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Hello all,
My car has 107,000 Miles, I perform maintenance rigorously and on time.
-Changed fluids.
-Spark plugs.
-Spark plug wires.
-MAF.
-Air/Oil/fuel filters.
- and other stuff....
My car started to develop a slight rough idle when cold and warm. Strange surge behavior when coming to a stop. The RPM needle moves up and down 600-670 RPM.
In addition, fuel consumption seemed a bit high compared to when I first got the car. Throttle always felt sluggish, and the reaction is a bit slow.
The MAF sensor (Bosch) has less than one year, I cleaned it but to no avail.
This is when I decided to brave out and clean the Throttle body.
Total time : 35 Minutes
I searched and read about this procedure, I followed every step carefully. If you decided to do this I take no responsibility. Follow common sense.
Tools:
1- one can of CRC Throttle body cleaner. A MAF cleaner might work.
2- Toothbrush.
3- Rag/ kitchen roll towels.
4- Small mirror or a smartphone to see what is going on.
Steps:
- Open the hood to it's highest position ( it'll give you plenty of room and light).
- Remove the front engine cover and the Air box assembly.
- Remove the MAF sensor, careful not to break the collar.
- Disconnect the breather hose that goes to the Air tube (elbow) beneath the MAF. (green arrow)
4- Disconnect the small vacuum line that goes to the firewall.
5- With a flat screw driver remove the top portion of the elbow -> pull the elbow back towards the firewall -> push down on it to release the lower clip.
6- Use the mirror or take a picture to see the condition of the TB.
Holy cow !!! now that is dirty
7- Spray the rag with the cleaner.
8- Start cleaning I began with the walls then TB plate.
9- Gently push the bottom section of the plate and clean the inside edges of the plate/ inside walls with the brush.
10- Be careful and do not get anything inside the manifold.
11- By holding the plate open, spray the cleaner to clean the opposite side ( don't go crazy on the spraying )
Niiiiiice and clean
12- Installation is reverse.
Check, Check and re-check that you re-connected all the hoses (I only needed to disconnect two).
13- Now, the procedure of resetting the TB.
Put the key to the ON position (before the start-engine position) you should hear the TB clicking. Wait for it less than a minute, maybe 20 seconds you should hear it clicking again the TB is re-adjusting.
14-Start the car, It's alright to see smoke during the first couple starts. RPMs will be high for a few seconds.
15- Take the beast on the highway You know what to do next
So far so good! the car never felt better, it became very alive and active. A slight touch of the accelerator and it would roar. I seem to have also gained 3 MPG. Even gear changes seemed smoother and more consistent. The first thing my family noted is how smooth the car felt at a red light ( like the engine is not even ON)
On the highway is where the car truly shined, Taking over in 4th/5th gear never been easier.
Just wanted to share that I cleaned my throttle body today, and when looking at the CRC Throttle Body Cleaner can I bought for this purpose, it specifically says it's not for supercharged engines.
Since it's essentially acetone in a can, I just used straight 100% liquid acetone (poured on to a microfiber rag, not directly into the engine) and wiped the throttle body and flag. Came clean in about 5 minutes. You can push the top of the flap to rotate it in order to clean the edges, and the interior of the throttle body.
No smoke, no idle issues on restart. Car acted completely normal.
12-10-2015, 12:41 AM
I began with the walls then TB plate. 
)
