throttle body guew..

digitaldrifter91 · Jul 2, 2003

today i took off my intake to my throttle body in my fuel injected 91 accord. i was doing some work for the cooling lines and needed the room. well i never looked into the throttle body but i saw alot of dirt, and black stuff on the plate and inside...

before this car was bad with fram air filters...they didnt seal right. recently i added a custom seal (friction tape) and i know the filter is sealing. yet the dirt in the throttle body is years of build up.

i was wondering if a product like sea foam will get rid of all of it...inside as well...can i let it soak and it will evaporate or do i leave the car on?

i did a search..not too much came up..please help...imma go buy it tomrrow at napa. thank you!

Mike242GT · Jul 2, 2003

Drifter:

Not familiar with the configuration of the throttle body on your car, but my experience has been that the only way to properly clean a throttle body from years of accumulated gunk is to remove it from the car and soak it in some carb cleaner, overnight if necessary. Then, a good scrub with an old toothbrush. You definitely have to remove any electronics (like throttle position sensors) before doing this. Also, check all the fittings for vacuum lines - they may be clogged with crud and need to be reamed out with a small round file. Good idea to also replace the gasket between the throttle body and the intake manifold when you put it back on the car, ruling out another potential source for a vacuum leak.

JohnBrowning · Jul 2, 2003

I agree with mike 242GT. If your TPS is adjustable then use a scribe to mark it's postion. If you do not then you will need a VOM to set it again. Most Jap. TPS's are adjustable.

moribundman · Jul 2, 2003

I recently cleaned the TB on my Audi. I saw some varnish and deposits that I easily removed with carb cleaner. I didn't have to remove the TPS, which is attached externally (and I was careful). Carb cleaner, a small stiff bristle brush, and Q-tips worked well. I also had one thin passage gunked up pretty good that came from the crankcase ventilation (My A4 doesn't have a PC valve - it uses a different system). While the TB was off, I also cleaned out the EGR passage in the intake manifold. I also replaced the throttle-body-to-plenum and the throttle-body-to-intake manifold gaskets.
Removing all that gunk led to a noticeable improvement in throttle response and a smoother idle.

msparks · Jul 2, 2003

Try Amsoils Power foam before you do anything. That stuff removes most everything. If after that it doens't work then think about removing it.

digitaldrifter91 · Jul 3, 2003

well too late for power foam. i bought sea foam.

i can spray it on my thottle plate and wipe off right...i cant just leave the car on while im doing it?

the pcv system...can i shoot some up the pcv valve while the engine is on? i dont want to use it in my oil though...auto rx is in there =).

iono if i have a tps...i dont mind probably dont..o i have no MAFs also but my moms van does and ill use it on there.

so correct me. thanks.

[ July 03, 2003, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: digitaldrifter91 ]

msparks · Jul 3, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by digitaldrifter91:
well too late for power foam. i bought sea foam.

i can spray it on my thottle plate and wipe off right...i cant just leave the car on while im doing it?

With a warm engine, running spray the stuff through the intake while someone is giving it gas. The car will want to stall. There will be huge clouds of white smoking coming out the tail pipe. After you empty the entire can let the car sit for about 15 minutes. Then take it out on the road to "blow out the carbon".

Sometimes it will take a second application if it is still dirty.

Let us know how it works for you.

ALS · Jul 3, 2003

I clean mine once a year. Always remove the throttle body and clean it off the car.
If you do it once a year it doesn't get varnished up too bad. Why I tell you to clean it off the car is because one dealer did it on the car and flushed a lot of garbage into the intake and into the idle control motor. The car didn't idle right for at least a month and a half. I use carb cleaner and tooth brush and a thin rag (like a bed sheet) to get into tight places and wipe down the unit before I reinstall it back on the engine.

timzak · Jul 3, 2003

While I have the air intake system apart, I like to also clean the mass air sensor with a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol.

digitaldrifter91 · Jul 3, 2003

well i did it. gosh there was alot of stuff in there. i sprayed it and then took a tooth brush to it (didnt work well). then i found that some was fried on so i rubbed it with a towel and it came off...hehe the seal around the plate before was made by gunk...now its metal to metal.

i was scubbing the plate with some pads i had...and i made it into a ball...it fell in the intake manifold...o gosh...i got some tape and a string and hoped i can get it out..so much for that idea

i sprayed inside and watched smoke come out and my engine started caunking out as i revved it. later the idle got bad and really sounded like i had a vacumn leak.

after a few minutes it went to normal and let everything dry. i started the car up and the idle was at 2k rpm!! i had to re-adjust the idle so that it will sound right. the throttle response was great. but the idle was still irratic even after a ecu reset. it took me an hour to fine tune the idle and now its fine...thanks guys.

i also sprayed a little in the pcv valve.

inside i still see some black residue but it is minumal. in the future ill take off the intake manifold and throttle body.

now all that idling (20minutes) and 1/4th of the bottle used...how has that affected my oil and my engine? also since i had the intake off for a good 4 minutes, wouldnt that cause engine wear? auto rx is in my engine right now..hopefully it will help.

i wonder about my idling issue today, will this happen to other cars?

btw thanks alot!!

moribundman · Jul 3, 2003

The MAF in my car is luckily in the hose that goes from the air filter box to the plenum/TB. The MAF can be removed without disassembling anything. Cleaning the MAF did wonders for smoothening the idle. A new MAF is like 300 bucks!

cangreylegend · Jul 4, 2003

hey drifter, next time use throttle body cleaner (TBC) in a spray can, together with a soft tooth brush and some soft cloth and a stiff artist brush made of natural bristles. TBC sprays on, instantly dissolves the gunk and you either gently scrub it a little in the corners or wipe it off. Don't forget the rear side of the palte.

Throttle body cleaning is an important thing for Hondas. Typically you find it as a flat spot just after you step on the gas gently.

You should look at the MSDS for seafoam though. Contains pale mineral oil and NAPTHA. They recommend that stuff to dissolve the carbon buiildup and it then drips into your cyliners and then mixes with your oil if it is not burned off. They also tell you to put it in your crancase. Sorry,,,not!!!!

Frank · Jul 4, 2003

Digital drifter your post said you still have Auto-Rx in your engine if so don't worry about solvents from cleaning your throttle body getting into crankcase. Auto-Rx will nuetralize them and they won't be able to do any harm.

digitaldrifter91 · Jul 4, 2003

hey thanks for the tips. ill remember that in a couple of months...next time ill take off the throttle body.

frank: thats good that auto rx will neutralize the stuff....auto rx maintanence dose is great! haha. i havent seen you on this board for a while.

digitaldrifter91 · Jul 4, 2003

quote:

Throttle body cleaning is an important thing for Hondas. Typically you find it as a flat spot just after you step on the gas gently.

what did you mean by that?

i have some more thottle improvment...but still inside the manifold i see some black guew...its cleaned up for the most but i knwo there is still alot more. i wonder how hard is it to take it all apart to clean

Jim Spahr · Jul 7, 2003

It sounds like the erratic idle was caused by getting some Sea Foam on the Idle Air Control-IAC. On my car, the IAC and the TPS are both attached to the side of the Throttle Body. If you clean the TB while it is on the engine, use as little of the spray cleaner as possible. Wipe off excess as soon as possible. Don't run the engine at all until the cleaner has evaporated.
Use a TB/Intake Manifold cleaner like 3M product called Throttle Pleate and Intake Cleaner p/n 08866. Using harsh carb cleaners may remove the TB coatings.

digitaldrifter91 · Jul 7, 2003

quote:

Don't run the engine at all until the cleaner has evaporated.

haha someone told me to have the car running. i figured it did get on my IAC valve. at least after letting my car idle for 30 minutes at 2k rpm it got it evaporated.

ill try some 3m stuff next time..hopefully i can open the housing and do it that way.... possibly after all the things im doing to my car (struts and engine mounts).

..i thought that sea foam was safe and not a harsh cleaner.

[ July 07, 2003, 07:58 PM: Message edited by: digitaldrifter91 ]

throttle body guew..

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