'95 540i/6

Twice now, the throttle cable/arm/lever under my engine cover has snagged something in that area and held wide open. Scary! Both times, I had accelerated hard, opening up the throttle fully. The first time, I had to turn the key off in traffic b/c I didn't know what the hell was going on (engine immediately redlined). The second time I was able to *smack* the accelerator pedal with my foot, and it released.

In researching the problem, I found that the plastic engine cover isn't really attached to anything (except one of the throttle cables). It seems like the throttle lever may be hanging up on the loose engine cover. Anyone have this problem? Is the loose cover in the wrong place, allowing something to catch on it? The car is new to me, so how does the engine cover attach to the top of the engine?

Thanks.