How To: Clean Your Throttle Body
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Joined: Aug 2009
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From: Pensacola
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Living and Learning FTW
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 33
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From: La Crosse, WI
give all engien check lights a few hours of driving time to clear.
this thread does not dictate how to clean the throttlebody, but rather how to clean the combustion chamber and teh intake runners. this wont clean teh plenum very well, and certainly wont clean the throttlebody itself.
I always unhooked teh vacuum line from the brake booster and drank the seafoam form a small plastic cup. SIP, not drink. a tiny bit. should take better part of 5 minutes to use half a can of seafoam if you have a large engine (v6 or v8) and the better part of 3 minutes to use 1/3 can of seafoam for smaller engines (any honda 4 cylinder)
to clean your throttlebody, get a new throttlebody gasket, and gaskets for the MAP, FITV, etc.. as needed. consult a manual of your car to find out what new gtaskets you will need and start unhooking connectors and lines. do one at a time and mark them with a piece of tape. on the older hondas, I believe the TPS and MAP use the same connector type, so may be mismatched and fri your ecu, how pleasant.
removal of the TB is very easy, simply takes a bit of time. the older hondas have a FITV mounted on the bottom of the TB and an IACV mounted on the back of the intake plenum. remove vacuum lines as are appropriate and be careful when removing coolant lines. they are bigger, and can be filled with hot coolant if the job is done within 4 hours of the engine running. use caution.
once the TB is removed, remove the MAP sensor if it is on the TB and remove the rubber O ring gasket. remove the FITV if you have one and remove the rubber gasket.
the TPS should never be removed, as its location alone runs the motor. if it is altered in any way, you will have a crappy idle and poor performance. if you remove it, take a knife and make a very small NOTCH on either side to mark its exact location. you will need new bolts for that, as the factory honda ones are the type that break the head off once proper torque is reach when installing it. if you dont mark them or once you are all done, fololow the trouble shooting process for a TPS sensor, various websites have that information
back to the throttlebody. if you have all electronics removed and understand teh consequences, simply dunk the entire assembly in a container of mineral spirits. any oil and grease is cleaned off. carbon buildup will require a few hours sitting in it. if it doesnt dissolve the carbion buildup, you can always dunk the TB in diesel fuel, which is a great engine cleaner. more on that if a thread is opened asking about that.
I like taking a metal brush to anything metal under my hood,. it removes dirt, you can get copper/bronze types that wont scratch anything, and are generally good scrubbers.
now that you have cleaned the TB, now is the time to put everything back on it that was removed. replace any and all gaskets, even if they are brand new and have only been on the car for even as short as a weeks time.
if you need to adjust the TPS or simply make sure it reads liek it is supposed to, turn the key on, not the car itself. ignition will power the sensor. with teh plug removed/not plugged in, you should get a voltage measurement. various hondas and any other car will see different voltage reads. I believe for my car it needs to see 0.5 volts with the throttle closed. slowly open the throttle. you may need a friends help. look at the voltage reading, it should rise up smoothly with the motion of opening the throttleplate. when it is at wide open throttle (WOT) mine I THINK should read 4.5 volts. if the top end is off, simply adjust for the idle/closed voltage, and remember to replace the TPS soon.
here is what my throttlebody looks like
on mine, the IACV is mounted on the rear of the manifold. Im simply pointing this out as the IACV and FITV can be confused with each other sometimes.
(idle problem? check the IACV) "what?" common question, some people dont know where they are
hope this helps
-Matt
this thread does not dictate how to clean the throttlebody, but rather how to clean the combustion chamber and teh intake runners. this wont clean teh plenum very well, and certainly wont clean the throttlebody itself.
I always unhooked teh vacuum line from the brake booster and drank the seafoam form a small plastic cup. SIP, not drink. a tiny bit. should take better part of 5 minutes to use half a can of seafoam if you have a large engine (v6 or v8) and the better part of 3 minutes to use 1/3 can of seafoam for smaller engines (any honda 4 cylinder)
to clean your throttlebody, get a new throttlebody gasket, and gaskets for the MAP, FITV, etc.. as needed. consult a manual of your car to find out what new gtaskets you will need and start unhooking connectors and lines. do one at a time and mark them with a piece of tape. on the older hondas, I believe the TPS and MAP use the same connector type, so may be mismatched and fri your ecu, how pleasant.
removal of the TB is very easy, simply takes a bit of time. the older hondas have a FITV mounted on the bottom of the TB and an IACV mounted on the back of the intake plenum. remove vacuum lines as are appropriate and be careful when removing coolant lines. they are bigger, and can be filled with hot coolant if the job is done within 4 hours of the engine running. use caution.
once the TB is removed, remove the MAP sensor if it is on the TB and remove the rubber O ring gasket. remove the FITV if you have one and remove the rubber gasket.
the TPS should never be removed, as its location alone runs the motor. if it is altered in any way, you will have a crappy idle and poor performance. if you remove it, take a knife and make a very small NOTCH on either side to mark its exact location. you will need new bolts for that, as the factory honda ones are the type that break the head off once proper torque is reach when installing it. if you dont mark them or once you are all done, fololow the trouble shooting process for a TPS sensor, various websites have that information
back to the throttlebody. if you have all electronics removed and understand teh consequences, simply dunk the entire assembly in a container of mineral spirits. any oil and grease is cleaned off. carbon buildup will require a few hours sitting in it. if it doesnt dissolve the carbion buildup, you can always dunk the TB in diesel fuel, which is a great engine cleaner. more on that if a thread is opened asking about that.
I like taking a metal brush to anything metal under my hood,. it removes dirt, you can get copper/bronze types that wont scratch anything, and are generally good scrubbers.
now that you have cleaned the TB, now is the time to put everything back on it that was removed. replace any and all gaskets, even if they are brand new and have only been on the car for even as short as a weeks time.
if you need to adjust the TPS or simply make sure it reads liek it is supposed to, turn the key on, not the car itself. ignition will power the sensor. with teh plug removed/not plugged in, you should get a voltage measurement. various hondas and any other car will see different voltage reads. I believe for my car it needs to see 0.5 volts with the throttle closed. slowly open the throttle. you may need a friends help. look at the voltage reading, it should rise up smoothly with the motion of opening the throttleplate. when it is at wide open throttle (WOT) mine I THINK should read 4.5 volts. if the top end is off, simply adjust for the idle/closed voltage, and remember to replace the TPS soon.
here is what my throttlebody looks like
on mine, the IACV is mounted on the rear of the manifold. Im simply pointing this out as the IACV and FITV can be confused with each other sometimes.
(idle problem? check the IACV) "what?" common question, some people dont know where they are
hope this helps
-Matt