Greetings, My 2004 Prius has a Check Engine light. My mechanic said it needs a throttle body, which is $933 new plus labor. I trust this mechanic, I believe he has guided me right in the past. Before I picked up the car, I googled throttle body, and a few PC threads discuss cleaning it. The mechanic said it doesn't need cleaning, the electronics are bad. I did not get the Code from him. My first question is, can I buy an inexpensive interface and an App to get the codes? My second question is, assuming my mechanic has the code right, is there any chance it just needs cleaning? If it does need a new throttle body (sounds like a misnomer), is that something safe to buy used? It wouldn't be very new if it is from a crashed 2004 (but maybe from a 2009 ? Lastly, is this something I should try at home? That's probably silly; My mechanic is willing to install a used part just as well as a new one. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Seth
You can buy the throttle body online for $$673.00 at camelback toyota. I would try cleaning it first, it only takes 5 minutes
+1 What JC said. Try cleaning it first. If that don't help, then change the throttle body. After that keep it clean, otherwise it too will wear out.
Mini VCI on Amazon.com, running on a Windows XP or Windows 7, 32 bit OS laptop. Yes, try cleaning the throttle body interior and throttle plate using the minimum amount of throttle body cleaner sprayed on a clean cloth. Remove the air cleaner housing for easy access to the throttle body. Rotate the spring-loaded throttle shaft for access to the underside of the throttle plate. The throttle shaft should freely rotate when the car is IG-OFF. When the Prius is READY the throttle motor should not allow you to rotate the throttle shaft. Yes, you can try a used part. For example, autobeyours.com is a good source. Or eBay. See if you can clean the throttle body interior first. If that isn't a problem for you, look at the throttle body and note how it is mounted to the intake manifold. If you have or can get the proper metric tools to remove the throttle body and replace it, why not. You will need a new gasket that fits between the throttle body and the intake manifold. There must be no air leaks downstream from the mass air flow sensor which is mounted in the air cleaner housing. The tightening torque is 15 ft.-lb on the bolt and two nuts that attach the throttle body to the intake manifold. Note that there are five hoses to remove and replace, two for the PCV system, one for a fuel vapor hose, and two for the engine cooling system which heats the intake manifold to prevent icing in cold weather. See techinfo.toyota.com for factory repair manual info. Look at the engine air filter (the bottom is the side that collects dirt) and replace it if you cannot see light when the filter is held up to sunlight. For a complete job, buy a can of mass air flow sensor cleaner, remove the MAF sensor mounted to the air cleaner housing, and spray the MAF sensor bulb and wires. Do not allow anything other than MAF sensor cleaner spray to touch those parts, and in particular do not use throttle body cleaner spray on the MAF sensor.
You can find a used one from a local junk yard here: Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market They usually run around $100.
I posted a while back about a Throttle Body that was throwing errors. Thanks for this advice. I cleaned it today, and there's good news and "other" news. The Check Engine light is off. BUT when it is idling, it keeps revving as if it can't figure out how fast it should idle... Or, as if it can't tell how fast the air is flowing. I am worried that I damaged the MAF. I drove around the block, did not have an issue when the engine was working, but did have an issue when it was idling, whether the car was moving or not. I have some time to look at it tomorrow; Most days, I drive 70-80 miles, but this week just Tues and Wed and maybe not even those. I saw an article about testing and/or cleaning the MAF, can try that tomorrow. (It hasn't been cleaned since I have owned the car.) Can I use MAF cleaner on the Throttle Plate in the future? Thanks everyone.
You can take the MAF sensor out of the throttle body, two screws, and clean with a Qtip and alcohol. Usually it is just grime on the sensor, air dry and put back in. Be careful when cleaning the little bulb and the two thin metal contacts it is connect to. The bulb should be amber colored when cleaned.
First, use only throttle body cleaner on the throttle body and only Mass Air Flow sensor cleaner on the MAF. I know that many people use other things, but for the $5-10 cost of the product, I don't like taking the chance. Also, know that pretty much everything I have ever read says NEVER touch the wires/sensors inside the MAF. Just spray it good and let it dry. Finally, last time I cleaned my throttle body, the car surged and revved up and down for "awhile" until the vehicle computer "relearned" what settings to use. If you drive it, it usually does not stay at idle long. Try starting and let it sit running for 10 minutes or so and see what happens. I would bet that after a few minutes, it will all be well.
Greetings, I want to thank everyone in this forum....I am ready to tentatively say, problem solved.... I cleaned the throttle body, but then the idle was irregular, idling fast when stopped. I re-read everything and I see that I probably damaged the MAF sensor with the Throttle Body Cleaner, (duh). I replaced it with a part from Ebay, and the Check Engine light is off. I spent more time (much) looking for a screw driver for this task.... (An offset ratcheting screwdriver was what worked for me) (I did see a video that showed using traditional tools to remove the air cleaner assembly, so that a specialty screwdriver is not needed I also found a Throttle Body on Ebay for $80. If I need it, it will be on the shelf. Or for sale. I'll give it a few days. The seller sent it Priority mail but the USPS told him it was best effort for the season Lessons Learned: Keep that offset Phillips #2 handy, remove MAF sensor before cleaning TB. (other methods may work, this seems easy and reliable I'll post again if anything changes after a few days of driving. Thanks again.
Always glad to hear good news. Anyway, sounds like you are good to go. Again, some people use a number of different fluids/cleaners/etc. on this stuff. And, sometimes it works fine. For me, a small can of CRC MAF cleaner is $6. A can of Throttle Body Cleaner is $6-$10. Why take the chance? I have even seen YouTube videos where people use brake cleaner and Carb Cleaner. Seems to work for them, but I like to play it safe. I think you will be fine! You did it once and learned something. Seems like I usually have to do things three times before I learn anything!
Hi! I have a 2006 prius, and my mechanic said I will have to replace the throttle body. (A few months ago, I got the red triangle and it went into limp mode. I thought it was just overheated, but the next day I still had the red triangle when I started it. So I got it to my mechanic but it was working fine. She could not replicate the problem. They took some time, and said they weren't sure but suspected that the "throttle box" was about to fail. Cost: about $900. I am not sure if they cleaned it.) So thanks for the info above. My question is: Do i get a 2006 used throttle body? Or a later one that is used? A later one that is refurbished? Or a new one? Money is tight. I love the car, but I don't know anything about cars. And I'm worried it will fail again. The check engine light is on. What should I do? Thanks all for any advice, in advance....
A new, OEM (Toyota) throttle body can be had online for $439 + ship/tax. You may be able to find it cheaper. A used one taken from a crashed or junked car can be found on car-part.com for about $200 - if you go this route be sure to buy one from a 2004-2009 Prius (I'm assuming they are interchangeable between years) since earlier or later ones will be from different generations of the car which have different engines. Good luck.
