I kicked my throttle body's arse! (pics)
 

On the way home from work today I decided to pick up some throttle body cleaner and clean her up. I have 90k on my 98 GS4 and it looks like the throttle body has never been cleaned. I also cleaned the MAF sensor and my K&N filter recently. Hell it feels more responsive and runs better than when I had an intake on there. It's like a $2.99 mod! If you have higher mileage and haven't done this get off your butt and do it! I hooked the battery back up and started it up and it ran at higher rpms (1000) for about 5-10 mins. Then it settled down and is really smooth. It was really full of carbon build up and I only use Amoco 93 octane.

it's dirty in there
https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/da...dium/dirty.jpg
https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/da...ium/dirtyy.jpg

the remains of the battle
https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/da...medium/stp.jpg

ahh so clean
https://www.clublexus.com/gallery/da...ium/clean1.jpg

Niiiiiice, one time I did that to some guy making fun of me....He didn't turn out as shiny as this! His eye was pretty close though.

Mine looked like that at 55k.. These cars must build up some heavy carbon.. I'm going to do it again at 65k.. Nice job.. :thumbup:

I did mine when I put my SRT in. I was suprised how dirty it was. I think this is something everyone should do if they haven't done it.

Nicely done :thumbup: Yup, a dirty TB can decrease performance. Good thread.

did you spray it right in there or just wipe it with the rag?

I was worried about spraying it in there so I just sprayed cleaner on the rag and wiped it clean. A lot of the crap on the inside was cooked on so I used a toothbrush to scrub .

Agreed.I cleaned my TB and intake when I replaced my starter and couldnt believe the difference.

More pics of where to access throttle body?

John

Pop your hood and you see the big plastic tube going from your airbox to your engine. The throttle body is where the plastic tube connects to your engine. My pics just show the front of the engine with the intake off.

Gunru,

Maybe you should post step by step for MAF sensor cleaning since it can be damaged fairly easily.

Just spray it in there and then start the car and bolow all the gunk out!

Jonny

You guys should never spray directly into the TB. You can damage the the MAFsensors within the TB. The threads in there are very fine. It is best to saturate the rag and rub the walls of the TB. You can spray the TB plate when it is closed though to get the build up off the plate.

Why does carbon build up on the throttle body plates?

I thought the fuel injectors were past them...

Read this and stopped by Advance auto on the way home. Took about 15 minutes to get the TB spotless. My car has 82K and I don't know if it's ever been done. Should it improve response, mpg, neither or both. I disconnected the - terminal while I was doing it, so the ECU probably reset anyway. I'll report back.