Throttle Body Cleaning Question
10-29-2017, 12:33 PM
#11
JK Jedi Master
CD from Jeep
Paper manual from Jeep (Multiple thick volumes, expensive.)
Subscription to AllDataDIY. Factory manual, cheap, and accessible wherever you have internet connection.
10-30-2017, 11:42 AM
#13
JK Jedi
I was about to post this very thing... I can't tell you how many of my "mechanically" inclined friends have missed this... a simple job becomes difficult really quick when you don't follow directions!! 
Good luck. I have 218,000 miles on my JK and have never needed this service. Regardless, please let me point out something that I've seen folks in their haste misread:
Quoting from Ron above:
6. Obtain a torque wrench. Tighten mounting bolts in a mandatory torque criss-cross pattern sequence to 65 in. lbs.
7. Install clean air hose and tighten clamps to 35 in. lbs.
8. Connect negative battery cable, tighten nut to 45 in. lbs.
I own three torque wrenches-1/2, 3/8 and 1/4 inch drive--and only the 1/4 inch drive can handle those within its optimal operating range (the 3/8" goes down to 30, but normally you don't trust measurements on a torque wrench that low on its range).
Quoting from Ron above:
6. Obtain a torque wrench. Tighten mounting bolts in a mandatory torque criss-cross pattern sequence to 65 in. lbs.
7. Install clean air hose and tighten clamps to 35 in. lbs.
8. Connect negative battery cable, tighten nut to 45 in. lbs.
I own three torque wrenches-1/2, 3/8 and 1/4 inch drive--and only the 1/4 inch drive can handle those within its optimal operating range (the 3/8" goes down to 30, but normally you don't trust measurements on a torque wrench that low on its range).
10-31-2017, 05:59 PM
#14
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Join Date: May 2015
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I recently clean my throttle body based in the fact that the stealership I use wanted $249.00 to clean the injector, throttle body, the intake manifold and then air filter. The throttle body was a breeze to do. Took of the connector loosened 4 bolts and sprayed the unit with CRC throttle body cleaner. Do not use brake fluid as there is electronics that can be damaged. I reused the existing O-ring as IT was still good and did not have a lot of pressure against it in the system. As far as cleaning the injectors I went with the MOPAR kit and dropped the bottle in the gas tank when I filled up. I also use the MOPAR intake cleaner through the brake vacuum line making sure that I did not over do it by making sure I only did a little at a time. The hardest thing was getting my arse to do.
I do it every 15K miles. I do the transfer case and differentials as needed. I do minimal off reading but am in heaven traffic which i feel does more damage. Overall the fluid changes are easy in the Jeep. When doing the transfer case I would suggest that you get a small transfer pump that harbor freight autozone and advanced auto sells. Makes the job of refilling a lot easier.
I do it every 15K miles. I do the transfer case and differentials as needed. I do minimal off reading but am in heaven traffic which i feel does more damage. Overall the fluid changes are easy in the Jeep. When doing the transfer case I would suggest that you get a small transfer pump that harbor freight autozone and advanced auto sells. Makes the job of refilling a lot easier.
10-31-2017, 07:32 PM
#15
Super Moderator
Thread Starter
Well I didn't want to take it apart without any type of o-ring. Got one coming in from auto parts store non-mopar for $4 just in case. In the mean time I opened it up and cleaned it like others posted by manually holding open the butterfly. All I can say is wow. Extremely helpful. It was very dirty and I have not even removed it yet. Noticeable different in the response of my gas pedal. It started to hesitate when you would get on the gas. I cleaned my girlfriends grand Cherokee 4.0 the same way with q-tips and rags and same result. Here are some pics. Thanks again everyone. Also check out the last pic. I posted another thread asking if it's a valve cover leak. Never heard much from anyone.
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JK Lion (10-30-2023)
11-01-2017, 03:36 AM
#16
Super Moderator
There's a lot of jobs on my JK that I choose to do myself and always encourage others to DIY also, then there's others where I make a decision and decide, "not worth my time/effort for the cost to have someone else do it."
I kind of view this Throttle Body Cleaning as one of those that I would likely have a shop do.
The main reason is that there are a lot of local shops that perform a "fuel system flush" where they use a 3 step BK fuel injector system cleaner kit that work well. All for about $130.
BK Fuel Injector kit cleaning overview of steps.
1. Cleaner spray used to clean intake throttle body. Throttle body is opened using external computer control.
2. Fuel injector flush using BK cleaner with OTC type flush tool. Remove intake vacuum hose, disconnect fuel pump, run cleaner through engine.
3. reset ECM to remove any previously set fuel system adjustments.
4. Poor bottle of BK cleaner/anti oxidation into fuel tank.
On my son's Jeep Patriot, I had previously pulled a code which pointed to a partially clogged fuel injector. A single bottle of Techron cleaner in the tank did not clear the code. I then brought it into a shop where they used the BK 3 stage kit and I left there no longer having a code and running much smoother.
So for $130, the shop not only cleans the throttle body for you, but also cleans your fuel injectors and throws in some gas treatment cleaner when done.
I kind of view this Throttle Body Cleaning as one of those that I would likely have a shop do.
The main reason is that there are a lot of local shops that perform a "fuel system flush" where they use a 3 step BK fuel injector system cleaner kit that work well. All for about $130.
BK Fuel Injector kit cleaning overview of steps.
1. Cleaner spray used to clean intake throttle body. Throttle body is opened using external computer control.
2. Fuel injector flush using BK cleaner with OTC type flush tool. Remove intake vacuum hose, disconnect fuel pump, run cleaner through engine.
3. reset ECM to remove any previously set fuel system adjustments.
4. Poor bottle of BK cleaner/anti oxidation into fuel tank.
On my son's Jeep Patriot, I had previously pulled a code which pointed to a partially clogged fuel injector. A single bottle of Techron cleaner in the tank did not clear the code. I then brought it into a shop where they used the BK 3 stage kit and I left there no longer having a code and running much smoother.
So for $130, the shop not only cleans the throttle body for you, but also cleans your fuel injectors and throws in some gas treatment cleaner when done.
Last edited by Rednroll; 11-01-2017 at 03:47 AM.