# Can only get full power with cruise control **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [November 24, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448 "2018-11-24T04:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mrbouncyballs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mrbouncyballs](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mrbouncyballs)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 4:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/1 "2018-11-24T04:01:00Z")
1996 mazada protege. Has a hard time accelerating especially up hills. You can floor it and it just struggles getting up hills and such. It can do it just not quickly. However I discovered recently on a higway had the cruise set at 70 and hit a big hill that I know it does not like, it will generally drop to 55 getting up it. But this day with the cruise on it flew up the hill. Rpms went up, they never go up when I floor it, it just bogs down and struggles. But this time the car shifted and the rpms went up And the car flew up the hill. Edit: this is an automatic transmission ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 11:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/2 "2018-11-24T11:35:54Z")
Is this an automatic transmission or a standard? ---
**Author:** ![Mrbouncyballs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mrbouncyballs](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mrbouncyballs)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 1:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/3 "2018-11-24T13:40:37Z")
Automatic transmission ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/4 "2018-11-24T13:56:32Z")
The throttle cable may have slipped or stretched, so you aren’t getting full travel with it anymore. The cruise control has its own cable, which is why it’s able to deliver full power. ---
**Author:** ![Mrbouncyballs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mrbouncyballs](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mrbouncyballs)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 2:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/5 "2018-11-24T14:01:21Z")
Thanks that makes perfect sense ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 9:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/6 "2018-11-24T21:05:00Z")
shadofax is correct but since its an older car,clean the throttle body and plate with aerosol brake cleaner to remove carbon deposits. You will feel a big difference after that. ---
**Author:** ![Mrbouncyballs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mrbouncyballs](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mrbouncyballs)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/7 "2018-11-25T00:12:09Z")
Thanks will give that a whirl ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/can-only-get-full-power-with-cruise-control/129448/8 "2018-11-25T01:29:07Z")
If you can figure out how to see the throttle valve, with the car parked, engine off, ask a helper to press on he gas pedal to the floor while you watch to see if it opens fully. It would be pretty unusual for the accelerator cable to stretch so much this symptom would occur, so I’m guessing there’s something else going on. But worth the time it takes to make sure the throttle valve is fully opening.