De-carbing the throttle body
12-04-13, 01:54 PM
#1
De-carbing the throttle body
I wish I had pictures but alas I have become lazy with DIY. I've come to the point that I enjoy taking pictures of others doing the work as I watch... 
Anyway, I paid the Lexus dealer to do it. $134 with tax. I notice the acceleration is slightly smoother and it seems like she might have a little more power. Not any drastic change but noticeable. I did do a soft reset my ECM (disconnect the negative for 30 seconds) after I picked it up. I noticed this was not done with the service.
The big change is my gas mileage but I am unsure if the reset or cleaning the TB made the difference. I'm leaning towards both. Again, this is not very scientific but on my commute home I reset my average mpg once I got on the highway and drove about 18 miles to my exit. I usually only get about 25 - 26.5 mpg driving between 65 and 80 mph with the hills but I averaged 30.9 Definitely an improvement but again, I do not know for sure if the throttle body was responsible for this.
De-carbing the throttle body is always a good idea. I don't think mine was really dirty but it did make a noticeable improvement. If yours is older and has more mileage you will probably get even more benefits. Worth the money. I recommend it.
The pic is from on-ramp to exit. 18 miles with the AC on as well.
Anyway, I paid the Lexus dealer to do it. $134 with tax. I notice the acceleration is slightly smoother and it seems like she might have a little more power. Not any drastic change but noticeable. I did do a soft reset my ECM (disconnect the negative for 30 seconds) after I picked it up. I noticed this was not done with the service.
The big change is my gas mileage but I am unsure if the reset or cleaning the TB made the difference. I'm leaning towards both. Again, this is not very scientific but on my commute home I reset my average mpg once I got on the highway and drove about 18 miles to my exit. I usually only get about 25 - 26.5 mpg driving between 65 and 80 mph with the hills but I averaged 30.9 Definitely an improvement but again, I do not know for sure if the throttle body was responsible for this.
De-carbing the throttle body is always a good idea. I don't think mine was really dirty but it did make a noticeable improvement. If yours is older and has more mileage you will probably get even more benefits. Worth the money. I recommend it.
The pic is from on-ramp to exit. 18 miles with the AC on as well.
Last edited by Lavrishevo; 12-04-13 at 01:59 PM.
12-04-13, 05:00 PM
#2
The maf can easily be cleaned. Get a bottle of maf cleaner from the auto parts store or use electronic cleaner. Spray the bare wires inside the case and drain excess fluid out. Repeat until clean. When they get dirty it kills performance and mileage. Be careful not to touch the wires with the plastic straw. Mine were not very dirty.
It's right there on the intake tubing right after the filter box. It can be removed over the abs lines with minimal effort.
It's right there on the intake tubing right after the filter box. It can be removed over the abs lines with minimal effort.
Last edited by Lavrishevo; 12-04-13 at 05:04 PM.
12-04-13, 07:15 PM
#3
Look at the back of the MAF cleaner can... not for use on Lexus MAF sensors... Lexus does not use a hotwire type, but a Kármán vortex sensor... dealers advice not to touch em, I didn't, use your own judgment.
12-04-13, 07:35 PM
#4
LS430's don't have Karman vortex air flow meters. They have mass airflow sensors. Look inside the maf sensor and your will see the hot wires.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-cleaning.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...-cleaning.html
Last edited by Lavrishevo; 12-04-13 at 07:38 PM.
12-04-13, 08:16 PM
#5
Moderator
I have cleaned the MAF sensor on my 2006 LS430 using CRC brand aerosol MAF cleaner approximately 5-6 times in last 4 years with absolutely no ill effects. I also use CRC brand TB aerosol cleaner to clean the TB at the same intervals. Engine runs smooth as silk, at idle it is difficult to tell it is even running. Lifetime average mpg on the car is apprx 21.8 on mix of city and highway driving. Road trip style highway driving produces about 26.7 mpg.
Last edited by Jabberwock; 12-04-13 at 08:19 PM.
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12-05-13, 02:25 PM
#8
Maybe a little. The car feels better overall and I have only felt that downshift once since the service and it was not as hard. 95% of the time I do not notice the downshift. I consider myself very in tune with my car and notice something different or any noises that almost everyone else does not. Funny, I only notice it on a certain downhill slope that goes from about 50 mph to going back uphill and then a stop sign. The only place I really notice it and if I slow down sooner it does not happen at all. I'm convinced it's the way it is programmed.
Since the ecu was already updated it was not possible to re-flash. The tb cleaning was something I wanted to do anyway and then after he suggested it I said go for it. Something I also did on my ls400 that improved the car a lot. My old ls400 shifted similar when downshifting and had some other weird shifting traits that are pretty well documented in that forum.
So, no the tb cleaning did not get rid of the problem but then again what I was describing I can hardly call a problem. It's not like the downshift was abusive or harsh in a damaging way. More like noticeable vs the silky way she normally downshifts.
Since the ecu was already updated it was not possible to re-flash. The tb cleaning was something I wanted to do anyway and then after he suggested it I said go for it. Something I also did on my ls400 that improved the car a lot. My old ls400 shifted similar when downshifting and had some other weird shifting traits that are pretty well documented in that forum.
So, no the tb cleaning did not get rid of the problem but then again what I was describing I can hardly call a problem. It's not like the downshift was abusive or harsh in a damaging way. More like noticeable vs the silky way she normally downshifts.
Last edited by Lavrishevo; 12-05-13 at 04:33 PM.
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