Best way to clean throttle body question

[kendem]

I disconnected my mass air housing and throttle body boot to change a couple of vacuum hoses that lie underneath and discovered my throttle body and valve looked real dirty. I cleaned the inside the best I could with some damp paper towels soaked with gas. I suspect that my collector is equally dirty.

Since never having done this before, Should I reinstall the rubber boot and mass air flow housing and disconnect the hose on the rubber boot (the hose that connects to the valve cover) and flush with carb cleaner or sea foam down the opening while the engine is running?

Thanks Ken

[SHIFT__Nismo]

Hey I just did this over the weekend myself (KA24DE).

I just did this on my Z32. Disconnect the battery (negative only is fine)

Get yourself a can of Throttle Body Cleaner. Find a toothbrush (make sure to thoroughly check to make sure the bristles are not going to fall out).

I put a rag underneath the throttle body and then started cleaning away, using the brush and spraying. Use the little director hose on the cleaner to help direct. (MAKE SURE THAT IT IS SECURE - you do not want this thing flying to the back of your intake manifold)

You'll also have to figure away to prop the butterfly open (using tension on the cable, not physically jaming something into the the butterfly itself).

After you've done this, I reconnected the intake piping and reconnected the battery.

It will be hard to start, you'll have to give it some gas, - don't worry too much about the hard start, it will go away. While you are doing this,I also decided to spray and clean out the hose that goes to the IAC.

Disconnecting this hose will cause the motor to die, so what you want to do is:1. with motor running, have the clamp already disconnected, then rev the engine up a little while disconnecting this hose to the IAC (having a friend helps).

2. You'll have to keep the motor reved as your doing this, now spray into the piping that goes to the back of the motor.

If you don't keep the motor reved, it will die, to start the motor back up, you will have to reconnect the hose, then start the proceedure all over again. (if you do not reconnect the hose, you will have one hell of a time starting the motor)

[Vegascorbin]

I cleaned the inside the best I could with some damp paper towels soaked with gas.

CLEANING WITH GAS IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA

my two cents

Otherwise what SHIFT__Nismo said sounds good.

[kendem]

Thanks for the suggestions,Also I noticed the vacuum line to my egr/cannister solenoid valve was plugged. I finally found where the vacuum line originates from, there is a metal tube located below the throttle body coming out of the intake collector.

I removed the hose and reconnected a longer hose and blew air through it. And sure enough air came out where the hose connects to the egr/cannister solenoid valve. I then reconnected the hose to the other fitting and blew air and it was plugged from the manifold collector side. I blew again and was able to unclog it. I should probable squirt some carb cleaner down the entire line while the engine is running.

[SHIFT__Nismo]

Hey Kendem,Can you shoot a photo of this?

Thanks,

[kendem]

Ok I'll try if I can figure out the details with the photos. Yesterday I bought a can of throttle body cleaner from auto zone and squirted it down the vacuum port that connects to the egr/cannister soleonid. I connected a longer vacuum tube to the port to make it easier. While the engine was running is when I squirted it in. It was real plugged up at first but after about 5-6 steady squirts and with the throttle acceletating 2-3k it cleaned it up real good.

I reconnected the vacuum port hose and then disconnected the vacuum hose from the metal tube to the soleonid valve and did the same thing. I did this because I wanted to clean the entire vacuum line from the vacuum port to the soleonid valve.

Now my egr valve works real good. The valve lifts when the rpm's are above idle speed due to good vacuum. Also make sure your BPT valve is working because if it is not your EGR valve will not work.

Ken

[kendem]

I also forgot to mention that the egr soleonid's vacuum port shares the same vacuum line as the carbon cannister. There is a Tee connection before the soleonid.

Although I now have vacuum to my cannister I might still clean out that line at some point, maybe using a vacuum pump with a bleed bottle and squirting throttle body cleaner on one end and pumping from the other. ORsimply connecting a vacuum hose to the throttle body vacuum port and connect the other end to the Tee junction and let the engine perform the vacuum while squirting cleaner from the carbon cannister vacuum end.

I think the drawback to the latter might produce unnecessary carbon sucked back into the throttle collector.

Ken

[krash133]

Autozone sells MAF/AFM cleaner also, I would use it on the MAF sensor as it dries with no residue to mess with the sensor element