OK, I am doing it this weekend. THrottle body cleaning

[longrunQ]

I want to gain that extra hp that everyone is talking about.

Please post any helpful tips here.

Is there anything I need to watch out for? How many hours roughly am I looking at? What do I need.

I am going to check the repair manual for how to remove it, but if I cant, I'll be right back here with questions.

What else should I clean while I am at it?

wish me LUCK

[DAEDALUS]

Don't pin your hopes of unleashing 30 HP on this one task. Q ownership is a relationship that, like most, requires consistent work and attention in many areas. 10-years of unhappy marriage can't be made right with one boquet of roses.Set aside 3-4 hours and use any leftover time to become more familiar with the components under the hood and where they're referenced in the manual. If you're going to remove the TB you will need to get a new paper gasket for it. You'll be disconnecting the air intake hose anyway so clean that too. Check to see how dirty the inside of the plenum is; you may eventually decide to pull it to clean it and the runners, but then we're talking MAJOR work--not a spur-of-the-moment decision. There are a few sibling jobs that go along with plenum removal. While you're in the neighborhood get to know the EGR valve and the IAC behind the plenum. I'd suggest cleaning these too, but that's more work than just the TB. IAC uses a paper gasket as well. I know people have their intakes cleaned with pressurized solvents in a can. I've always wondered how effective these are. I would love to someday have an honest and fair evaluation done in which a dirty intake is cleaned repeatedly and inspected before and after each treatment. My first guess is that 50% of the mist gets combusted without even touching anything. My second guess is that even after a few treatments, most of the carbon buildup would still be there on the inner surface of the plenum. To be fair, I've heard that it does make a difference.

[longrunQ]

thanks Daedalus,

I just looked through the service manual and it says nothing of removing the throttle body.

I am assuming that the throttle body is the square looking unit that connects to the air intake. Are there any special things I need to note in removing it? I sure hope that autozone has a paper gasket for it.

I will clean the intake too as best as I can.

Do you dissasemble the TB?

thanks

[longrunQ]

I just read my other thread and there were detailed instructions.I think its a job that pretty easy whether one takes it off the car or leaves it on.

I want to take it off . Do I have to peg any hoses or can I simply pull them?

[Q45tech]

The silver colored throttle body is very touchy in that the valve is bronze, scratches and scrapes are a no no. You have coolant in and out lines and vacuum lines to contend with. The adjustment screws should NEVER be touched -- their adjustments are fine and critical to idle and warm up idle speed [function of coolant temperature].

Any power gains are the results of correcting air flow losses [resistance] from the gunky EGR and PCV vapors mixed with dirt getting through the air filter and minute changes in the diameter of things and creating Extra frictional losses to the high speed air flow.

Don't adjust the TPS position without a Consult!

Always clean the TB and as far as you can reach inside the plenum neck manually before using a BG vapor intake cleaning bottle as why just force extra dirt down into the runners.

I have 2.5" diameter brushes on long dowels to reach inside the plenum [once the TB is removed] then all the vaporized solvent can just work on the runner insides.

It is much easier with the plenum removed and on the floor!

[longrunQ]

I just cleaned my throttlebody and I feel like something of a mechanic. IT feels darn good too.

The dirt that came out of that thing was unbelievable. I bought one can of carb cleaner and it was not nearly enough. So I bought two more and ended up using them up.

I did not take the TB off because autozone did not have a paper gasket so I cleaned it on the unit. I used two rough towels and those things were a mess when I got thru. I had to throw them away.

I must say that you guys are correct. THe throttle response is much better. The engine even sounds better.

Thanks

[Q45tech]

A 240,000 mile Q engine should idle [and accelerate] like brand new if it was properly maintained!Of course not doing the necessary cleaning will allow dirt to get into the cylinders - wearing the rings.

The minimum cleaning schedule is every 60,000 miles but I do the entire process every year.......easy to see that the idle [with AC on] gets a little unstable or changes when you move the steering wheel to parallel park.

If you get a vapor cleaning of the plenum and runners and a fuel rail/injector flush and a BG chemical Quick Clean of the HLA to remove the varnish you will gain an order of magnitude improvement in smoothness and transitional throttle response!

Absolutely necessary to get the Power Balance between cylinders exactly equal to return the engine to as designed.