Clean Throttle Body

After many hours of searching here, I get in trouble with the sear as I end up reading way to much stuff , I have convinced myself that my idle problem is down to a dirty MAF and a throttle body that has never been cleaned. I found a great thread on how to clean the MAF but really no instructions on how to clean the TB. I did find a video on youtube on how to clean one but I don't trust them like I do you guys and gals here. All help is appreciated. Now on to the specifics.

2003 Z66 1500 123,000 miles on 5.3

Problems - I have had a rough idle for awhile now and have just put it down as bad gas. Now it is getting worse. In park I can goose it up to around 3 grand and when it comes back down it want to stall out and then gets back to 500 RPM. Wnet for a haircut today and it died as I pulled into the parking space. Pulled in straight with no turn. Started right back up. All guages were fine. Happened so fast I did not have time to look at the guages when it shut off. Really surprsed me actually. So now it is time for some cleaning. Is there a thread I missed about how to clean TB.

Questoins for the TB clean -

Engine running?
Remove TB or just shoot TB cleaner in and hope for the best?
Scurb out with toothbrush or rag?
ETC.

Thanks for the help!

I recently installed a Spectre CAI, and while the intake tube was off, it was just a matter of 3 nuts, 1 coolant hose and 1 electrical connector to remove the throttle body.
I sprayed the heck out of it off the truck, used a toothbrush and Q-tips to clean what the cleaner didn't take off on it's own.

It really did not take much at all to pull the throttle body off. Maybe 30-40 minutes total, including the intake tube.

you can use amsoil power foam, engine running, to clean the throttle body. or take it of and gently clean with a tooth brush and t.b. cleaner.  the power foam stuff works great.

Does sound like a dirty throttle body. But do not open it by hand. It can throw off your calibration

But best and easiest way to clean gm drive by wire throttle bodies is to turn the switch on where all your lights on the dash come on, get somebody or something and hold the accelerator on the floor; the throttle body will open up and clean up all the gunk while its open and i clean mine with a rag sprayed down reallly well with brake parts cleaner.

How's the battery doing. 

as long as the truck is off there is no way to mess up the calibration on the throttle body by opening it. only way to mess it up is disassembling the motor and sensor housing.

Appreciate all the replies. I am going to attempt this over the weekend.

MS03 the battery is doing fine. That was my first point of concern as I know a weak battery can make these trucks do crazy things.

I took mine off, cleaned the heck out of it with some throttle body spray and a shop rag and slammed it back on.

The idle smoothed out nicely and some starting issues I was having cleared up right away.

A 20 minute job if you take a 10 minute break halfway through.

Go for it.

krazycarguy said:

as long as the truck is off there is no way to mess up the calibration on the throttle body by opening it. only way to mess it up is disassembling the motor and sensor housing.

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I mentioned that. Because when in school my instructor told us to never operate them by hand because its possible with some car manufactures to mess them up. But he did work on fords for years

Just cleaned the TB and the MAf. Used this by Badge767  http://chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,109945.0.html


Thanks for the replies! Warm up in the driveway was a huge improvement. Going to test drive in a bit but I can really tell a difference now in my idle and throttle response. I even put the AC at full and Heat at full, rev'd it up and when it came back down RMP's never below 500. Before it would almost shut off. I tried to kill it out with no luck.

This club is 

I started throwing codes related to the throttle.  I would clear the code with my OBD tool and it would be ok for a few days then come back on. I first cleaned the MAF screen and sensor wire.  Not help.  I tried cleaning it with throttle body cleaner and I could not get it to my satisfaction.  I finally broke down and bought a new Throttle Body Assembly on line.  It installed in minutes and has done the job fine since.  I think it was $160.  I figure this would have been a $500 tail chase at my local dealer.

JPK

jpkherd said:

I started throwing codes related to the throttle.  I would clear the code with my OBD tool and it would be ok for a few days then come back on. I first cleaned the MAF screen and sensor wire.  Not help.  I tried cleaning it with throttle body cleaner and I could not get it to my satisfaction.  I finally broke down and bought a new Throttle Body Assembly on line.  It installed in minutes and has done the job fine since.  I think it was $160.  I figure this would have been a $500 tail chase at my local dealer.

JPK

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Which code are you getting? 101 is the MAF code, there is a code for the TPS- throttle postiion sensor also

Avalon

2005 1500 Z71 146000mi,

I just finished replacing knock sensors, while I was in there I cleaned the top of the head, the ports, the intake manifold, and throttle body. I made the mistake of manually opening the throttle body while cleaning it. Put her all back together and the knock code is gone, mission success, but now the idle is either too high or too low and when you let off the gas from a given RPM (lets say 3000 RPM) instead of dropping to idle it lingers around 2000 RPM and slowly descends to idle.

I have preformed the "Relearn Procedure" but it's still having issues. Is there a way to re-calibrate it or am I better off just getting a new one for $150, maybe a used one off a junker...?

Thanks,

TuffysTruck said:

2005 1500 Z71 146000mi,

I just finished replacing knock sensors, while I was in there I cleaned the top of the head, the ports, the intake manifold, and throttle body. I made the mistake of manually opening the throttle body while cleaning it. Put her all back together and the knock code is gone, mission success, but now the idle is either too high or too low and when you let off the gas from a given RPM (lets say 3000 RPM) instead of dropping to idle it lingers around 2000 RPM and slowly descends to idle.

I have preformed the "Relearn Procedure" but it's still having issues. Is there a way to re-calibrate it or am I better off just getting a new one for $150, maybe a used one off a junker...?

Thanks,

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear this.

I have manually opened and closed the throttle bodies dozens of times on both my 2004 EXT and my wife's 2006 CTS while cleaning them.

I hold the throttle vane fully open with my thumb while I spray throttle body cleaner and scrub all inner surfaces clean with a shop rag.

I do try to not "slam" the throttle vane open, however.

But those jokers do have quite a bit of resistance to them as they are opening.

Both have performed flawlessly after every cleaning.

I'm wondering if your throttle body was having other issues before the cleaning and was on it's way out anyway.

Hope you get this resolved in the cheapest possible way.

it should re-learn itself after 50 miles.

Thanks all,

It does seem to have relearned after a good amount of driving. The "Relearn Procedure" must only work for new throttle body installation because it was not enough time for the computer to figure everything out.

To avoid the re-learn, turn ignition to "run" without starting the engine (accessories powered, etc.) Then place a weight or something g to hold the accelerator pedal down. This will open the butterfly valve on the throttle body to allow access to clean inside, but the ECU will be able to keep a good register/map of the position. Once it's clean, lift the weight off, start it up and you're good to go.

I'm going to have to try that it's pretty simple. I know if you floor the gas pedal while starting it it will go into flood mode but did not know it would open the air plate with the engine not trying to start.