gingas

Your TB. Was wondering when/how do you know when it's time to clean your stock TB B16A?

ChrisS

If your car's multipoint fuel injection, the throttle body should stay pretty clean (the injectors are well past it at the far end of the intake manifold; no gas to bind dirt to surfaces; also the air filter does a good job keeping most of the dirt out).

Last time I replaced the head gasket on my D16A6 (at 160k+, I cleaned a bunch of builtup sticky black dirt (almost like slightly sticky asphalt) from where the injectors enter the intake manifold and some from the intake side of the head.

gingas

OK, I was just wondering. Time to time I just get the stuff for injectors

cruzalekz

i would say clean it every 3-4 months. or just kinda like check it once in a while, but, if you check it, might as well clean it coz ur there already.

thetunersource

Clean everything in the throttle body. Use a wire brush or a tobacco pipe brush to unclog all that gunk.

A-series

I'd do it once a year max. myself. It may not ever really be necessary, depending on certain things like whether the car burns oil (and how much) as well as how often, and how, you drive it. There's going to be some buildup over time - as the car sits, fumes from the PCV inlet and outlet can reach the throttle body, oil can even run out of the pcv inlet into the intake tube, as well as from the combustion chamber - but usually not too much. Even after 15 years of driving the car, it's going to be noticeable but may not actually have a significant effect on the idle, etc.

cruzalekz

you would notice if your tb needs to be cleaned, it will give you a bit of a rough idle


now if you get a scenario like this (you have to step on the gas pedal just to get the car started) then you have a bunch of carbon buildup around the throttle plate area.