The throttle body is a large valve where fresh air from the air filter enters the engine, and it can easily become dirty.
When everything is working properly, your car’s engine gets a perfect ratio of air and fuel which makes the car run smoothly and gives an optimum performance.
However, if you suspect that something is wrong with your vehicle, it could easily be a throttle.
There are many reasons why a throttle body may not be able to work properly, and it is more common for new age cars with modern fuel injection that makes the throttle body a critical piece of a vehicle.
I have a home solution for you. So, don’t panic and no need to call your mechanic first.
6 Most Common Dirty Throttle Body Symptoms Here
Rough Idling
The most common symptom of the dirty throttle body is rough idling. Your car should continuously stay at RPM of 500-1000.
If the RPM moves rapidly and the car shakes, there is a big chance that you have to clean the throttle.
Low Mileage And Acceleration
Dirty throttle will waste your average fuel consumption. If you notice that your car is burning more fuel, clean your throttle body first.
Dirty Housing
If you notice extra dirt inside the housing, this may be a sure sign of a dirty throttle. This dirt will affect the balance of fuel and air, and your car will start working overtime.
Carbon Deposit
When it comes to carbon deposits, it can also create a rough surface, but this time inside the walls of the throttle.
This can be very bad news as carbon deposits can interrupt the ratio of the air/fuel mixture.
Electrical Problem
We could say that electrical problems are the most common issues when it comes to new-age cars.
Nowadays, everything is related to a car’s computer; therefore, any connectivity issue can give bad readings to the sensors and may create problems.
Dirt on the sensors may show several bad readings on the dashboard cluster.
Vacuum Leaks
If you have vacuum leaks you probably have throttle body pressure problems, which means you need a throttle cleaning.
However, it could also be an incorrectly adjusted throttle stop as well. In the case of a vacuum leak, especially a very large one, you may experience a very high or low idle(RPM).
The Home Solution
The easiest solution to this problem is cleaning the throttle and making the airflow easier. This is very simple to do at home.
What You Need To Do This?
Nothing expensive. A bottle of WD-40.
Now remove the air pipe from the throttle body and add WD-40(spray for 1 minute) as shown in the image below and wait for about 15 minutes.
You may need to press the accelerator to open the valve of the throttle body. Just make sure the spray is going inside.
Now, use a clean cloth to clean the inside of the throttle body. You may use a screwdriver and wrap it with the cloth and push it inside to clean the dirt.
Start the engine and slowly increase the RPM to 3000. Hold the RPM at this position for a few minutes. You will see white gas coming out of exhaustion.
Stay at the RPM level until the exhaust gets its normal color. This will not only clean the throttle but also will remove the carbon dust from the engines.
I have used it several times, it really works great, and don’t forget to use injector cleaner whenever you refill your gas.
Still, Have A Problem?
If you find yourself in a situation where you are not sure if you have issues with a dirty throttle body or not, what you need is a qualified and experienced mechanic to scan your car’s computer system for any fault codes.
You can expect the scan to indicate problems with your fuel injection system and specifically the throttle body component if the problem is in the throttle.
Symptoms of car trouble are not to be ignored, especially if you don’t want to spend any more money than you actually have to.
Therefore, find a mechanic of trust that will fix your car without ripping you off.
Next time when you take your car for regular service, make sure you include the air induction service and fuel injection flush that will for sure clean out any carbon deposits and dirt in your throttle body, stopping your car problems to grow any bigger and more expensive.
And, before going on an off-roading trip, make sure you have a clean throttle body.
