Accessing & Cleaning the Throttle Body (Pics!)

[95mushroom]

slimpee said:

thanks guys, i'm definitely cleaning both, with appropriate cleaners, when it gets warm outside.

What is the air idle solenoid plugger? Do classics have them? If so where is it?

I'm pretty sure classics don't have that. The AISP is part of the secondary air injection systems the 2nd Gen uses I believe.

[Buddiemac]

The Idle air control valve is NOT part of the secondary air pump.

The idle air Control valve is mounted in the throttle body. It has a steper motor which controls the air intake when idling, depending on the load. I cleaned mine last weekend. IT is on most all cars and would also be on the 1st generation Olds.

The part you may be thinking of is the "air Injector/diverter/shutoff valve control solenoid" which controls the vacuum on the vacuum lines to air diverter/shutoff valves. This part is NOT mounted in the throttle body. On the 2nd generation, if you remove the top plastic name plate from the Engine, you will find it in the middle and in front of the rear valve cover. The connector is a red brown color.

What makes this confussing, parts company mis-categorize, mis-name and use multiple names for the parts on their site.

Here is a link to a 1999 1st gen idle air control solenoid:

198.208.187.182/internet/PartImage.jsp?mfgname=ACDELCO&prodlinecd=21&acpartnbr=17113388

Here is a link to a 2001 2nd gen Injector/diverter value solenoid:

198.208.187.182/internet/PartImage.jsp?&acpartnbr=214-1035

[premiumV]

buddiemac said:

The idle air Control valve is mounted in the throttle body. It has a steper motor which controls the air intake when idling, depending on the load. I cleaned mine last weekend. IT is on most all cars and would also be on the 1st generation Olds.

Good info for 1996 and up. Does slimpee run a 1995 classic? If so it is located outside of the TB and controls the main air flap instead.

[donbeno]

I do this once per year. Change out the air filter while you're at it.

[dallas]

Great post! Rags only for me though...don't want any bristles in my 4.0!

[martindaman]

Jul 18, 2005 16:45:47 GMT -6 SupaStealth said:

one thing though, be carefull not to have the butterfly open for too long, i had a vice grips holding mine open so i could clean it, and now the spring doesn't close the throttle all the way, which really is a pain, going to a stop light while idling at 1300rpm definitely isn't good for the torque converter. thought i'd save somebody with that coment

Too late, so what happen with the valve, did you replace the spring or just the whole throttle body, cause im in the same situation

[Randy T.]

I cleaned mine this weekend, also. In my opinion, it is best to remove the whole butterfly assembly. I don't like blowing that gunk into my engine. I cleaned the maf screen with maf cleaner and the TB with TB cleaner. I did drop a screw down by the trans somewhere putting it back together. I searched for a bit, but couldn't find it. I just had to pull a screw from a parts car, but I still hate to waste one by losing it.

Hey martin, if you need the throttle body send me a pm.


The pic below is not the throttle body I cleaned, but it looked just like this when I was done. The one pictured is one that I sold.

[dens95olds]

Sorry for being such a noob. I got excited and did this maintenance b4 I could read all replies. I have a 95 and she didn't seem to have the MAF. Great write up btw, worked great for my throttle response. Not complaining, but should I be worried?

[postalc38]

Nope that's normal.

[cbburtraw]

MAF is for 96+. Makes this job much easier on us 95 owners...

[dens95olds]

Tnks guys!

[cbburtraw]

welcome, always!

[aurora4jr]

Why should you not unplug the mass air flow sensor? Only asking because I cleaned my throttle body today and I unplugged the MAF, is there something I should do after or before I plug it back in?

[postalc38]

I'm not exactly sure but it would atleast throw a SES light. I know on some other cars it will put it into Limp mode..........I had a 95 so I didn't have to worry about the MAF.

[adfdsfdwefsfd]

Jul 28, 2005 13:32:57 GMT -6 erw38 said:

I don't know of any MAF you can get to bump up the horses. I don't believe one exists for this car. As for screw 3, it is not difficult to get to. Just feel arould by hand and you will be fine, but DO NOT drop the screw. You may not find it.

One tool that I love is a telescoping rod that has a litle magnet on the tip. It is great for reaching the screws and tools that you do,unfortunately, drop into the engine.

So anything falling into the engine will cause damage? I still dunno how u got them out...... even with a telescoping rod...
Almost every time I work on the car, something drops into the car and I couldn't find it...... I lost 5 screwdriver heads in the center console....... I hope that won't cause problems.....


Anyway I did mine today and then read all the comments
Obviously I didn't spray enough so mine is still not that clean. How to take the entire throttle body off? It seems complicated since I have to remove the cables and reach further under the housing?

For those guys cleaned it with the engine on, how strong is the air flow? I am concerned that it may suck something into the engine without MAF... a toothbrush into the engine is not fun......
And is it ok if the gunk goes into the engine. Someone said it comes out from exhaust pipe... I highly doubt it............. sounds to me it's more likely the gunk is gonna stuck somewhere else insdie the car, probably block the exhaust system and cause problems...

And for MAF, the MAF cleaner is to clean the sensor, not the screen? Compressed air for the screen, the sensor is in the middle of the housing which I didn't clean

[Randy T.]

Here are some pics of a dirty one, it shows how much gunk you are blowing into your engine if you clean it while on the car. If you are going that far anyway, might as well remove the whole tb assembly. I think I have pics of one worse than this one, if I find them, I will post.

[helljack6]

I generally use one 8oz bottle of sea foam to clean out everything on the top side of the engine area. Usually just pull the vac line from the brake booster and pour it on it. Let the car sit for about 5-10 minutes, turn it on and run her up to about 3k rpm and watch the white stuff (carbon) get blown out of the back exhaust.

Sea foam is an interesting product as it re-liquifies hardened carbon deposits and other deposits and allows them to move freely again. Been using Sea foam for several years in every car I've owned and for what it is and what it does, I believe it works.

[Randy T.]

I am not a fan of seafoam, that smoke blowing out of your exhaust is seafoam, not carbon. The carbon is being slammed ,broken around and jammed into your engine. If seafoam is good, then pull your tb while taking some pictures. Either way your motor is still getting carbon sprayed all over it.

[beastboy1976]

I have not run the seafoam through my vac line, but I have run it through my crankcase and in the fuel and have noticed significant performance improvement.

[helljack6]

Sept 7, 2011 7:31:00 GMT -6 Randy T. said:

I am not a fan of seafoam, that smoke blowing out of your exhaust is seafoam, not carbon. The carbon is being slammed ,broken around and jammed into your engine. If seafoam is good, then pull your tb while taking some pictures. Either way your motor is still getting carbon sprayed all over it.

Well to each their own. I too have had nothing but good experiences with Sea Foam, and it's says directly on their website that the white smoke pouring out is to be expected during treatment. Been doing it the way they say to do it on their site and have never had any problems.

Directly from their site: "To remove carbon and varnish deposits more quickly, Sea Foam® can be induced directly into the combustion chamber via the following method. With the engine warmed up and running, SLOWLY POUR 1/3 to ½ can of Sea Foam® down the carburetor throat or into any main manifold vacuum line that DISTRIBUTES EVENLY TO ALL CYLINDERS. Note that some newer induction systems, like those found on Vortec and Subaru “H” style engines, do not have any vacuum line that distribute evenly. Consequently, this process should only be attempted by technicians with a comprehensive understanding of the engine’s induction system or use Sea Foam® Spray through the throttle body (discribed in a different section of this web site).

Once the product has been applied, turn off the engine and allow the Sea Foam® to heat soak for a minimum of 10 minutes. At this time, Sea Foam® will dissolve the varnish deposits that hold carbon together. After allowing the Sea Foam® to soak, restart the engine in a WELL VENTILATED AREA as exhaust will be extreme for a short time. Drive aggressively for 2 to 5 miles to allow all the atomized carbon to be safely expelled from the system. REPEAT Sea Foam® TREATMENT AS NECESSARY."

[Randy T.]

Since this is a thread about cleaning your throttle body, than you are saying that sea foam is going to get the tb cleaner than removing it and cleaning it?

Then pull your throttle body after cleaning and see how it looks, if it looks like the pics below, I will buy a can of sea foam and drink it.







As for cleaning the intake and combustion chamber, hot water will do a better job than seafoam. Like I said before, the smoke coming out of you exhaust is seafoam, not carbon. I would not recommend putting seafoam in your oil, either. If you do, I would definitely not go over 5 minutes, but even when you drain it, some will be left behind. I have heard good reviews about the product linked below.

www.auto-rx.com/

As for my comment about the seafoam getting carbon all over you engine. I guess anything cleaning carbon would do that anyways. I thought about that after I said it.

[helljack6]

I respect your opinion on Sea Foam Randy. I'm just taking it directly off the manufacturer's website. They say you can leave it in your oil longer than 5-10 minutes, I've personally left it in for about 2k miles and then changed it (instead of the usual 3k-3500 interval I normally do). It's all on the their website and that's pretty much what I follow.

[Deleted]

For any member here who has NOT done this...DO IT!

9 out of 10 times it will improve throttle response, and engine smoothness. I took apart my geo today in an attempt to trace down a "whistle" which I linked to the TB. Never have I seen so much carbon on a single engine part in my life. It was jamming the TB open by about 1/8 of an inch, just enough to cause high idle, and a darn whistle.

45 minutes later, I have a smooth running 4 banger, and no dang whistle. DO IT!


P.S. I did do this on my Aurora...it really does improve throttle response...probably good for atleast 18 horse power.

[RCA1186]

Hey Randy, how long does it take to pull the throttle body? I haven't tried it yet.

[Randy T.]

Been a while since I have pulled one, I would guess 30 minutes, if you take your time.

[sall]

Make sure to get a new gasket!

[RCA1186]

Will do if it needs to be taken off. So I'm guessing its not that involved then haha.

[Randy T.]

Super easy, I pulled 2 off this afternoon, off of parts intakes. One actually had a cracked gasket and it was also very dry and old and dry and old. So pull them to clean them and install a new gasket, that's what you have to do. If you clean it while on the motor, don't say so here or I will say you should not have done that, and I don't want to have to do that.