Dirty Throttle Body

[CanadaCraig]

Hi Guys!! :)

How would a dirty throttle body effect a cars performance? [namely an LS400]

Thanks.

Craig

[lextildeath]

Imagine a dirty throttle body like a throat full of mucus. It makes it harder to breathe. It lets less air in to the combustion chamber and will give you less power. Plus, it could make the throttle plate sticky-delaying throttle response. Plus, if the gunky goo that gets stuck in the throttle body gets loose and gets burnt with the fuel, it can saturate your catalytic converter sooner than with a clean throttle body. So you will have less power, less fuel economy, more emissions, more vibrations, less dates. Namely an LS 400, meaning not a newer LS430 would indicate that the car is more than a few years old and would have even more greasy build up than a newer car. Just maintain it by cleaning it with TB cleaner or steel cleaner ever so often. It is a great car. Enjoy it.

Anthony.

[Lexusfreak]

Imagine a dirty throttle body like a throat full of mucus. It makes it harder to breathe. It lets less air in to the combustion chamber and will give you less power. Plus, it could make the throttle plate sticky-delaying throttle response. Plus, if the gunky goo that gets stuck in the throttle body gets loose and gets burnt with the fuel, it can saturate your catalytic converter sooner than with a clean throttle body. So you will have less power, less fuel economy, more emissions, more vibrations, less dates. Namely an LS 400, meaning not a newer LS430 would indicate that the car is more than a few years old and would have even more greasy build up than a newer car. Just maintain it by cleaning it with TB cleaner or steel cleaner ever so often. It is a great car. Enjoy it.

Anthony.

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I would have to agree with lex on his analogy B)

[CanadaCraig]

Hi Anthony!! :)

I appreciate the response. Thanks!!

Could a dirty TB cause the following problems? Poor acceleration - especially off the line. [My '93 LS takes 12 to 13 seconds to reach 60 mph] A reluctance to approach 100 mph. [it gets there - but takes forever - would need the circumference of the earth to reach top speed!! lol] A gas pedal that vibrates? A gas pedal that often sticks when first pressed on? A somewhat rough idle? Mislead someone into thinking that the timing it 'off' or that there is 'bad fuel'? Could it cause a 'towing a boat' sensation when on the highway? A slight 'surge' in other words.

That's all I can think of right now. Not bad - considering it's like 3:20 AM!!

Does it take very much 'gunky goo' to cause problems?

Thanks again,

Craig!! :)

ps less dates? Really? Wouldn't it just replace the old 'sorry honey - I'm out of gas' excuse with "sorry honey - car won't start - dirty throttle body?!" :P

[lextildeath]

Yeah those all seem like they can be a dirty TB. It kinda needs a good amount of gunk to be that noticeable, but it is hard to define what is a considerable amount. Just clean that sucker out to be certain. Other causes of those symptoms may include, the oil has not been changed as often as it should have, the cat might need to be replaced, you might need a new air filter, or the throttle tube may have come loose and been misaligned. It happened to me once. The rubber connector on the TB became misaligned with the intake tube from the airbox and the car was shaking and being all slow. I thought I ruined something from the fast driving I do, but on a Lexus its usually something stupid that just happens and can be easily fixed and prevented. I hope your baby can be back to normal soon.

Anthony.