Snake Oil? Proprietary Throttle Body Cleaners and Tranny Flushes? (like BG)

My engine has 140,000 on it and had every service done by the dealer before I bought it. I don't know if the throttle body has ever been off. Maybe, maybe not but I'm sure not going to take all that crap apart unless I'm forced to. I just run Amsoil's cleaner through there. Before that I used to use the Chevron Techron additive. My thought is that if you use good quality gas like Chevron or Shell and run Techron or Amsoil or BG44 through the system every 3 to 5,000miles you won't ever need to take the throttle body off and scrub it. This truck had nothing but Chevron run through it for the first 120,000 miles. Not only that high quality fuel and high quality gas additives keep the O2 sensors and everything else clean. I bought mine with 120,000 on it and it now has 140,000 on it. I won't know if what I just said works for quite a while but so far so good.

 

Ill charge you 100$ flat to clean it with ATf

 

Alright so my suspicion was correct. This is best done at home. I have looked into other chemical "at the shop only" cleaners like BG and they are all sprays and i am guessing they are the same solvents as available in the store.

Since i have your attention what are your thoughts on BG's power flush transmission flush?
https://www.bgprod.com/catalog/transmission/bg-pf5-power-flush-and-fluid-exchange-system/

I really feel swapping fluids and replacing the filter and gasket is sufficient but i would have to hire it out unless i wait until May (when the snow melts) Several mechanics have been pushing this BG flush system claiming it removes varnish and a new filter is not even needed. I really feel it is snake oil. But it has been on the market for >10 years, so clearly it must be somewhat legit. What are people's thoughts?

I really like my mechanic, i trust his judgment on most everything, but these 2 issues, not so much.

 

your links broken. here's a good one.

and here's a link to another post regarding cleaning the throttle body. it's best to remove it for cleaning.

make sure you're not using brake cleaners to clean the throttle body! they melt plastic.

Certain products being "snake oils"? not possible. all the TB cleaning products actually work by removing residues. carbon buildup is a little difficult to remove, but still easier to remove when using a cleaner. ive always been told by mechanics berrymans and CRC are the best. never heard of BG though. also, in california, laws dictate that cleaners must be low VOC. they probably don't work as well as the rest of the states.

Tranny flushing machines? they're useful because they can exchange ALL of your ATF and push through flushes/cleaners. compared to if you do it yourself, you can only swap what drains from the pan. good investment.

you should at least change the filter every other recommended interval if you do this. it still has contaminates that may end up clogging the system and slowing the ATF flow. or the filter could tear, releasing the contaminates.

 

But my engine flush service comes with complementary topping off of your ignition fluid.

 

It doesnt matter really, but no gas additive will clean your throttlebody.

 

true statement there,,

 

Nope, you're wrong on this,,, the products have been in service since the 70's or early 80's,,, it was just offered through professional shops,, they have improved their products through the years, the service you get at the participating shops or a "heavy" cleaning service, not the mechanic in a can stuff you buy at the auto supply,,, the fuel additives are still strong, take paint off,,, you can buy at the shops to add.

I have my 3/4 ton pickup on their service that offers the warranty product,,, flushes,,, that you should be doing anyway,,, whatever you flush, ie: cooling system, trans, diff's, brakes, steering, basically anything with fluid, they will warranty it for the life of the car/truck, transferable,,,, you can pick and choose whatever you want to flush. They have the best tranny flush going in my books, you won't ruin a high mileage tranny with their flush.

They warranty the motor also if you use their motor oil additive on oil changes every 7500 miles I think it is. The flushes are to be done every 30,000 miles if you want the warranty,,,, if you get in under the mileage, new car or truck with less than 36,000 miles will get up to full coverage, $4,000,,,, vehicles with 36,000 to 75,000 miles get 1/2 coverage, $2,000,,, or you can just use it whenever which will work.

I think they have the best stuff out there,, you can buy the engine flush yourself if you want ,,,, 109 I think it's called,, people down here in Houston that's used it because of oil consumption issues,,, stuck rings on the newer motors because of "weak" spongy rings,,, have actually reported the vehicle stopped the consumption.

Also offer a new service I heard the other day of performance issues with vehicles, you do this particular service on the fuel I think it is,,,, if it doesn't improve your issue, money given back to you, no questions asked,, this is what I heard on my radio mechanic programs I listen to every Saturday.

So take it for what it cost you to read this,,

 

I recently used the CRC MAF cleaner to solve the following problem. I simply removed the MAF sensor from the cold air intake, sprayed the sensors and the connectors on the unit and the harness, and bazinga! I cleared the code and put around 400 miles on her with no further CEL. I'm sold on the MAF cleaner.

 

The point I was trying to make was that if high quality oil and gas is used ant the engine isn't lugged all the time then the high quality gas additives such as BG44, Amsoil etc. will keep the throttle body clean to begin with. Therefore it won't require taking it all apart to scrub it. I do see your point though. I've been thinking about taking mine apart just to see if it is filthy in there or not and if it is then I'll clean it.

 

And keeping the air filter regularly changed

 

BG products are like everything else. Some people swear by them and others don't. BG44, for example is VERY pricey compared to something like Seafoam but does it work? I have no idea. I've been told that some mechanics swear by it. "Most" of the time you get what you pay for. My only car for 19 years up until I got this 2004 Tacoma about a year and a half ago was a 1973 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. I used the BG44 in it a few times but never noticed a difference because I always ran Chevron gas, Mobil 1 and was always putting Techron in it on top of it all. Even after 19 years of driving the snot out of it all over the country I'd flush the cooling system with various cleaners and nothing but clear water came out so my guess is, just like the cooling system, the fuel system was so clean anyway I didn't notice a difference with the BG44 whereas someone who had neglected their car would notice a huge difference.

By the way. That Caddy was the most enjoyable, fun car I ever owned and I've owned quite a few over the last 40 years. Reliable as an anvil as well. In 19 years the only time it ever left me stranded was a bad alternator. The light came on and I figured that since the car was so old it was probably just an electrical issue I would fix later. It wasn't and I ran aground 100 miles later. Running at a nice 85mph of course. The alternator went bad. I REALLY miss that Caddy. They surely don't make them like that anymore.

 

I change mine every year.

 

i don't think any vehicle out there passes gas (lol) through the throttle body. all fuel is directly injected into the head via the intake ports/valves (aside from older carbureted engines). or at least by OE design.

except the 1990ish chevrolet 5.7 with 2 injectors in the throttle body. they got rid of that design real quick though.............. yeah they tried improving the carburetor design by keeping the fuel injection point in the throttle body... stupid idea.

 

Well, then what is it that causes the carbon build up in the throttle body to the point it has to be cleaned?

 

We say carbon, but it's actually from oil being drawn in from the PCV. This is one of the dirtier PCV systems I've seen when it comes to allowing oil to be sucked in along with the blowby gasses.

 

all this information is for the 3.4 v6

yeah i just finished pulling my throttle body out to clean the IAC valve bout 20 minutes ago. does our truck have 2 PCV valves? take a look at this pic.

you can see the PVC hose going into the intake here /|\. this is the coming from the PCV directly into the upper plenum. it can't affect the throttle body at all.

BUT look at this next pic.

the hose that's disconnected here /|\ that goes into the IAC feeds back from the back side of the intake manifold. I think it comes directly from the engine actually. didn't think about inspecting it so I didn't get a clear shot. but, the IAC transfers air between 3 points. from the intake tube side, from this hose feed, and into the plenum side of the throttle body.

in the following pic look at the dark areas of the IAC's mounting point.

those dark spots you see on the IAC and the throttle body are the intake ports coming from the back side of the engine. that is how the throttle body on our v6 gets dirty. yeah like caligula said, it's not carbon. it's oil fumes mixed in with some dirt that gets by the cleaner.

the following information is general engine information with random pics from the internet

carbon is a harder substance that sticks to your piston, chambers, and valves


when im rebuilding heads at work, i have to use a sand blaster just to get this stuff off. using a wire wheel will only get the larger clumps off. not easy to do without the proper tools.

 

Crankcase gasses do in fact foul the IAC and come from the PVC port. In fact they are the only source of build up in the IAC/TB. The "flat" side of the "D" shaped TB gasket is there to create some turbulence in the pulsing air stream to help distribute said gasses to all the intake runners instead of just the front ones. Further, crankcase gasses or "blow by" are combustion gasses from the combustion chamber with a bit of oil mist and can leave a crusty carbon build up in the TB/IAC. In many case it must be scraped off, no chemical will touch it.
Additionally this slop tends to dribble down from the PCV port to the bottom of the TB when the engine is shut down. It just happens that the main "air source" for all the air the IAC distributes is right there.

The "disconnected hose" you speak of does not "come from" the back side of the intake, it goes from the TB to the intake. There is a sub manifold of sorts in the intake leading to just upstream of and pointing at each injector tip. At lower idle speeds the IAC allows some of the filtered air from the intake tube to be bled into this "sub manifold". Driven by engine vacuum, this creates jets of air directed at the injectors to help atomize fuel and help "stabilize and improve" idle. Toyota calls this the "air assist" system and the hose is the air assist hose.

 

Same as the 2.7, there are two PCVs. Larger one connected to manifold vacuum, and a smaller one on ported vacuum. The latter fuctions basically at off idle and acceleration when manifold vacuum drops. The green police cant have a single HC leaking out no matter how you drive.

Yea, like Caligula said!

 

Fuel dosent get anywhere near the throttle body really. Like caligula said its just oil fumes/mist from the valve cover via the PCV.