First off, my apologies for my lack of car knowledge and vocabulary. On the bright side, I can only get better. I'm having a hard time finding a small, important part. The spring that returns the accelerator cable to the default position came disconnected on the end closest to the carb while driving about a month ago, causing the car to rev high with no gas pedal pressure. I hooked the loose end on a convenient screw thinking I'd get a replacement spring. A couple parts shops and a mechanic have told me they can't get the part. Since it broke once, I'd rather not depend on the same piece further. I've loosened that screw, stuck the spring end in the space, then tightened the screw back down on it to hold the spring end more securely. It drives fine this way, but I'd like to replace it and not experience the "Hey, car, where are you going without me?!" again. Any idea where I can get a new spring?
A side question is whether I should cap a little (former emissions?) pipe coming out in front of the distributor. It seems to spit out hot air. The temp gauge has never risen above 190 deg F. Well, I guess that's assuming the gauge is accurate.
Thank you!
Kristi
Spring is roughly center of photo:
Closeup:
Spring from Passenger Side:
Mystery Pipe (easily seen against light color of coolant bottle):
