I gotta get my 2006 Corolla with 83,000 miles on it back to good running condition. I cleaned the throttle body and MAF sensor without disconnecting the battery; now I am getting a sucking noise when the gas pedal is hit. It happens right when the pedal is hit. Poor acceleration, too. Help!
Sounds like you may have knocked a vacuum hose loose.
Should I use Scotty's cigar smoke method to search for a leak?
You could certainly give that a try though I would do a visual check first to see if there's anything obvious disconnected.
Did a visual check for vacuum leaks, nothing. Maybe I damaged some kind of sensor when cleaning the throttle body.
Loose vacuum hose does seem most likely though. You could try the cigar smoke test or spray around with carb cleaner (if you find a leak the idle will react).
This is a tell-tale symptom of vacuum leak. Try to follow the hiss sound to the source of the leak.
Sometimes it helps to stick a length of hose in your ear like a stethoscope.
Or get some starter fluid and spray it around the intake. If the engine speeds up, then you've found the right spot.
misting water works too. Listen for decrease in engine RPM, and watch for steam in exhaust.