How to Clean a Throttle Body

Summary

Since the throttle body is crucial to the engine’s smooth operation, cleaning the throttle body is an essential component of vehicle maintenance. The throttle body’s job is to regulate the engine’s air intake. Vehicle performance is impacted when the throttle body isn’t operating at full capacity due to accumulated filth and carbon deposits.

A dirty throttle body could be the reason why your automobile idles roughly. Therefore, think about spending 10 minutes cleaning the throttle body yourself using a spray can of throttle body cleanser and paper towels before you take the car to the shop. Performing a throttle body cleaning on your own could help you save a ton of money, and there’s a strong chance you’ll solve the issue.

Now, let us get into the details of how to clean a throttle body!

Setting Up Your Car

Your car should be parked outside in a level, well-lit place. We caution against carrying out this task inside due to the volatile nature of throttle-body cleaners. Find the throttle body in the engine area under the hood. Here are some tips on what to look for:

• Between the engine’s air cleaner and the intake manifold is where the throttle body is situated.
• Throttle bodies are often made of aluminum.
• Your car’s gas pedal has a linkage or flexible cable that connects to the throttle body, which moves the throttle shaft when the gas pedal is depressed. Ask another individual to press the accelerator when the engine is off so you can watch the throttle shaft move if you’re having trouble finding the throttle body.

Look at the throttle body’s connection to the air intake tubes once you’ve located it in your car. Sometimes, specialized fasteners known as Torx-head screws are used to secure throttle bodies. If so, Torx bits or Torx screwdrivers are required to remove these fasteners. A flat-blade or Phillips-head screwdriver should work more frequently. There could be one or more electrical wires connecting to the throttle body.

You shouldn’t need to disconnect any of these terminals for this task, so don’t interfere with them. Even while we always advise you to take all necessary safety precautions for these DIY projects, you should take particular care with this one. When working on your car, refrain from smoking, put on all the appropriate skin and eye protection, and remember that you are using a flammable spray cleaner.

Tools & Materials Needed

Materials

• Cleaner for the throttle body. This ought to be available in the parts section of your local auto dealer or auto parts supply store. Carburetor cleaner shouldn’t be used.
• Paper towels
• Cotton swabs
• Rubber gloves
• Household oil

Tools

• Protective eyewear.
• Flashlight.
• Brush for cleaning small, delicate parts or a toothbrush. Note: Particular throttle-body cleaning brushes are available from several auto parts retailers. Hard-bristle brushes can damage some throttle bodies’ unique coatings.
• Depending on the types of fasteners being used to join the throttle body to the intake “plumbing,” you may need screwdrivers, Torx bits, Torx screwdrivers, combination wrenches, or socket wrenches.

How to Clean a Mass Air Flow Sensor

How To Clean a Throttle Body?

• Park your car in an area outside where you will have plenty of space to access the engine compartment on each side.
• Disconnect the negative (ground) battery terminal of your car as a safety measure.
• Find and mark any tiny hoses that connect to the throttle body or to the air ducts you need to remove to reach the throttle body. You may either buy specialized labeling tape that makes it easier for you to remember which hose goes with which nozzle/coupling, or you can use masking tape to mark each hose and coupling.
• Remove the air duct that is connected to the throttle body. Avoid disconnecting any electrical cables or terminals at any cost. Typically, a hose clamp of some kind is used to secure the air duct to the throttle body. This clamp can be released with a screwdriver, Torx-head wrench, Allen wrench, or other hand tool. In some cases, the air duct must be gently pulled and twisted out of the way to be removed. Some throttle bodies have hose clamp connections on both sides, making it possible to expose the throttle body for cleaning with just one side removed.
• Do not continue with this task if you are unable to remove the air ducts and expose the throttle body. Allow a qualified technician to complete the work.
• Remove just enough air ducting to make the throttle body visible. Be cautious not to harm any potential gaskets. Throttle bodies come in a wide variety of designs; some even have two blades (one of which may function with the traction-control system). Even some more modern vehicles include electronic throttle controls, also known as “drive by wire.” Despite all of these variations, you will most likely still be exposed to a throttle body that looks very much like the one in the image.
• Put on your rubber gloves and eye protection if you haven’t already. Spray the throttle-body cleanser inside the air duct once the throttle body has been made visible, then use the brushes to remove any remaining debris, gum, or varnish carefully. Be very careful not to allow anything, including the thin, plastic spray nozzle, to fall into the hole of the throttle body. Use paper towels to sometimes clean the residue.
• Continue doing this until the internal surfaces are completely bare and metal-clean. Make use of the flashlight to see your advancement.
• Put a drop of household all-purpose oil on the shafts of the throttle shaft where it enters the throttle body before replacing the throttle-body ducts. Don’t go overboard when applying the oil; just a small amount will help keep the throttle blade rotating smoothly. Use a little cotton swab. It should be fine with one drop.
• To clean up any residue and fluids that might have gotten on the engine or the surrounding components, use extra paper towels.
• Reinstall the throttle-body ducts and tighten the hose clamps to the same level as previously. In other words, strive to tighten the fastener with the same amount of force as you used to loosen it.
• Reconnect the battery and start the engine after you have secured everything and taken anything under the hood. As the cleaner fluid and any residue that may have gotten into the intake manifold are burned out, you can feel a first stumble or even a rough idle. In the worst scenarios, you might even smell white exhaust smoke. Additionally, if a battery is detached, the engine control computer frequently needs to “relearn” some parameters. That is typical.
• For a few minutes, leave the engine idling. then go for a test drive in your car. You may or may not notice a difference in drivability and performance depending on how much filth, gum, and varnish is in your car’s throttle body, but keep in mind that this is a preventative maintenance effort to increase the long-term reliability of your vehicle.
• You must clean and return all of your tools, including your wrenches. Dispose of the rubber gloves and paper towels properly. For another day, store the remaining throttle-body cleanser.

Learn From This Video:

That is all for this article, where I explain how to clean a throttle body. If you find this video helpful, kindly share it with others. Thanks for reading, see you around!