The pipe connected to the intake needs to be removed (hose clamp at the right side of the picture). The spring tension is low, so squeeze with your fingers and slide the clamp up.

Slide the tube off the air intake and set the clamp aside so it doesn't get lost.
The is part of the air intake, so there is no fluid to worry about.

Next step, unplug the wiring harness shown below. Using a needle nose pliers, squeeze the tabs on the zip tie clip to release the harness from the bracket. Finally, release the harness from the clip in the side of the air intake.

Once again, loosen the clamp and remove the air intake from the throttle body.
And here's what it will look like:

There is a wire harness connected to the throttle body. I would highly recommend against pulling on the wires. Instead, squeeze the tab with one hand, and use a flat screwdriver to gently pry the the harness from the throttle body.

Almost at the home stretch, but there a few items left. There are two coolant hoses connected to the throttle body. Do not proceed unless the engine is completely cold.

To be continued...

 

Using a needle nose pliers, slide the two clamps and inch or two up the hose.
The hoses tend to "weld" themselves to the barb. I usually use a flat-bladed screwdriver to pry the hose off, Carefully work your way around the hose until it pops free. Try not to stab yourself when you are doing this.

You will lose about 1-2 tablespoons of coolant when the hoses are removed. However the coolant will NOT continue to flow, so no need to clamp the hoses, or try to plug them.

At this point, the throttle body can be removed by unscrewing the four 12 mm bolts.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of the dirty throttle body. Hopefully someone can add a few pictures

Rubbing alcohol seemed to work best for cleaning the soot and varnish. I used a clean rag and q-tips to remove the carbon.

The butterfly valve is spring loaded, so it can be held open to make cleaning easier. Don't forget to clean the edges of the throttle body.

Once the throttle body was clean, I placed a few drops of light oil on the pivot points, and this seemed to really free up the butterfly valve.

Most auto parts store sell the complete throttle body for around $150, so this is also an option.

 

Once the throttle body was clean, I placed a few drops of light oil on the pivot points, and this seemed to really free up the butterfly valve.

Thanks for your write up. It will come in handy if I ever need to do it.

Regarding the oil on the pivot points, what I've found is that "Super Lube" products are unbelievably good. For example, all of my adult life, household fan motors start binding up after months or a year of use. I've had to constantly disassemble the fans to clean and lubricate the motor shafts with grease when the motors slowed down.

Then I discovered "Super Lube" synthetic grease. This grease is so good that after greasing the fan motor shafts just one time, they never bind up again after years of use. When the fans are turned off, they just keep spinning until their momentum dies off. Unbelieveably good synthetic grease.

There is also a Super Lube synthetic oil which could be used to lube the butterfly valve shaft.

 

Reverse the steps for reassembly.

Note the tab on the throttle body, which aligns the air intake.

And, another notch on the air filter housing for alignment.

 

This is a great DIY write up. Thanks for sharing! I’m assuming this fixed your issue?

 

Yes, my wife actually noticed a difference. The whole process took about two hours, with most of the time spent cleaning the throttle body.

 

Thanks for doing this! I bought some throttle body cleaner a few weeks ago and need to get this done.

 

There are many complaints about hesitation and poor throttle response. This could be potentially fixed for $0.00 and about two hours of time with basic tools. No need to jack up the vehicle, remove tires, etc.

I'm really hoping someone could add some pictures of their throttle body before/after.

I forgot to take pictures.

 

No problems with drive by wire? Usually when a throttle body butterfly is moved during cleanup process the TPS has to be reset with a scan tool

 

The throttle body is spring-loaded, and returns to the closed position itself. I didn't have any problems after cleaning.

 

Thanks for your post. Gave me the confidence to do it today. Been waiting a few weeks because I didn’t want to mess anything up.

before:

and after:

 

Looking good, thanks for adding the missing pictures.

Did you put a few drops of oil on the pivot points? Any noticeable difference afterwards?

 

Looking good, thanks for adding the missing pictures.

Did you put a few drops of oil on the pivot points? Any noticeable difference afterwards?

I got to drive it a lot today and the cleaning has gotten rid of the hesitation which I’m happy about. I didn’t put any oil on the pivot points. I may have to do that and see if it makes any difference in the throttle response. But yes overall this helps with the hesitation and throttle response.

 

hello i was taught to never spray anything directly around or into a throttle plate because some have coatings on the plate and shaft that can be washed away with carb cleaner etc. best to just access front of assembly, get throttle plate open and use a rag that is wet with carb cleaner and use your finger. ive used a non scratching stick wrapped with a rag to get inside a little easier on some vehicles. it doesnt have to be spotless, just get the buildup off. its important to not scratch anything while attempting this too. i cant tell by pics if theres any bushings on the shaft but if there is they are prob oil impregnated and dont need lube anyways. any oil, grease, or whatever you put there is going straight into the intake anyways. these shafts are always moving and do wear out at some point, then you can only replace.

 

That is a great point.
Because of these special coatings they actually make a cleaner specifically for throttle bodies.

 

i forgot....... the dirty back side of the throttle plate is whats causing the complaints. you only really need to clean that.

 

man - replacing the throttle body in my VW Passat was way easier - but definitely made a difference.
I'm too old and lazy to do it myself to our Ody.

 

Wow. Thank you. We thought this PITA, and safety, issue was transmission-related only. We'll try this first.
What causes the throttle body to get so dirty? Is it preventable by using a higher quality grade of gas?

 

Use these tools for removing and clamping your coolant hoses.

These picks work great for breaking the rubber hose loose around the tube the hose is slid on The longer ones help for reaching the bottom heater hoses, be sure to work them all the way around the hoses. Beats trying to use a screw driver as they normally rip the rubber hoses.

10" Radiator Hose Clamping Pinch Off Locking Pliers Clamps up to 2" hose OD.

 

TB cleaning accomplished! The instructions were great! The wiring harness attached to the TB was the most fussy, for me. I unearthed a cracked air intake tube...aftermarket is not available yet, and Used would've taken a few more days, so I bit the $90 dealer cost. I'm happy with how clean it got. Also replaced the air filter while in there.

*My big question now is how to get rid of the 10 new trouble Codes that are now firing? I assume with two harnesses being removed/reattached, that some sort of system reset needs to occur. What should I do?

Thank you!

 

Nice job! What solvent did you use to clean off the carbon?

 

A simple disconnect and re-connect of the harnesses should NOT trigger 10 codes. Double check the harnesses and make sure they are properly clicked and locked in place. An improperly connected harness would cause the codes.

After ensuring that the connectors are firmly snapped in place, time for a scan of the codes and perhaps a reset to see if they return.

 

If you disconnected the battery, a quick drive around the block should reset the codes.

Otherwise, disconnect the battery, wait at least 15 minutes, then touch the positive terminal to chassis ground.

 

Battery had not been disconnected. Fortunately the codes disappeared on their own! Gas pedal seems better...just need to drive it more to fully tell.

 

Thanks for posting this. I have an 18 and have been cleaning mine every oil change for the past few years. But even after fresh cleaning it still doesn’t drive great, it’s just better than dirty.

Curious, has anyone tried replacing it all together? Wondering if the one I have is defective. Mine has an indent toward the bottom of the plate - I noticed when pushing the plate back to clean.

 

@Aclement1618
Price around $175, have not had a reason as of yet to need to clean it, almost at 60K miles. If it does have a indent on the plate or the body I would say that is not normal. But if it is idling correctly, don't bother.

 

@DJVAN makes sense - i wish I didn't have a reason to clean it I'm at 72k miles (9-speed problems...). I've just had poor shifting for ~50k miles and tried the following solutions to no avail: cleaned TB every 5k, trans flush, and TSBs. Only thing that somewhat helps is the TB cleaning. Ordered the part but scheduled an appt with dealer to inspect and request warranty replacement first.

 

Only thing that somewhat helps is the TB cleaning.

Try putting a drop of lightweight oil on the pivot points next time.

 

Just ordered some zoom oil @DJVAN mentioned. Well give it a college try.

 

I'll be doing this procedure this weekend but wanted to know if a new gasket for the throttle body will be needed?