Throttle Body Mod

[boostaholic]

I found this over at denalitrucks.com but figured I would share it with you guys. I first questioned the coolant lines on the lower part of our throttle bodies and the actual benefit of warm-up during the colder months when I cleaned my tb last week. Upon further research I found that plenty of people are deleting the coolant bypass through the tb to ease cleaning and keep the tb cooler (limited performance benefit). Another guy was kind enough to post these diagrams to better illustrate the modification

I had plenty of slack in the line so I just removed the smaller coolant hose toward the driver's side, now it is 10x easier to clean the throttle body when you don't have to disconnect the coolant lines, don't forget to buy a new gasket for the throttle body they're about $7 from your local napa part # 61070

 

[road1will]

Thanks for posting this. I did this on my RX-8 and saw a little bit of performance increase.

 

[Yuke2K]

Interesting, I was wondering what the pros and cons to this modification would be. I was attempting to take the TB off during my last seafoaming to clean it, and was having a bitch of a time working around those hoses. I'll be doing this in a couple weeks once I get settled into my new place and get my garage/tools in order.

Thanks boost.

 

[JKmotorsports]

Interesting, I was wondering what the pros and cons to this modification would be...

A good cheap mod. I've done this on my truck and almost every f/i car I've owned. The purpose of the hoses running into the tb is to help warm the incoming air and get the engine to operating temps and closed loop mode quicker, which also keeps emissions down. Good for vehicles that operate in colder climates. But the drawback is that the tb is heated from the hot coolant and heats up the incoming air. Bypassing the coolant lines from the tb keeps the tb cooler, and in turn lowers the temp of the incoming air. Cooler air is denser air, which helps the combustion process and makes more power, albeit not much nor enough to notice, but throttle response has always been better anytime I've done this mod.
Thanks to Boost for the nice write-up.

 

[LeadFootCole]

So, I know this may be a dumb question, but when you clean your tb what are you looking for and what do you clean? I know this may seem obvious but I haven't heard of that.

 

[Jeremy_K]

So, I know this may be a dumb question, but when you clean your tb what are you looking for and what do you clean? I know this may seem obvious but I haven't heard of that.

Usually it's grimy on the outside of the throttle plate. A lot of oiled filters such as K&N will allow a fine mist of oil to coat the throttle plate or the intake manifold especially if they are over oiled when cleaned. It's not a huge deal but it can impede performance if the throtle linkage is gummed up or the sensors start taking on oily buildup. They make special spray cleaners for MAF sensors and Throttle bodies which work excellent.

 

[LeadFootCole]

Gotcha! Thanks for the info.

 

[yukonxl1500]

Boostaholic, you dont by chance remember the link or have more pics on the DIY, I could only see 2 pic with one red X. I am almost sure that this is what is leaking on mine.

thanks

 

[boostaholic]

What did you need to see? All you need to do is pull apart the throttle body and clean the hell out of it. When you go to reconnect the hose DON'T reconnect the hose that goes into the fittings on the throttle body and you're done. Make sure you install the new gasket tho.

 

[withac]

So Boost, you live where the winters get cold, right? Do you notice any negative effects from this mod in the winter? Aside from ease of cleaning the tb is there much to be gained? I would think at highway speeds the air flow through the tb would be so fast that it wouldn't have time to pick up any heat.

 

[boostaholic]

No negative effects thus far but I park in a garage at night. Was really cold this past week and I never experienced an issue, truck warms up just as quickly but I'm sure a slight increase in power has resulted from the mod. Every little bit helps I guess, the maintenance aspect is my primary focus for the mod.

 

[withac]

No negative effects thus far but I park in a garage at night. Was really cold this past week and I never experienced an issue, truck warms up just as quickly but I'm sure a slight increase in power has resulted from the mod. Every little bit helps I guess, the maintenance aspect is my primary focus for the mod.

Do you need to plug up the holes in the tb or is it just a straight shot through the metal? I guess a guy could by-pass it during the summer then hook it back up in the winter if there were concerns. If you did that you'd want to plug the holes though to keep them clean for when you hooked it up.

 

[oneradride]

Or you could just go crazy and install a 3 way ball valve and with a turn of the lever you are bypassed, flip it again and you are not…….

And it you’re really nuts you can make it powered

 

[withac]

Or you could just go crazy and install a 3 way ball valve and with a turn of the lever you are bypassed, flip it again and you are not…….

And it you’re really nuts you can make it powered

Okay, you have WAY too much time on your hands.
:cool2:

 

[boostaholic]

You're overthinking the mod. Just bypass the tb and connect the hose with the same clamp, takes about 5 minutes and NOBODY HAS EVER HAD AN ISSUE! Even a few canadian members over at denalitrucks.com have yet to see an issue. No need for some janky ass valve or anything of that nature, or just don't do the mod if you're really concerned but 100s of other people have yet to see any side effect.

 

[RenegadeTahoe]

You're overthinking the mod. Just bypass the tb and connect the hose with the same clamp, takes about 5 minutes and NOBODY HAS EVER HAD AN ISSUE! Even a few canadian members over at denalitrucks.com have yet to see an issue. No need for some janky ass valve or anything of that nature, or just don't do the mod if you're really concerned but 100s of other people have yet to see any side effect.

I did it on my '95 Z28... didn't see much difference, but it didn't hurt it either.

 

[Dahlar]

I just clean the throttle body with a couple shots of throttle body cleaner and a toothbrush until it is nice and clean again. put the intake back on and fire it up. This is pretty much a dealership "throttlebody service"

 

[Gordo]

I was concerned about doing this when I heard of it at first but since Boost is in the same neck of the woods as I am and has no complaint, im going to have to do that this weekend. Thanks guys.

 

[avdoc]

I did this in 2004 when I bought the Hoe. I read about it in a LS performance book. I would cite it but I am in bed and to lazy to get up. LOL Not doing this mod defeats the purpose of adding a CAI. You would be heating the air back up after you bring it in outside engine bay. It only makes sense, and seemed to help throttle response on my 04 Z-71 Hoe. In my trucks I didnt notice quite as much throttle response increase. I had ZERO negative effects from it. No need to question mod, also no need to remove throttle body if it makes you nervous.

 

[withac]

I would think at highway speeds the air would pass through so fast it wouldn't have time to get warmed anyway. Thoughts?