Hello good afternoon, I have a question regarding cleaning the Throttle body on my 2004 Chevy Express 1500.
So recently I've decided to do something with the van out front of my house that's been sitting for three years. I'm changing all the fluids and everything you should do when putting a vehicle on the road after years of sitting. I also want to clean the mass air flow sensor and throttle body.
My question is, should I take the throttle body out and clean it or leave it in there, give it a few sprays, and wipe it down?
I always clean it outside of the vehicle so the dirt and gunk doesn't go back in the engine.
This way I can also be sure I don't damage any plastics.
it's also just easier to clean the ENTIRE TB when it's out, and you can get to all sides.
Thank you for replying! Very much appreciated!
To @MMJ's point about plastic, I'd say it depends on how your throttle body and intake is made and what it's all made of. My 1999 Ranger's throttle body is all metal. The intake is also cast aluminum, so I just doused the throttle plate and surrounding metal with the cleaner and let it sit. I probably wouldn't have done that on a 2001 or newer 3.0, as Ford replaced the aluminum intake with plastic that year. Mine probably had never been cleaned before. When I tried to start it, it wouldn't start for 2 or 3 attempts, then started and ran like crap for a few minutes. Don't be surprised if yours does this, it may if it's dirty enough. The PCM has to recalibrate itself and understand it's not dirty anymore.
Thank you a lot for your reply! I will look into seeing if everything is plastic or metal.
Personally, I’ve never taken the throttle body out. I just spray and clean. @jeffrey-hughes
On the car I worked on, I had to remove the intake and the filter box, but not the throttle body. I actually think leaving the throttle body in is better because you have leverage to open the throttle.
Yea I can see it from your point of view. Thank you for your reply! Very much appreciated!