Throttle Body Cleans

SirHenry · 03-09-2011, 06:45 PM

Well after about 7 years of owning my AU I finally did a throttle body clean and replaced the air filter after trying to fix an annoying miss in the low rev ranges.

I used to be a non-believer of throttle body cleans (you know the how important could it possibly be mindset) well let me say after cleaning it ...

WOW! What a difference it makes to the power. I didn't realise how much power it had lost and how much it gained back after throttle body clean and air filter replacement.

Oh yeah the crud that came off the body and plate unbelievable.

I think it may have fixed the miss in it, if not it has certainly improved some much needed performance.

dieseltrain79 · 03-09-2011, 08:15 PM

DId you install new spark plugs afterwards ?

As normally shops will use the TB cleaner before changing plugs as they foul .

SirHenry · 03-09-2011, 09:24 PM

I've just changed the plugs before I cleaned TB

rowan194 · 03-09-2011, 10:59 PM

I'm also a fan of throttle body cleaning, makes a BIG difference... I noticed the improvement mainly when cruising and needing to accelerate a bit (eg overtaking), it's like it just pushes ahead rather than labouring for a moment, kicking down a gear then taking off.

I used clean lint free paper towel so I could clearly see the black deposits I was wiping off.

Here's something else I tried recently...

http://www.nulon.com.au/products/Aer...ntake_Cleaner/

This is a little different because you can also spray it into the spark plug holes to clean the piston crowns. I noticed sizeable improvement after doing this, taking off it's like it has a lot of extra oomph. At first I thought it was a placebo effect or self fulfilling prophecy (foot gets subconsiously heavier because I'm expecting a change) but the next day I wasn't even thinking about it and suddenly noticed how much more power it had when I first started off.

Never heard about throttle body cleaner fouling sparks? Surely you'd want to clean your TB more often than you replace your sparks?

dieseltrain79 · 03-09-2011, 11:26 PM

No need to over clean throttle bodies . Thats why most places will do it when changing plugs ( which i recommend changing them alot mroe often than the 25-50k dealers say ) .

Cant really say i felt a difference on the AU , then again its a slug compared to my other car .

hendoau99 · 04-09-2011, 11:37 PM

i did a TB clean about 2 months ago. and i will agree that there is a massive difference in throttle response and just general feel. i don't think mine had ever been cleaned by the gunk i was faced with. big difference IMO.

Day-mow · 05-09-2011, 12:30 AM

just spray in carby cleaner and clean out with a lint free cloth yeah?

raised by monkeys · 05-09-2011, 12:45 AM

3) Piston crown cleaning:

While the engine is still turned off, remove all spark plugs. Spray a 2 second burst into each spark plug hole. Leave the engine to stand for 5 minutes. NOTE: Before reinstalling the spark plugs, cover up the spark plug holes with clean unused paper or cloth and crank the engine several times. Reinstall spark plugs.

crank engine without plugs?

rowan194 · 05-09-2011, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raised by monkeys

crank engine without plugs?

Yep. I used a big wad of screwed up paper towel to make sure the ignition lead ends were sitting well away from the block and other grounded metal. If you're really paranoid you could disconnect the coil pack control wiring (not the ignition leads) from under the car.

Sounds very strange when you crank it, I guess because there's no compression?

Guess I should have the accel pedal to the floor when cranking so the injectors don't fire? Didn't think of that until afterwards.

Unlike the demo video I didn't have any brown gunk splattering onto the paper covering the spark plug holes... I did it 3 times and they still came out clean... anyway, still made a diff.

rowan194 · 07-09-2011, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rowan194

I noticed sizeable improvement after doing this, taking off it's like it has a lot of extra oomph.

Re: Nulon foaming cleaner

I've gone through nearly a full tank since, and my fuel consumption has dropped by roughly 1L/100km. The consumption is still excessive for some reason (see http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11341363 ), but the foaming cleaner seems to have shaved a fair bit off the base consumption level. Can't wait until I fix the other prob to see how that improves things again.

1L/100km for the average car/driver is 200L of fuel saved per year! Even if it shaved only 0.5L or 0.25L/100km off it's still a significant saving, compared to the cost of the product (I think it was $12)

Another way to give your car a bit of extra oomph is to disconnect the battery and retrain the ECU/trans. My auto changing from first to second used to be a bit of a slap on the back, now it's nice and smooth.

Day-mow · 07-09-2011, 11:42 PM

i think im going to have to give this cleaner stuff a go

rowan194 · 08-09-2011, 11:18 PM

Anyone using a catch can to lessen the gunk building up in the first place? Do they work? (And are they legal?)

rob_liss_lms10 · 09-09-2011, 07:40 PM

I have been using a catch can for a couple of yeaRS NOW, THEY CERTAINLY COLLECT A BIT OF OIL, SO WITHOUT THE CATCH CAN THE OIL WOULD HAVE GONE INTO THE ENGINE. nOT SURE IF THAT REALLY MATTERS THOUGH. aFAIK THEY ARE COMPLETELY LEGAL AS LONG AS THEY ARE PLUMBED CORRECTLY.
sorry for caps, hit button while typing and cant be bothered retyping it all, mainly cause I have already forgotten what I wrote.

Day-mow · 09-09-2011, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob_liss_lms10

mainly cause I have already forgotten what I wrote.

hahaha thanks for my daily lol

**Stav** · 09-09-2011, 08:11 PM

The best way to clean the throttle body is to remove it on the au. The reason is that the crud flows down to the map sensor and clogs that as well. Remove it..clean it and then bolt it down.