitation to mess with it?
No, you aren't the only one. 
You passed the part about checking the brushes on the alternator or possibly the regulator before replacing the whole alternator.
I am old enough to have noticed that many parts are non repairable..on purpose! Items are riveted, glued, odd bitted tamper proof screws with a blob of epoxy to deter the "handyman". Then the parts are only available as a much larger unit such as alternator, window lift motor, fuel pump..lots of stuff that a 50 cent part breaks requiring a $149 part, and specialty tools to replace.
Ever since my Dad showed me how to true up a metal framing square, one of my mottos has been, "try to fix it! its already broke, nothing to lose!"
Bruce
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