Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting tb clean question

i was down at my local pep boys getting some new tires and i noticed they charge 25 bucks for cleaning the throttle body, something i wanted to do myself but i knew with my mechanic skills (none) something would definitely go wrong. anyone had any experience with their service when it comes to this? my car is suffering from a really bad th problem but then again i dont want them to screw up some other [censored] while im there.

btw, while putting on the new tires they managed to break two studs. a 1 hour operation extended into a 5 hour sit and watch pga golf in the waiting room funday. are they really that bad when it comes to anything or is what i experienced just an isolated incident?

Sometimes they really are that bad.

Cleaning the throttle body is easy. It has been posted several times but I'll give you the short course.

Gather up the tools and supplies you need. You will need a spray can of cleaner, preferably one that says that it is intended for use with teflon coated throttle bodies (but not critical. Find an soft old tooth brush. Normal hand tools including a screwdriver to remove the air intake tube at the throttle body.

Start with a warmed up engine. Shut off the engine and remove the air intake tube at the throttle body. Hold the throttle plate open and spray the throttle body bore and throttle plate with cleaner. Gently scrub the throttle bore and both sides of the throttle plate with the toothbrush. Spray and brush until it shines. Wipe gently with a soft cloth if needed. Open and close the throttle plate as needed to help obtain thorough cleaning. Pay particular attention to a black carbon ring that builds up in the bore just inside the throttle plate. Gentle but thorough is the key here. You don't want to damage the teflon coating.

You may find a label that says do not clean due to the teflon coating. Ignore the label. Clean it anyway, just be careful not to damage it from rough scrubbing or rough treatment. The teflon coating does not eliminate the need for cleaning, but it does make the build up lighter and easier to clean.

When finished, close the throttle, reinstall the air intake tube, and start the engine. It may be a little difficult to start due to the cleaner and junk that went into the intake manifold. It may be necessary to hold the throttle wide open when you crank to shut off the injectors and clear out the cylinders. Once it does start it may run a little rough for a moment, but it will settle down.

Follow up with a good injector cleaner in the tank to clean the injectors as well.

Good post Jim.

In my experience, 1/2 the Pep Boyz I've been to are that bad - or worse. I will not take my car to them ever again, you just can't know who will be working on your car.

Everybody here will be happy to help with all your questions about your car, so build some confidence, knowledge, & do it yourself.

For future reference, great tire deals can be had at tirerack.com for tires. Check their installer list for an installer near you (prices are posted), then use their system to pick the best tires for your car. You can even have the tires drop shipped to the installer (call him first) so you don't have to deal with lugging tires around - NO EXTRA CHARGE.

I got some 80,000 mile touring tires for about what I would have paid for Pep Boys tires. The same tires were minimum $20 more PER TIRE locally. Research your tires with Consumer Reports, too. That always helps.

JimR

wow, lengthy response

i do have a few questions though:

u say remove the air intake tube. what are the things to watch out for? i dont want to break anything while removing it. does it come out off of screws or do i have to force it out?

also when u say throttle body bore, u mean the entire component into which the plate is built in right?


and tiger, i wish i knew about that tirerack.com 3 days ago

tia guys

thanks a bunch. i bought the tb cleaner and fuel injection cleaner already, going to do the job this weekend.


another question, because i value your opinion: this weekend im also going to change the oil. what kind of filter would you recommend best for synthetic oil? ive used fram in the past but ive heard bad things about them.


tia again

Thomas, Just stick with the Motorcraft FL820S and you will be fine. FWIW, you just might want to invest $12 and pick-up a Chilton or Haynes car manual. Will will be amazed at what you will learn. Good-luck!