Dealer says my '07 needs throttle body cleaning - thinking of DIY

A full tear down is unnecessary at 45,000. Just a good cleaning. Get a couple cans of carb cleaner and one can of MAF spray cleaner. Take the air cleaner off and be aware there's a clamp underneath that clamps the throat of the air cleaner to the TB. Spray the MAF but don't touch it. Get some old t shirts and rip them in long strips about 3 inches wide. While opening the butterfly by hand using a wooden stick shove in a strip or 2 as deep as you can.
Soak it down with carb cleaner. Now with the strip soaked strip using your fingers scrub the entire inside of the throat as deep as you can. Pull that filthy strip out & repeat until clean.
Let dry (it helps with the strips as it does not allow carb cleaner to go into engine) and then spray lube the butterfly return spring. Replace air cleaner assy don't forget throat clamp underneath and make sure the maf is still plugged in and your good to go. Prius needs this done every 20,000.

 

i'm at 80,000 and haven't ever remembered having my throttle body cleaned.. is this important to do?

 

Does anyone know what MAF cleaner consists of, in the UK I can get carb cleaner but every motorist supply shop I have been to has never herd of MAF cleaner this includes three Toyota agents.

 

Regarding throttle body cleaning, I recommend that less is more. Do not drown the throttle interior in cleaner. The concern is that dirt-laden fluid will drip down the throttle plate shaft into the throttle motor and cause problems.

Instead, remove the air cleaner housing for access to the throttle body interior. Dampen a clean cloth or paper towel with throttle body cleaning fluid and wipe off the interior and the throttle plate (you can rotate the spring-loaded shaft for access to the bottom of the throttle plate.)

Regarding the mass air flow sensor cleaner, if this is not available then as an alternative you can use isopropyl alcohol. Remove the MAF sensor from the air cleaner housing and dip into a small container filled with the alcohol. Make sure that no residue is left on the wires.

It would be better to use MAF cleaner because it will spray out of the can and provide good force to clean the wires. If unavailable, then the use of isopropyl alcohol is better than nothing as long as you don't damage the MAF sensor.

 

Which is why I use rags stuffed down in the throat. It captures all the cleaner.
Much safer than just spraying it down.

 

Thank you Patric for your advice. I have thought about using isopropyl alcohol but was afraid it may dissolve some insulating component, but will now go ahead.

 

Finger nail polish remover would probably work also. As far as MAF spray it comes in handy when one is lazy, but it is not actuall required. To the guy with 80,000 miles, YES the Maf sensor, throttle and body must be periodically cleaned. You can actually do all this with just a clean cloth, being especially careful with the sensor. It looks like it's made of glass. It is not necessary to insert a cloth to absorb spray cleaning fluid, the engine will annihilate that small amount of vapor in micro-seconds. I give mine a hit ( spray ) each time I inspect/change the filter. It's all in the same area. PS: Don't worry about that puddle of liquid on the bottom of the throttle body, all Prius seem to have it ??? it is harmless. REMOVER!!!

 

It would work well to screw up the MAF sensor. See this Wikipedia article about likely ingredients: "... may also include oils, scents and coloring."
[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_polish]Nail polish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

The idea is to use a cleaning agent that leaves no residue.

 

That is strange Pat because I have used it extensively to spotlessly clean, before a painting procedure on the car. Also it works great for cleaning glass when attaching a blind spot mirror. Why would it screw up a MAF sensor? Oh it leaves no residue. Have you tried it? Acetone is in finger nail polish remover. on the same plane, paint thinner may also work. The actual sensor is enclosed in glass,right. Of course I am only talking about a precise amount to clean the glass, not saturating the wires.

 

The solvent in nail polish remover is acetone. Just use straight acetone. That is what most carb and brake cleaners are based on. Follow up with alcohol if needed.

 

CRC makes the MAF cleaning spray. If you can't find it, try an electrical cleaning spray that is non-lubing.

 

Nail Polish REMOVER Pat. Thanks for the link Pat. The key word is "may"

 

I agree

 

Yes, I have some, this was for the fellow in the UK, ( Britprius ) that could not find it locally. :cheer2:

 

Yes, I am talking about nail polish remover and the cited article mentions the ingredients of nail polish remover near the end.

That stuff is nasty, I hate it when the women in my life use that and ask them to go outdoors. It certainly will leave residue on whatever is being cleaned.

 

You can pick up the electrical spray at an auto parts store or the equvalent to a Radio Shack in the UK.

 

Actually, we were initially speaking of cleaning the MAF sensor with the designed MAF cleaning spray. But probably Elec or electronic spray cleaner may also work, if it doesn't have any additives that may leave a residue. :cheer2:

" What a Hullabaloo "

 

It can be had with or without a lubricant, so you can just get it without. I used it to clean parts back in the day when you could actually buy parts to rebuild an alternator rather than buy crappy rebuilts.

 

Acetone can dissolve most plastics so I again advise against its use on the MAF sensor which has a plastic body. If you are cleaning a steel or aluminum auto part, then the use of acetone would be OK.

"Acetone is a good solvent for most plastics and synthetic fibers including those used in laboratory bottles made of polystyrene, polycarbonate and some types of polypropylene."
[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone]Acetone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]