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Cleaning the Throttle Body

9K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Smudga 
#1 ·
Any body have a how to with pics of how to perform this?

What brand name of cleaner is good?

Is the worth doing myself?

How long, and how hard is this to do?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
Go out and get a can of intake cleaner (I use a product called "Intake Medic") Then just follow the instructions on the can. They usually intail spraying the can into the throttle body with the engine running and hold the throttle open a tad wile doing so, empty most of the can into the engine. Save a little of it. Then take a rag and hold the throttle way open and use the rag to wipe the inside of the throttle and throttle plate clean. Thats what i do. Works very well.
 
#5 ·
how exactly do i get to the throttle body?

I really need to clean it, and i don't want to take it to the pros.

I really need a step by step how to.
 
#7 ·
da1foyou said:
how exactly do i get to the throttle body?

I really need to clean it, and i don't want to take it to the pros.

I really need a step by step how to.
Find your airbox, follow the hose to the harder plastic piece and then where it connects to that oval-looking (egg/teardrop shape) metal thing, that is your throttle body. Disconnect the plastic hose that connects to it, and as your engine is running, with one hand on your throttle and the other on the can of carb cleaner, open and close the throttle body by moving the throttle back and forth and spray at the hinge on which the butterfly sits. Your engine might stutter because it does not understand what this mix is, but don't worry about it, it will burn off.
 
#8 ·
This is where your throttle body is. Just pull off the intake ducting before it to clean it out.
 
#11 ·
I cleaned my throttle body today with some Gumout. It wasn't hard at all. The only thing that i didn't like was that it is faced towards the back of the engine compartment, impossible to see into(to apprieciate the cleaning). Can't tell a big difference yet (haven't driven it anywhere) but if i do, i'll post.
 
#12 ·
Axle said:
1. There's no such thing.
2. It's a throttle body cleaner, not an engine cleaner, it only goes ON the throttle body.
Where can i find an engine cleaner? Does it use the same application as the TB cleaner?
 
#13 ·
i say just take the TB off the car and clean it with a rag and that liquid. works very well, you can also clean a little bit of the inside of the plenum while the TB is off.
 
#14 ·
If you have a 2.7 take off the air intake housing(s) and jam a broom under the headrest and on the throttle (this will keep it open while you work on the throttle housing) and clean away.

Just make sure the broom will NOT come off the gas pedal, it hurt when the throttle slams shut (on you fingers:( )
 
#17 ·
OK I see a few problems with what ya'll are suggesting... First of all... the main purpose of throttle body cleaning is to clean the deposits off the throttle body plate... Second of all... go to autozone/pep boys/advance auto parts/walmart and look for a can of spray that says THROTTLE BODY (and carb) cleaner... the brand doesn't really matter they all do about the same...

WITH THE ENGINE OFF remove the intake hose from the throttle body.... grab you a ton of paper towels or shop rags... place them under the throttle body to catch any dripage from leaking all over your engine... spray the throttle body cleaner all over the outer part of the throttle body plate... open the throttle plate using your hand (with a glove makes it easier) where the throttle cable attaches... use a clean lint free rag and spray both sides of the throttle plate and use the rag to wipe the plate and excess cleaner from in the throttle body (CONCENTRATE ALSO on where the bar that the throttle plate pivots on connects to the edge of the throttle body itself.. this is where the buildup can make it harder for the throttle body to pivot)... when you can look in there and not see black on the throttle plate and throttle body walls it is clean... connect the hose... start your engine back up... it might idle a little roughly for 5-10 mins until all the cleaner burns through... DO NOT attempt to spray the cleaner into your engine b/c even true throttle body cleaner can still kill your O2 sensors... TB cleaner is designed to remove carbon deposits from your THROTTLE BOTTLE which is the piece you see there... it is NOT internal to your engine...

Now on cars with an IAC... if you notice when you take off the intake hose and look at the throttle body their are 2 passages a large one and a pretty small one... the large one is where the throttle body is... the small one is where your IAC is (or on I believe the 02 and beyond 3.5's there is a solenoid that serves the same purpose basicly)... if you look on the side of the throttle body you should see 2 sensors... one of them is connected to that rod that goes through your throttle body, this is your TPS (throttle possition sensor)... the one below it is the IAC (Idle Air Controller)(or the solonoid equivalent)... if this area looks like its built up then this is how you clean it: REMOVE THE IAC (OR SOLONOID) if it looks like it has a little plunger on the end its an IAC... if it looks recessed in the middle with no plunger its a solanoid... spray the passageway with the throttle body cleaner... use a rag on your pinkie to wipe the excess out... now if you have a solonoid and you have a lot of miles on your car or are just overcautious like me go buy a new one from the dealership (the cost was around $75 US when I got mine)... WAIT A FEW HOURS UNTIL THE PASSAGE IS COMPLETELY DRY so you dont get TB cleaner on the solanoid... then instalation is reverse of the removal (ALSO replace the O-ring thats on the sensor)... now if you have the type with the plunger... the plunger moves in and out controlling your idle air flow... the workings that make the plunger go in and out can get crudded up so you use the same throttle body cleaner sprayed perpendicular to the plunger to uncrud it... I would just spray a ton of cleaner until all the crud comes off and maybe gently wipe but dont attempt to move the plunger... LET THIS DRY BEFORE REINSTALLING IT (and install it with a new o-ring)... if you have a lot of miles or idle on your car still doesnt feel good after the cleaning just replace the IAC...

to remove carbon or other deposits or dirt from in you engine you would use injector cleaner through your fuel system... or one of the professional "fuel injector kits" that I haven't seen sold at many stores that are a 2 to 3 piece kit that has a chemical that is designed to go through your air system and another designed to go through the fuel system... but NEVER put any cleaners that arent meant to be run through the engine through it... also because of the proceedure I just mentioned you do NOT have to do this with the engine running which is a lot more safe...

My car is the 02 3.5 so all the instructions are basicly off of this but I tried to make them general to all models... on the 2nd gen 3.5's the throttle body is so crammed under the deck that its usually easiest to remove the deck to do the cleaning... these directions are off the top of my head but if you want more specific the haynes manuals detail it completely: 1) remove wiper arms... (use a piece of masking tape and mark on your windsheild the exact location of your wiper blades on the windsheild, pry up the little caps over each bolt and use a wrench to remove the nut holding the arm on, remove the arm) 2) the plastic trim piece under the wiper is in 2 pieces... remove the screws holding the first piece in and then the second (one overlaps the other) 3) the metal crossbar under that is held on by 6 or 8 bolts I believe it was that are on or by the strut towers... remove those bolts and remove the whole metal brace... that should be it... and installation is the reverse of the removal...

and viola you are done...
 
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