Clean your throttle bodies!

[norcaltim]

Finally got around to doing mine... not sure it's ever been cleaned? Idle has been bouncy since I bought the car but I only recently stumbled onto the information that this was likely caused by a dirty throttle body.

 

Some notes:

• Removing the AOS tube was not nearly as bad as I expected. With the top in the service position take the clips off of the top of the struts/springs that attach the clamshell to the top v-levers, then move the clamshell all the way back. This allowed me to get one hand on top of the tube and one on the bottom and the thing popped off easily.
• I read somewhere that re-attaching the bottom air intake hose is a total pain. Can confirm. I also read somewhere that lubing the spot where that tube connects with some bar soap makes re-attaching it much easier. I tried this and it went from impossible to not-too-bad. Still quite a bit of force required. I recommend using the bar soap before re-attaching the throttle body to the engine via the bolts.
• Torque the bolts before re-tightening the hose clamps. The bottom bolts are impossible to get to after everything is back together.
• I broke the e-gas connector thing trying to get it off. If I could do it again I'd get a small screwdriver and try to wiggle things around very, very carefully until it came loose. Mine snapped back on just fine but I'd rather not have broken it.
• I highly recommend replacing the one gasket that's involved with this process. The old one looked fine... until I put the new one in and noticed how different it looked. Part #996-110-318-02, costs around $9. At that price why wouldn't you just go ahead and replace it?

 

Anyone got a dirtier one that this? It was so dirty that the carb cleaner pooled up on top of the valve when I first sprayed it in.

 

Edited February 22, 2017 by norcaltim

[Loren]

Well done!

Hope you also got the small holes (ports) behind the butterfly valve.

[norcaltim]

Thanks! There were no ports on the back side of the throttle body, did I miss something? This is a 2001, if that makes any difference.

 

Edit: I took the thing entirely off and cleaned both sides. The back side was decently dirty as well but I didn't get a picture.

Edited February 22, 2017 by norcaltim