I bought a new remanufactured throttle body to replace the one on my car (I suspect the sensors may be going out of sync).

When inspecting the throttle body, I noticed some excess silicone/grease on the back of the throttle plate near the piece that screws into the plate.

Although a small amount, I did not want this stuff entering the combustion chamber, so I took a microfibre cloth dampened with water and gently attempted to wipe away the excess. Not much came off, and I did not want to mess with it too much. So I left it alone after this.

I did not push in the throttle plate or move the position, just used some gently wiping. A tech told me that messing with the throttle plate and/or agressively cleaning the throttle body can "toast" it.

Since I only gently wiped the plate and used my nail a little in an attempt to take off the excess silicone, is it safe to assume that the throttle body is unaffected and good, or is it possible that just the wiping (and not moving the plate) could have somehow damaged the throttle body?

I know I'm being paranoid, but just looking for opinions/reassurance with anyone that has experience changing/cleaning throttle bodies.

 

I clean them all the time after polishing and I move the butterfly the full rotation of its movement. Even after all of that the most I have had to do is do the TB pedal reset on about 20% of them.

 

I too have continuously moved the butterfly while cleaning the TB and have not had any issues.

 

^^thx for the input guys. On an old throttle body (not the one I currently have), the butterfly seemed very stiff and when pushed it would come back to the closed position. How are you guys rotating/moving the butterfly to the open position? Do you just really have to push the plate in hard for it to open, or is there technique to move the butterfly the full rotation?

Also, is it ok to touch the butterfly with your bare finger(s)?

Thanks!

 

I just push it open with one finger, it isnt too hard.

 

Ok, so all the cleaning procedures I have read call for specific TB spray which does not strip the plate coating and evaporates in a few seconds.

Since, this throttle body was newly remanufactured, I did not use the TB spray, just a little tap water on a microfibre cloth to wipe off some black residue.

Was the dampened water a bad idea? Could it have had adverse effects on the plate's coating. Or was the water just as safe/safer than TB cleaner?

 

I dont think the coating is that big of a deal. SexyRob completely polished his plate down to the bare metal.

 

^^yea, I heard it just helps prevent future build up. But I did hear there is a very thin bi-metal sensor between the valve and plate. Is this true? could moisture from the water (albeit a small amount) affect this sensor?

I think I'm being overly paranoid, and it's probably fine. But I could buy another one from another dealer and return this one. But don't want to wast any extra money if I don't have to.

 

Just install it already!

 

^

I used engine degreaser on mine, the stuff worked great and my TB is working normally.

 

^heck...I used brake cleaner on mine! LOL