Throttle Body Cleaning

[lexus082]

When the dealer does a "throttle body" cleaning what is the process in which they do this. I know you have to remove the air intake hose to gain access to the throttle body, but does the dealership do anything else other than just wiping the throttle body out with throttle body cleaner??

[monarch]

Only the throttle plate (butterfly valve) and it's surrounding bore need to be cleaned of accumulated goo. It's easy to do this by first lightly spraying cleaner on the butterfly valve and surrounding bore to loosen the goo, then scrub the parts clean with a toothbrush that has been moistened in the cleaner. Next wrap a thin towel (a lint free microfiber towel is ideal) around the head of the toothbrush and use it to wipe up the liquified goo. The throttle plate and surrounding bore will end up sparking clean. The engine will start right up because only minimal amount of cleaner were used.

The wrong procedure which some owners follow is to spray the throttle plate and intake area behind the throttle plate heavily with cleaner This causes hard starting and may damage nearby parts like the throttle position sensor.

[lexus082]

Only the throttle plate (butterfly valve) and it's surrounding bore need to be cleaned of accumulated goo.  It's easy to do this by first lightly spraying cleaner on the butterfly valve and surrounding bore to loosen the goo, then scrub the parts clean with a toothbrush that has been moistened in the cleaner.  Next wrap a thin towel (a lint free microfiber towel is ideal) around the head of the toothbrush and use it to wipe up the liquified goo.  The throttle plate and surrounding bore will end up sparking clean.  The engine will start right up because only minimal amount of cleaner were used.

The wrong procedure which some owners follow is to spray the throttle plate and intake area behind the throttle plate heavily with cleaner  This causes hard starting and may damage nearby parts like the throttle position sensor.

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So the second butterfly valve cannot be cleaned I guess unless you remove the throttle body completely right?

[sightdev]

“The wrong procedure” not sure about that. I have been working on cars for the past 20+ years and I have never heard of anyone using tooth brush just around the plate/butterfly.

I have done this to all the cars I have owned and never had a problem. Since SC400 throttle sits on its side it is little more difficult for the throttle cleaner to stay inside. With my SC and other cars I have that has opening on the side, I will shoot massive doses of spray right inside while the engine is running. Toyota is famous for carbon deposits so this cleaning method is a really effective way to clean out the intake deposits. It will not harm the O2 sensor or the catalytic converters. I do this once a year and it keeps all of my cars running in tip top shape. For those with little hesitation, please try this. If you have hesitation caused by intake deposits, your problem is solved. I wouldn’t stick anything inside. To open the butterfly, just flip it open from the outside and shoot the cleaner right into the chamber. On SC400, you will have a little hole right at the beginning of the opening that is connected to the left valve cover via rubber hose. Should disconnect the host so the cleaner doesn’t sip in side the engine. I would recommend Valvoline syn throttle cleaner as I have discovered this is more effective than the GUMOUT that I have been using for the past 15 years.

Only the throttle plate (butterfly valve) and it's surrounding bore need to be cleaned of accumulated goo.  It's easy to do this by first lightly spraying cleaner on the butterfly valve and surrounding bore to loosen the goo, then scrub the parts clean with a toothbrush that has been moistened in the cleaner.  Next wrap a thin towel (a lint free microfiber towel is ideal) around the head of the toothbrush and use it to wipe up the liquified goo.  The throttle plate and surrounding bore will end up sparking clean.  The engine will start right up because only minimal amount of cleaner were used.

The wrong procedure which some owners follow is to spray the throttle plate and intake area behind the throttle plate heavily with cleaner  This causes hard starting and may damage nearby parts like the throttle position sensor.

←

So the second butterfly valve cannot be cleaned I guess unless you remove the throttle body completely right?

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