Throttle body cleaning guide
Discussion
Hello folks,
Thought I would take some pics to make it easier for other people to do this simple cleaning task, I have little or no skills with the spanner, so this truly is something anyone can do with the minimal of hassle. I had one crack at this and did a pretty poor job, then got some proper guidance from this handy YouTube vid I found, albeit on a completely different vehicle, the principle is identical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYPSjktvj-o
Step one.
Purchase throttle body cleaner (Halfords and other car places sell this)
Get a toothbrush you don't need to use again (for scrubbing inside throttle body).
Screwdriver (for releasing plastic clips)
Long nose pliers (for releasing plastic clips)
A cloth / strong paper towels (for mopping residual liquid).
Step two.
Ensure the engine is cool, open bonnet and loosen the plastic clip with a screwdriver / pliers as needed.
Step three.
Lift the plastic inlet out of the way (I found there was enough "slack" in the connections to do this, if not you'll need to remove the similar clips on the "Y" section to get it further out of the way
Step four.
Spray the thottle flap liberally with the cleaner and wipe down / brush and remove residual. Then pushing the top of the flap with a finger, opening it - then again liberally spray cleaner below and above open flap. The use the toothbrush to clean all around the inside of the throttle body. I then wiped around to remove the residual liquid from the spray. Leave it to dry out for 10 minutes or so (I used my screwdrivers plastic handle to keep the throttle flap open while it dried). Looks nice and shiny afterwards
Step five.
Replace the plastic ducting, ensuring it's pushed back firmly and well fastened. Count back all your tools and bits to ensure you haven't left anything to cause engine damage.
Step six.
I idled the engine for a few minutes to ensure any residual cleaner was burnt off before driving.
If anyone spots any glaring errors with this, please let me know!
Thought I would take some pics to make it easier for other people to do this simple cleaning task, I have little or no skills with the spanner, so this truly is something anyone can do with the minimal of hassle. I had one crack at this and did a pretty poor job, then got some proper guidance from this handy YouTube vid I found, albeit on a completely different vehicle, the principle is identical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYPSjktvj-o
Step one.
Purchase throttle body cleaner (Halfords and other car places sell this)
Get a toothbrush you don't need to use again (for scrubbing inside throttle body).
Screwdriver (for releasing plastic clips)
Long nose pliers (for releasing plastic clips)
A cloth / strong paper towels (for mopping residual liquid).
Step two.
Ensure the engine is cool, open bonnet and loosen the plastic clip with a screwdriver / pliers as needed.
Step three.
Lift the plastic inlet out of the way (I found there was enough "slack" in the connections to do this, if not you'll need to remove the similar clips on the "Y" section to get it further out of the way
Step four.
Spray the thottle flap liberally with the cleaner and wipe down / brush and remove residual. Then pushing the top of the flap with a finger, opening it - then again liberally spray cleaner below and above open flap. The use the toothbrush to clean all around the inside of the throttle body. I then wiped around to remove the residual liquid from the spray. Leave it to dry out for 10 minutes or so (I used my screwdrivers plastic handle to keep the throttle flap open while it dried). Looks nice and shiny afterwards
Step five.
Replace the plastic ducting, ensuring it's pushed back firmly and well fastened. Count back all your tools and bits to ensure you haven't left anything to cause engine damage.
Step six.
I idled the engine for a few minutes to ensure any residual cleaner was burnt off before driving.
If anyone spots any glaring errors with this, please let me know!
Thanks chaps, so not sure there is a way to manually actuate other than how I did, as it's done via what I assume is an electric motor internal to the body, but the flap has a very definate arc of travel when operated manually.
I'll see if I can picture and remove / clean / replace connectors and update the guide.
I've linked this into the Wiki at the top as well.
Cheers
Kris
I'll see if I can picture and remove / clean / replace connectors and update the guide.
I've linked this into the Wiki at the top as well.
Cheers
Kris
BingoBob said:
Interesting stuff. Thanks for taking the time to post.
I wonder if it is "safe" to force the throttle plate back against the stepper motor. If it not, is there a way to manually actuate the motor to open the throttle for cleaning?
Shouldn't be anything to worry about. I wonder if it is "safe" to force the throttle plate back against the stepper motor. If it not, is there a way to manually actuate the motor to open the throttle for cleaning?
Chris
It will always be slightly open.
If it was stuck open, you would notice idle problems or misfires.
There is no problem with moving the butterfly by hand - you can wedge a bit of cloth in the top to hold it slightly open.
You can push cloth inside to prevent too much fluid from running into the plenum, but be careful to remember to take it all out again!
The fluid won't harm the engine if it runs into the plenum (carb cleaner, that is), but check it has no silicon in it, as that can damage catalytic converters.
If it was stuck open, you would notice idle problems or misfires.
There is no problem with moving the butterfly by hand - you can wedge a bit of cloth in the top to hold it slightly open.
You can push cloth inside to prevent too much fluid from running into the plenum, but be careful to remember to take it all out again!
The fluid won't harm the engine if it runs into the plenum (carb cleaner, that is), but check it has no silicon in it, as that can damage catalytic converters.
Cleaning the throttle body is part of the service schedule and I get my local garage to clean it using the product below
http://www.wynnoil.co.uk/products-wynns-fuel-syste...
It can be purchased cheaply here
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/...
http://www.wynnoil.co.uk/products-wynns-fuel-syste...
It can be purchased cheaply here
http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/...
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