How to clean the throttle body?

What is the proper way to clean the throttle body? Can I move the plate by hand or should I use the accelerator?

Should I completely remove it and unplug it and spray with throttle body cleaner?

What about the plate, should I avoid touching it so I don’t throw off the calibration?

I saw a video of someone spraying it with cleaner without removing it while a 2nd person opens the throttle in the car with the accelerator (engine off)..

Thanks in advance!

 

Great video here: https://youtu.be/3B-a8WJtd8w Be careful with the butterfly, open it very slowly.

Im doing mine today, 40k miles now.

 

/\ good video

 

How many miles on your truck? Maybe take a pic of your TB and butterfly just to see how dirty it is. I will clean mine today and post pics here.

 

111k miles. I started getting a rough idle after driving before I’d park it and then a couple days later it lost power on the expressway with the yellow check engine light flashing. I pulled over, shut the truck off, and it got me back to my house about 5 miles away. I changed the coils and plugs and it ran good around the neighbor hood a couple times but it got a rough idle as I was backing up into my drive… I’ll take a pic later tonight when I clean it!

 

Has the fuel pump recall been performed?

 

Typed in my VIN and I’m not under that recall. I didn’t mention that the check engine light showed P0300, P0301, P0303, P0305 misfire codes all in the same bank on one side of the engine so that’s why I don’t think it’s fuel related. No more check engine light and it hasn’t died on me yet, like I said it was running smooth but I’ve only driven it around the neighborhood since replacing the coils and plugs. I’m gonna clean throttle body and MAF tonight.

 

There is no calibration on Toyotas. Just don't move the plate quickly, because it will generate an electrical current that might damage the electronics on the throttle body. I did mine at 50K with no issues. After you clean it, it will probably idle higher until the ECM learns the new fuel trim ratio. After you drive it some the idle will return to normal. The video is very good.

 

Can i use MAF cleaner for throttle body? Seems like i did that with my 03 tundra but its been a minute or 20.

 

Did mine today, took about 5 minutes. Wasn’t too bad but I got a lot of gunk out. RPMs were a bit high for about 5 minutes of driving. I will be doing more often from now on.

Intake tube had absolutely no blow by as I seen on here.

 

I wouldn't that stuff is for cleaning electrical components. I think you need something stronger.

 

Why do you want to clean it? Are you planing to break the golden rule, "If it's not broke, don't fix it"?

Last time I cleaned a throttle body on a personal vehicles of mine was on a ’91 chebby Caprice because I was having an intermittent drivability issue that drove me nuts. But the worst of is that it was not a dirty throttle body, but the throttle body gasket that ate my lunch.

Now that was way back in ’96, fast forward to today and over a million miles across multiple vehicles in the barn and no throttle body cleaning or issues on any of them, one was 13yrs old with about 200k miles on the clock, and worked like new.

Other people I know, not so much. I’m I lucky or what? Why is that…

 

Nice I got mine done last night too and I cleaned the MAF sensor.
Took it for a test drive around the neighborhood, expressway, and parking lot. Shifted to reverse then park then reverse to try to replicate my original rough idle issue and had no problems. Truck runs flawless now. I have a feeling it was the MAF sensor that just had some dust on it because the throttle body was pretty clean although I did get some junk off. Thank you everyone!

 

Awesome job. Looks like a new part!

 

From post #5 of this thread,
111k miles. I started getting a rough idle after driving before I’d park it and then a couple days later it lost power on the expressway with the yellow check engine light flashing. I pulled over, shut the truck off, and it got me back to my house about 5 miles away. I changed the coils and plugs and it ran good around the neighbor hood a couple times but it got a rough idle as I was backing up into my drive…


so after changing the ignition coils and plugs I still had a random rough idle while reversing. The 2 things I wanted to check first were throttle body and MAF sensor as those could have been the source of the problem I had. Wanted to diagnose and fix the rough idle before it actually breaks something that I’d have to fix.

and you do seem to have a bit of luck! Nice when things work in your favor

 

Thank you! It wasn’t too bad to begin with too be honest! I did get some gunk of though!

 

Nice! While I was in there, I noticed my MAF was a bit dirty too so I cleaned it as well. Used exact same products. Didn’t go for a drive yet, just wanted to let the sensor drive overnight.

I finally threw my TRD air filter in the garbage and replaced with stock one. I realized it’s not good for dusty conditions as there is a fine layer of dust inside the intake tube.


I never had issues with oiled filters in the past but I didn’t off-road as much in my previous trucks. Never again I will be using oiled filters, big mistake.

 

If we all thought about our trucks and took care of them like you just did we’d all put Toyota out of business. After we all had one there would be no need for anymore.

 

Thank you for ditching that less-filtering filter. Best confession of the day.

 

I ran them for years and years believing they are great. I was so wrong.