Throttle Body cleaning?

[Russtty]

I had a P0068 code come up on the car the other night. I cleared it and it hasn’t come back yet. Speaking to my mechanic he is recommending a Throttle Body cleaning and alignment. I haven’t pulled off the intake hose yet to see just how dirty it is. I was wondering if anyone else has done this yet. Anyone see any issues with a DIY cleaning with Seafoam?

As an FYI: Car has 132,000km on it. I got it at 24,000km and it had a Strat Intake. I switched to the Eurocode intake (put the box back in) a couple years back due to the filter getting too clogged up in the winter. It gets driven pretty hard on the track, but usually not too bad on the streets.

Thanks!

Steve

[SwankPeRFection]

Check it first. Consensus is Seafoam sucks. Carb cleaner has always worked to clean TBs in the past for me. I didn't run the engine when cleaning it. This was with older cable driven units though, so it was easy to spray closed and then hinge open and spray to clean and pull out all the dirty spray instead of letting it go into the rest of the intake runner system. Not sure if messing with the butterfly with the engine off on these cars throws off their calibration or not.

[chaos2984]

Just get some carb cleaner. you will see when you look at the TB is a build up of black carbon if you have alot of carbon on there. They need to be cleaned now days to avoid codes and performace issues. Just push the blade open with the car off and hold it open with finger or screwdriver and get an old toothbrush or something with soft brissles and spray the TB down and scrub it with the brush and then spray it again and see where your at with cleaning wise. Dont worry about getting the cleaner down in the engine you will be fine. Just dont empty the can in there, use it with discression is all. Dont drown it lol. Tooth brushes work great for that. Clean the housing and clean the blade as well the outside diameter area. You might need to recalibrate the blade if its that bad. I dont know where the adaptation is in vag com with the new S4's someone else can chime in. I know with older ones you just turn the car on without starting it and let it sit for a few min and its good or you run the adaptation in vcds.

[BoostEasy]

I cleaned the TB on the wife's 2003 Camry some months ago after an O2 sensor change caused the car to idle weird. Some folks on the Camry forums said try TB cleaning and once I did it (with brake cleaner), the idle got wacky for a little bit then settled down and purred like a kitten.

I scratched my head as the TB wasn't really that dirty but it worked like a charm.

Summary: if you clean the TB, it may take a short period of time for the idle to settle down.

[audistealth]

Different car as well, but in the past I opened up the intake and used MAF cleaner directly on the throttle body. Car was on, and another person gave a periodic rev. It wasn't in that bad of shape, but in worse conditions, carb cleaner and a soft/used tooth brush is the way to go.

[Russtty]

Thanks! Away for a few days but will give this a to next week. I'll post before and after pics as well

[esimp2k]

I'm sorry. Did the OP just say seafoam on this car?

[Russtty]

Any brand / product suggestions? I was looking at the CRC TB cleaner but states to not use on supercharged engines. Any reason I couldn't remove the TB? Looks pretty straight forward. Would just need to know the torque to put it back on!

[chaos2984]

Any brand / product suggestions? I was looking at the CRC TB cleaner but states to not use on supercharged engines. Any reason I couldn't remove the TB? Looks pretty straight forward. Would just need to know the torque to put it back on!

No brand just anything that says CARB CLEANER on it is all. And you can take it off. No need to worry about tq when putting it on if your capable with working on cars you know how tight to make it. If you don't just snug the bolts down in a X pattern and then go 1/4 turn more on each one But don't wrench on them hard or you will snap them.

[Russtty]

Had a look today. There is some buildup in behind the throttle plate. The intake side is actually pretty clean! I am thinking I will wait until later in the weekend or during the week to clean in case I need to see my tech to realign the TB via VAGCOM.

[audistealth]

Could you re-take that pic with a led maglight, if possible, focused and pointing straight into the TB? Camera angle looks perfect as is.

[Russtty]

Decided to clean it this morning after the CEL came back yesterday.

I picked up some Motormaster Carb Cleaner in a spray can for the job.

Removing the TB was straight forward. I found an oily residue on the SG side of the throttle plate.




After cleaning with a tooth brush and a good wipe with a microfibre cloth, I noticed a few wear points on the body. I'm guessing this is normal? There was a bit of the residue in the SC as well.




All reassembled and went for a drive. It feels better. Just more consistent on throttle. The idle sounds better as well. Now to see if the CEL will stay off! I didn't do a TB alignment yet and will wait to see if it causes any problems.

[SwankPeRFection]

The wear is from the flapper. Normal. The residue is normal too... happens due to vent recirc from valve covers, etc. The PCV system should be keeping it cleaner than that (i.e. not as much oil), but some residue is bound to happen.

[SteveYem]

For awhile now I've been noticing reduced gas mileage, sluggish performance and fluctuating idle. I swapped out my aftermarket intake and reinstalled the stock intake, and while I had the intake tube off I noticed what appears to be carbon build-up along the bottom of the throttle valve plate - see photo below. I read through this thread (and a couple others on here) and I'm still not clear on what is the best method for cleaning this. Is there a product that I can just spray on and it will dissolve this build-up, or do I need to physically brush the buildup off the plate? The latter option has me worried about throwing off the alignment of the throttle valve.

[saxon]

For awhile now I've been noticing reduced gas mileage, sluggish performance and fluctuating idle. I swapped out my aftermarket intake and reinstalled the stock intake, and while I had the intake tube off I noticed what appears to be carbon build-up along the bottom of the throttle valve plate - see photo below. I read through this thread (and a couple others on here) and I'm still not clear on what is the best method for cleaning this. Is there a product that I can just spray on and it will dissolve this build-up, or do I need to physically brush the buildup off the plate? The latter option has me worried about throwing off the alignment of the throttle valve.

just take the throttle body off and spray with carb clean, wipe away with a rag. if that doesn't get all of it i would spray with carb cleaner, scrub lightly with a red scotch brite and that should do the trick

[SteveYem]

just take the throttle body off and spray with carb clean, wipe away with a rag. if that doesn't get all of it i would spray with carb cleaner, scrub lightly with a red scotch brite and that should do the trick

Any tricks/tips for throttle body removal and reinstallation on this car? I've done it before, years ago, on some other cars and I recall having to replace the gasket between the TB and the intake manifold, as well as to disconnect some coolant lines to/from the TB. I was hoping there was a way to clean it without removing it from the car but I guess that's not feasible?

[jimrobbington]

Any tricks/tips for throttle body removal and reinstallation on this car? I've done it before, years ago, on some other cars and I recall having to replace the gasket between the TB and the intake manifold, as well as to disconnect some coolant lines to/from the TB. I was hoping there was a way to clean it without removing it from the car but I guess that's not feasible?

Fairly certain its just an electrical connection these days. your gaskets will likely be fine, only worry if they seem ruined or are dry and cracking. Just ensure that the gaskets are properly in place before reinstalling them and you should be just fine.