Throttle seems to be stuck open

I would clean inside the throttle body with cleaner and a tooth brush, clean all carbon from the butterfly area. If it still idles high clean the IAC valve.

jardows said:

Been having an issue lately with my 3.8 LS running high RPM's at idle. Without me touching the gas, the car takes off on its own when I let off the brake. I'm thinking that the throttle is stuck open a bit, but it's going to be this weekend before I get a chance to look at it. Any advise on what to look for, or what else it could be before I get my hands dirty?

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In addition to the excellent advice in post #2 , replace the PCV valve, 2 o-rings, and black plastic fitting (ACDelco sells an inexpensive kit, don’t just replace the PCV valve). Use caution and patience when removing the black plastic fitting, and transferring the MAP sensor from the old fitting to the new fitting.

Before replacing anything I would check the throttle cable at the throttle body and be sure it is not sticking or hanging. Have seen that happen in late 90's model chevy trucks. Have also seen the throttle cable kinked slightly which causes higher idle.

So just an update, the issue seemed to go away on it's own. I went ahead and changed the PCV valve and associated parts with the AC Delco kit. After a few months without an issue, it happened again the other day, but hasn't happened since. Once I get some time and it quits raining, I'll look into it some more. Thanks for the tips!

jardows said:

So just an update, the issue seemed to go away on it's own. I went ahead and changed the PCV valve and associated parts with the AC Delco kit. After a few months without an issue, it happened again the other day, but hasn't happened since. Once I get some time and it quits raining, I'll look into it some more. Thanks for the tips!

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If you haven’t cleaned the inside of the throttle body bore, and the butterfly valve edge, that may be your problem.

Oily, sticky “gunk” builds-up on the bore and the edge of the butterfly valve, and can cause the valve to stick and not return to the idle position (when the gas pedal is released). It can cause a low or rough idle also, and stalling at speed when the gas pedal is released.

A quick look inside the bore should give you an answer. It should be silver and shiny.