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i took apart my throttle body today and gave it a good cleaning. i cleaned the inside of the throttle as well as the 2 holes as best as i could with brake cleaner then dried everything with paper tower and re-attached it all. ONE OF THE GASKETS ON THE METAL SPACER IS CRACKED... when i first started the car i got a poof of white smoke and it was running rough. im assuming from left over brake cleaner in the intake...

anyways once that burned off the idle went back to normal but my check engine light came on and as soon as i touch the throttle the engine starts to cut out and idles super low and chugging like its about to stall. let off the pedal and it idles back to normal again.

if i slam the pedal to the floor the rpm starts to raise for maybe 1/3 of a second then drops. if i keep pushing in and out on the throttle i can get it to 3k or 4krpm but its impossible to drive like that and i cant imagine its very good on the motor. i just drove it around the block for maybe 15 min to see if i could just power threw it but no luck.

if i turn the car off then back on i can rev the engine for maybe 20 or 30 seconds before it starts to cut out.

unplugged tps sensor and had same problem with no changes. unplugged the other sensor on the throttle and it idles super low and just stalls as soon as i touch the gas. so long story short its not driveable.

any idea what could be causing this? did i somehow fry the tps or the other sensor on the throttle? could the cracked gasket be causing this? solo_ryder thinks there may be some brake cleaner in the tps and to wait until tomorrow to see if it evaporates.

Airflow sensor plug! Just thought of that

The guys at pepboys today told me that, since I cleaned out my TB, that spraying TB cleaner in there, could have shorted out or ruined my TPS. so it could be that, idk. is that possible though?

double check you reconnected all vac hoses, elec connectors, ETC... maybe pull that CEL.

What year is your car?
Did you try pulling the code(s)?

I would start by doing that.
Then, if your problem is the TPS or the IAC (the other device in the side of the TB), I would buy some electronic parts cleaner (at any auto part store) and give it a generous spray. Brake cleaner is NOT intended to clean throttle bodies (otherwise it would be called "brake and throttle body cleaner" ), mostly because when it evaporates it leaves a residue that can eventually trap moisture and might short out your TPS.
Clean the sensor and both connectors thoroughly with electronic parts cleaner, and you should be ok.

Brake cleaner also melts soft rubbers and plastics, and should never be sprayed into engine bay.

Carb cleaner is safer, but just doesn't clean as well.

well im an idiot... airflow sensor plug was loose. sitting on but not plugged in so didnt notice it...

So now everything's all right?

go drive your car for a while. your computer got used the the flow of the carnon covered tb you had and since its clean the flow is different. just drive it around and see if it gets better and your computer re adjusts it self

just drove for 65km and its running better but it was starting to act a little weird about 40km into the trip. my exhaust is normally extremely loud and my idle is normally around 700rpm once its warmed up. after a while of driving i noticed my car wasnt slowing down as much as normal when down shifting. rpms were staying around 2500-3000 when i would down shift with no gas pedal. idle was about 1500 when out of gear and car was almost silent compared to normal. when i would put the car into gear with the clutch down it would jump to about 2000. thinking maybe my cat is clogged? power seems normal its just on the down shift and idle...

I would clean the TPS and IAC as I suggested above.

If your cat was clogged you wouldn't be able to drive. The engine would stall as soon as you tried to move the car.

mikeinaus wrote:just drove for 65km and its running better but it was starting to act a little weird about 40km into the trip. my exhaust is normally extremely loud and my idle is normally around 700rpm once its warmed up. after a while of driving i noticed my car wasnt slowing down as much as normal when down shifting. rpms were staying around 2500-3000 when i would down shift with no gas pedal. idle was about 1500 when out of gear and car was almost silent compared to normal. when i would put the car into gear with the clutch down it would jump to about 2000. thinking maybe my cat is clogged? power seems normal its just on the down shift and idle...

That sounds like the TPS is out of spec, did you move it when cleaning the TB? You'll have to readjust it.

i just realized you said it idles down slower when you down shift. its cause theres more air flow in the throttle body than before.

It was his airflow sensor, either the plug or it was loose on the intake elbow

RPMs goin down slower usually is a TPS out of line. so adjust it.... and the idle issue i belive sould be cuz there is no coolant in the TB so the IAC is acting all wierd???? try that...