Removed and cleaned throttle body today, questions?

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concretejungle

concretejungle

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Not too bad. Hardest thing is just getting to the darn thing. The engine bay coupled with a lift and large tires makes working on anything in the center of the engine bay a total biotch. Anyways, i got up there and removed the throttle body. The back side of it was filthy. So i cleaned it up really well and tried to clean as much of the intake as i could reach with a rag. Put everything back together and cranked her up. Oops, forgot to plug the mass air flow sensor back in, so i got a check engine light. Shut the truck off, plugged it back in, un-hooked the battery to clear the light then cranked it back up.

First thing i noticed was it fired right up. Kinda nice.

Questions:

1. So now it is idoling much higher and i can actually put my foot under the accelerator and pull it back and the RPMs drop. It's as if the cable is sticking. I guess i just need to readjust the cable. No? But which cable? I know it's not the cruise control cable. One appeared to come out of the firewall, while another came from the driver's side of the motor, looped around and over the top of the block, is fastened to a bracket and then runs to the throttle body. What is the name of that cable?

2. Now there is a little stiffness when mashing the accelerator. Inspection of the cables makes me think i should just replace them, ALL :o ?
 
I'm also doing this as soon as I get the time. How long did it take you?
 
Hog Head said:
I'm also doing this as soon as I get the time. How long did it take you?
Click to expand...


A little over an hour. Just don't get frustrated as i tend to do. I kept my cool and things went pretty smoothly. You will need a long, skinny extension for the lower two bolts on the throttle body. i think they were 14mm
 
concretejungle said:
Not too bad. Hardest thing is just getting to the darn thing. The engine bay coupled with a lift and large tires makes working on anything in the center of the engine bay a total biotch. Anyways, i got up there and removed the throttle body. The back side of it was filthy. So i cleaned it up really well and tried to clean as much of the intake as i could reach with a rag. Put everything back together and cranked her up. Oops, forgot to plug the mass air flow sensor back in, so i got a check engine light. Shut the truck off, plugged it back in, un-hooked the battery to clear the light then cranked it back up.

First thing i noticed was it fired right up. Kinda nice.

Questions:

1. So now it is idoling much higher and i can actually put my foot under the accelerator and pull it back and the RPMs drop. It's as if the cable is sticking. I guess i just need to readjust the cable. No? But which cable? I know it's not the cruise control cable. One appeared to come out of the firewall, while another came from the driver's side of the motor, looped around and over the top of the block, is fastened to a bracket and then runs to the throttle body. What is the name of that cable?

2. Now there is a little stiffness when mashing the accelerator. Inspection of the cables makes me think i should just replace them, ALL :o ?
Click to expand...

CJ:

Nice.

Check out this link:

http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/80throttle.php

All of the cables are labeled nicely and a nice write up.

Use your FSM dude!!
 
concretejungle said:
A little over an hour. Just don't get frustrated as i tend to do. I kept my cool and things went pretty smoothly. You will need a long, skinny extension for the lower two bolts on the throttle body. i think they were 14mm
Click to expand...

Thanks fo the info.
 
I'll be darned. . . thanks Beno, didnt even see that.

I did use the FSM, but it does not clearly show which cable is which.

EDIT: i don't get the 1mm thing?
 
Last edited:
concretejungle said:
EDIT: i don't get the 1mm thing?
Click to expand...

What do you mean?? The last diagram in that write-up shows it pretty clearly. IIRC, there's only one cable that has a setup like that diagram. I think it's also commonly referred to as the kick down cable, and the adjust is usually needed to correct throttle spooling that some experience at low speeds.

The end of the small circular piece on the cable is suppose to be between 0 and 1 mm beyond the edge of the outer circular plastic ring. You can adjust the cable in and out by rotating the nuts back and forth that sandwich the throttle cable bracket... although it's a little hard to tell if it's between 0 and 1mm, you just have to play with it some.

Is your idle still erratic? After I cleaned my TB, my idle was high (like 1500 to 2000 rpm IIRC) but settled down after a little while once the computer reajusted to the different air flow (I guess).

:beer:
Rookie2
 
Rookie2 said:
What do you mean?? The last diagram in that write-up shows it pretty clearly. IIRC, there's only one cable that has a setup like that diagram. I think it's also commonly referred to as the kick down cable, and the adjust is usually needed to correct throttle spooling that some experience at low speeds.

The end of the small circular piece on the cable is suppose to be between 0 and 1 mm beyond the edge of the outer circular plastic ring. You can adjust the cable in and out by rotating the nuts back and forth that sandwich the throttle cable bracket... although it's a little hard to tell if it's between 0 and 1mm, you just have to play with it some.

Is your idle still erratic? After I cleaned my TB, my idle was high (like 1500 to 2000 rpm IIRC) but settled down after a little while once the computer reajusted to the different air flow (I guess).

:beer:
Rookie2
Click to expand...

Yes, my idle is high. I've been thinking it will settle back down, but hasn't so far. IT's dark out, i'll have to take a look at the contraption in the morning. I was just thinking it wraps around a circular pully that rolls back when tugged by the cable. Having no garage sucks, i'll double check tomorrow.
 
Given what you said it sounds like the throttle cable is sticking. I am assuming that you taped off the adjustment bolts so that they would not move around on you. If you did not then when you removed the TB obviously something moved. The other cable is referred to as the accelerator cable from what I understand. When you disconnect the battery the computer does have to relearn fuel/air but that all happens pretty quick. If you have not replaced the throttle cable I would go for. Its easy
 
kidpen, i actually had to loosen the adjustment bolts to get the cable off the TB. I completely removed it so i could clean it up really well. I agree, feels like the throttle cable is sticking. I may remove it once again and lube the cable.
 
concretejungle said:
kidpen, i actually had to loosen the adjustment bolts to get the cable off the TB. I completely removed it so i could clean it up really well. I agree, feels like the throttle cable is sticking. I may remove it once again and lube the cable.
Click to expand...

Conc,
I had the same exact problem with my idle when I first bougt it last year. The pedal was stiff and needed to put my foot under the pedal to drop the RPM's. However, this would ONLY happen after the engine was hot. At startup no sticking, but after full heat the high idle at red lights was a major problem; PITFA :mad: . I went throug the same senario, thought it was a sticky cable and had Toyota lube it and did NOT work.

Long story short, I do not have this problem anymore. What cured it? I attribute it PARTLY to a Fuel injection cleaning service done at Toyota ($265), Although I STILL had the problem after this service but greatly reduced. Probably did not get out all of the gunk or whatever it was. What finally knocked it out was premium gas fill ups with the REDLINE fuel injector cleaner. I mean use the WHOLE bottle at each fill up. I must of used a total of 6 bottles, and with every bottle the problem would appear less and less often until no more foot under the pedal effort. I also used Toyota fuel injector cleaner for 2 fill ups as well. I found out the PO used low grade gasoline regularly.:doh:

Important: Also make sure that the thottle cable is in its holders, otherwise it can sit against the valve cover which get very hot; which probably explains my pedal stickyness at full engine heat now that I think about it. :doh: But probably a combination of both perhaps?:confused:
 
cruiserman said:
I don't think your cable is sticking. Probably got goo at the throttle butterfly, or the cable is out of adjustment.
Click to expand...


Not trying to be argumentative (sp?), but there is no way there can be goo at the butterfly. That sucker was clean as a wistle when i reinstalled it. I even lubed the pully's and manually tested them throughout their movement to ensure they functioned smoothly.

aceolla, you are right, the pedal does feel stiff. hmmmm..... by the time i get home today it will once again be dark. So, i will once again have to put this off another day. :mad:
 
Check your transmission kick down cable. I replaced my throttle cable and mangaged do jigger the transmission kick down cable abit. This led to a constant, high RPM. Unkinked it and all was well.

Ross
 
elmariachi said:
The throttle body removal project is a good time to change out the valve cover and spark plug gaskets too.
Click to expand...


Jim you are absolutely right, and i should have as i have those parts sitting in my shop just waiting to be installed. I was just waiting to get Doug's HG DVD and get myself tuned in with that procedure, then hit it all with one swoop.
 
On both of my trucks, it turned out NOT to be the throttle cable from the gas pedal that was responsible for that "sticky" feeling I'd get when making fine acceleration changes while driving. By that I mean you'd place slight pressure on the pedal in response to a small rise in the road and would feel that slight vibration of something mechanical moving in tiny 'catch/release' cycles instead of perfectly smoothly. It turned out to be the kickdown cable in both instances. When I had the cables disconnected on each truck, the gas pedal cable was perfect. The cable going to the tranny was terrible. Running liquid graphite down this cable instantly cured it. May or may not help you here.

I will also say that some or all three of the cables are supposed to have actual slack in them. I'll recheck if you want me to, but I recall when reinstalling them (I'd taped one nut in place on each and this is suggested in the DVD) in the PRECISE place they were that I was surprised that the cable(s) were completely slack at idle. Let me know and I'll reconfirm this and which cables are slack. By this, I mean literally zero tension so that the throttle levers themselves determine full idle. It makes sense from an engineering perspective if you think about it, also. So, if you've lost the original factory adjustment and now have adjusted so one or more cable is NOT slack at dead idle it may be as simple as that.

Rgds,

DougM
 
Concrete,
Doug is right on as usual.
When I did my EGR valve I was careful to count the threads.
When I put it all back I remember thinking that both cables had alot of slack in it. When I replaced the throttle cable and put it all back I did same setting. The cable actually has at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch of play. Seems like the thing will almost fall out.
 
Bill, i think you are right. when i put the cables back on, i tightened them up because i didn't think there should be that much slack in them. I will remove the kickdown cable, lube it and reinstall with some slack to see how that does. I'll report back.
 
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