Dirty Throttle Body

[Bearz]

Hi Guys,

I just got my car serviced today and was also getting some other issues fixed.
One of them being an issue where the engine light would come on and the traction control would turn off. They have told me that it is caused by a dirty throttle body which sounds about right from what i have read on this forum.

My question is: Is it normal for a throttle body to get dirty? I ask this because I had it cleaned about a year ago due to my engine shutting down around a round about. Should it get dirty again in 12 months or does this point to something else not sealing properly?

Also I have just noticed I need to get a foglight replaced as it seems to have been smashed by a rock. Does anyone know the holden part number and how much these cost? They wanted $230 to fix it, i said no thanks to that.

Car is a VY SS.

Cheers,

Steve

[Mungrel]

the foglights are about $120 from memory.
checkout holmart.com.au (forum sponsor) as i think they may have these on their website.

As for the dirty throttle body, it could just be oil vapours from the cars PCV (positive crank ventilation) system. To minimise this, many member are using what's called a catch can. (a quick search on catch can will yield plenty of results)

[RIDE:42]

i spray brake cleaner inside the T/B it dose the trick

[Toddler78]

whats it dirty with?

Oil? would mean you either have a real bad oil consumption problem or faulty PCV (hopfully the later of the two)

Dirt? which would mean your air filter isnt doing its job or air is getting in unfiltered

either way bad mmmmkay and not right, especiaaly in 1 year

[D3CID3R]

The throttle body on an EFI should be cleaned out as part of regular maintenance. It will collect crap around the throttle butterfly causing it not to seat properly at idle or cause it to stick. This can cause many different symptoms and problems such as your's. I always remove the T/B from the manifold so it can be thoroughly cleaned from front and behind, also cleaning out the idle stepper motor and by-pass circuit but this depends on the type of vehicle you are working on. You would be surprised how this simple task can rectify some of the most niggling and bizarre problems. You could use a type of solvent such as brake cleaner or carby cleaner. That's my 2 cents worth anyhow.

[DaveHAT]

The throttle body on an EFI should be cleaned out as part of regular maintenance. It will collect crap around the throttle butterfly causing it not to seat properly at idle or cause it to stick. This can cause many different symptoms and problems such as your's. I always remove the T/B from the manifold so it can be thoroughly cleaned from front and behind, also cleaning out the idle stepper motor and by-pass circuit but this depends on the type of vehicle you are working on. You would be surprised how this simple task can rectify some of the most niggling and bizarre problems. You could use a type of solvent such as brake cleaner or carby cleaner. That's my 2 cents worth anyhow.

A very good 2 cents worth too mate and very sound advice to the original poster. I also take mine of regularly, remove the sensors and give it a spray with degreaser or similar. This cleans but doesn't run the risk of rooting the TB sensors.

It's most likely oil vapours from the drivers side rocker cover vent that connects to the TB have caused vapour build up around the edge of the throttle blade.

I reckon if you took the intake pipe off most stocker LS1 Commodores you'd find the same prob.

[ls2 crew]

had my l76 serviced lately for the 30k service and they wanted $75 to do it for me I said no I will do it myself. just got to get around to doing it, maybe this weekend.

anything to lookout for? eg can you use carby cleaner and can you wreck the seals ect by using it.

[planetdavo]

Almost everyone uses carby cleaner in the trade. If the T/B gasket is replaced when removing it for cleaning, it is about $40 of the bill.

[bermudablue]

I recently asked about catch cans.I was told these help in keeping TB clean
Maybe you should look into that.

[Invasionss]

I give it a slamming with heaps of throttle cleaner & clean the maf sensor & clean all the air box.
If you have an oiled air filter, little bits of oil particles may be sucked from the filter under hard driving & this will stick to the throttle body with small particles of dust that comes through aswell.

[VZ_V8]

on my V6 i use carby/throttle body cleaner which cleans it instantly, if you clean the MAF sensor i think u are supposed to use electrical circuitry cleaner spray because it leaves no form of residue or something like that.

[iamhappy46]

I normally use an old clean toothbrush to clean my throttlebody. Just spray throttlebody cleaner onto the throttle butterfly, spray some on the toothbrush bristles and then open the throttle via the cable to give the manifold 'mouth' a good brushing :)

Rinse with more throttle cleaner and your done.

Avoid using too much throttle cleaner though, it can cause hydraulic lock :(

[Bearz]

Thanks for the replies guys.

The guy said it was oil and dirt that was making it dirty. I might take your advice and clean it myself next time. Although it was only $50 so not too bad.

Cheers,

Steve

[vx350int]

I have the same issue with my VX Calais after I installed a ported throttle 2 weeks ago...I cleaned it on Saturday with some throttle cleaner and it was all good, on sunday I took it for a drive up the road (an hour drive around 100ks) no problems then when i was going home I got halfway there and the traction light came on again - when this happens it holds gears till about 2500-2600 and then changes it also ides at around 900-1100...stop the car reset the computer and she is good to go...today my wife took it for a drive and the traction control light and the engine check came on...grrrrr...this time we turn the car off at the lights...lock it...open it and start the car again...no light no nothing driving as it supposed to...

I have only encounted this light fiasco since i have stuck the new throttle on...
is it the TPS sensor?
or the throttle stuffed??

cheers Chris

[Space Pope]

Throttle body , it's butterfly blade and it's intake air sensor should get a clean every now and again. Not bad to push a can of Wurth Intake Cleaner through as well. Makes quick work of oil and other deposits you can't quite get at with a rag. It's an Aerosol and is fed via a tube (supplied with the can). You push through say half a can...let it sit for 10 mins, fire her up and keep enough throttle to keep it turning over and then feed the other half of the can through the TB as the engine runs. Expect to see some smoke from the exhaust as it works it's way through. This stuff is fairly toxic so try not to huff any down as you work with it.

Take your car for a run afterwards and it should be sweet.

There are instructions on the can to follow , can't go too far wrong with this stuff. :thumbsup:


Subaru used to make something similar ...not sure if it's still available but again...does a pretty good job. The cans were smaller so I would recommend keeping a second can handy


I have the same issue with my VX Calais after I installed a ported throttle 2 weeks ago...I cleaned it on Saturday with some throttle cleaner and it was all good, on sunday I took it for a drive up the road (an hour drive around 100ks) no problems then when i was going home I got halfway there and the traction light came on again - when this happens it holds gears till about 2500-2600 and then changes it also ides at around 900-1100...stop the car reset the computer and she is good to go...today my wife took it for a drive and the traction control light and the engine check came on...grrrrr...this time we turn the car off at the lights...lock it...open it and start the car again...no light no nothing driving as it supposed to...

I have only encounted this light fiasco since i have stuck the new throttle on...
is it the TPS sensor?
or the throttle stuffed??

cheers Chris


Chris...If the car hasn't received any tuning to accomodate the 'hogged out' TB, then yeah expect the ECU not to like it.

Weird codes lights and behaviour was almost the norm when folks started throwing 'Bolt on' mods on...especially if it involved the induction path. Mod'd TBs and MAFs sensors simply get 'learned' and are known to set off codes (indicated by the engine light). Early exhaust mods used to set off O2 senor errors as well. A traction control light is a little out of left field but I'm sure some of our more expericenced members would have seen one.

I'm assuming the car is stock and not tuned. Either way, best idea is "get thee to a tuner-ee". In the meantime, just replace the standard TB and see if that settles things down. Simply throwing a TB on won't buy you much performance on it's own anyway.

Bolt ons without tuning tends to produce some pretty disappointing results. A good tune with a few simple bits and pieces can bring surprising results.

Opps...sorry Chris I see you have had a tune. Either way, You should get the TB's 'sociability' tested by your tuner...either the TB has issues or needs to be dialled in to the tune.

[R8DHSV]

i just cleaned my tb on the weekend and it drives like a totaly different car the cars is heaps more responsive ill be keeping that cleaned from now on.

[vx350int]

Throttle body , it's butterfly blade and it's intake air sensor should get a clean every now and again. Not bad to push a can of Wurth Intake Cleaner through as well. Makes quick work of oil and other deposits you can't quite get at with a rag. It's an Aerosol and is fed via a tube (supplied with the can). You push through say half a can...let it sit for 10 mins, fire her up and keep enough throttle to keep it turning over and then feed the other half of the can through the TB as the engine runs. Expect to see some smoke from the exhaust as it works it's way through. This stuff is fairly toxic so try not to huff any down as you work with it.

Take your car for a run afterwards and it should be sweet.

There are instructions on the can to follow , can't go too far wrong with this stuff. :thumbsup:


Subaru used to make something similar ...not sure if it's still available but again...does a pretty good job. The cans were smaller so I would recommend keeping a second can handy




Chris...If the car hasn't received any tuning to accomodate the 'hogged out' TB, then yeah expect the ECU not to like it.

Weird codes lights and behaviour was almost the norm when folks started throwing 'Bolt on' mods on...especially if it involved the induction path. Mod'd TBs and MAFs sensors simply get 'learned' and are known to set off codes (indicated by the engine light). Early exhaust mods used to set off O2 senor errors as well. A traction control light is a little out of left field but I'm sure some of our more expericenced members would have seen one.

I'm assuming the car is stock and not tuned. Either way, best idea is "get thee to a tuner-ee". In the meantime, just replace the standard TB and see if that settles things down. Simply throwing a TB on won't buy you much performance on it's own anyway.

Bolt ons without tuning tends to produce some pretty disappointing results. A good tune with a few simple bits and pieces can bring surprising results.

Opps...sorry Chris I see you have had a tune. Either way, You should get the TB's 'sociability' tested by your tuner...either the TB has issues or needs to be dialled in to the tune.

thanks for the reply....went to Holden checked the codes and it was a faulty TPS...new TPS installed and it hasnt missed a beat...the boss (wife) has run it since and it has run it best MPH 108.81

[loudvtss]

Hi guys, as this will be my first time at cleaning the throttle body is there anything I need to know as to not damage and sensors or the throttle body. I've purchased some cleaner and was going to use an old toothbrush and a cloth to wipe it. Even better does someone has instructions with pictures for someone who's clueless..

Does the Wurth Intake Cleaner do any harm. Or does all the dirt just go through the system and come out the exhaust without any harm being done.

Thanks