[Swapnil4585]

Throttle Body Cleaning : A Horror Story: -

It's a cool, Sunday morning. I decided to clean my Corolla's air filter, throttle body, cabin filter, etc. I cleaned the cabin filter, air filter and put them back. Then I proceeded to clean the throttle body.

As a part of the process, one has to spray the 3M solution on both sides of the throttle plate and inside the housing, and wipe off the loosened carbon deposits with a brush. To do the same, one has to put a screw driver (or something like a screw driver) that helps to hold the plate wide open to have access to the inner sides of the throttle body. I did the same. First, I put the screwdriver above the plate, cleaned the undersides and then put it underside and cleaned the upper part (or the rear side) of the throttle plate.

Now comes the frightening part.

While fitting the intake hose back, that screwdriver accidentally went deep inside the body, beyond my hand's access, but was visible to the eye. To remove that, I got my sister's hairpin and started attempting to remove that. To my further horror, the screwdriver slide further in Now it is so inside that it is not visible to the eye. I am attaching a photo for reference.

What is the way out of this? Disassemble the entire throttle body or open the engine? Is there any dead end after which the object can't slide in any further?

[sudev]

Disassembly is one way. Try fishing with magnet as most of your throttle body is likely to be aluminium.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

What is the way out of this? Disassemble the entire throttle body or open the engine? Is there any dead end after which the object can't slide in any further?

You will need to remove the throttle body as the screwdriver has slipped into the intake manifold. Don't start the car Also, next time use a screwdriver with larger handle so it doesn't slip into the manifold.

Keep in mind there's a gasket. It is probably a paper one which generally tears when disassembled and may require replacement. It would also be better to torque the TB properly since the part is aluminium and intake manifold is plastic. I would advise not removing it yourself as under/over torquing may damage these assemblies.

If the screwdriver just can't be removed take the car to the ASC on a flatbed truck.

[Swapnil4585]

Thanks sudev and R2D2.

I am trying the magnet way first, today. If it doesn't come out, the flatbed option sometime later in the week.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Thanks sudev and R2D2. I am trying the magnet way first, today. If it doesn't come out, the flatbed option sometime later in the week.

The reason you'll be finding it difficult to use a magnet is because the screwdriver has gone into the manifold metal blade first. When looking directly into the manifold you would see the green plastic handle and hence no magnet will attach to it.

Try using a length of stiff single core electrical wire or even a wire coat hangar. Bend one end into a hook and try to pull out the screwdriver.

I am still curious why you thought it essential to clean the TB. Was there some problem with the idling or performance?

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by R2D2

The reason you'll be finding it difficult to use a magnet is because the screwdriver has gone into the manifold metal blade first. When looking directly into the manifold you would see the green plastic handle and hence no magnet will attach to it.
.
.
I am still curious why you thought it essential to clean the TB. Was there some problem with the idling or performance?

No actually. The green handle part has gone in the manifold and the metal part of the screwdriver can be attracted towards the magnet. I am yet to get a magnet though. And I will try my best to get it out this way itself.

No problem found with idling or performance. Just because the time to service the TB had come

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

No actually. The green handle part has gone in the manifold and the metal part of the screwdriver can be attracted towards the magnet. I am yet to get a magnet though. And I will try my best to get it out this way itself.

Good luck but make sure that the magnet doesn't fall in. The electronically operated butterfly valve is delicate. Be careful when prying it open.

Also, one needs to drain the coolant system when dismantling the TB, if it comes to that. So I would really recommend this be done only by the ASC.

No problem found with idling or performance. Just because the time to service the TB had come

"If it ain't broke don't fix it" is what I believe in. The electronic TB doesn't require any servicing unless there are alerts like the CEL or other unusual engine behaviour.

Hope you are able to recover the screwdriver from the manifold. Do update this thread.

[scorpian]

Your best chance would be to remove the throttle body and try to have it visible, you could use some stiff wire to kind off get out. Or call a mechanic home get the intake manifold removed and get the screwdriver out.
Don't start the car or else it could be a lot of heartburn and expenses.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

The green handle part has gone in the manifold and the metal part of the screwdriver can be attracted towards the magnet.

Please get the part removed and retrieve the screwdriver. Anything else - the magnet included - will only lead to more trouble. A wash cloth gulped down by the fender of my car over six years ago is yet to come back to me. Amidst the benefits and satisfaction of DIYs, these mishaps act as a warning bell for the enthusiasts.

[Jeroen]

What you really need in these sort of situatino is one of these little grabbers>

Shown here just under the tire lever. Very handy to pick up things where you can't reacht them:



Good luck

Jeroen

[Swapnil4585]

Thank you everybody for all the inputs. I have removed the screwdriver successfully with the help of a Magnetic bar.

This magnetic bar is available in various sizes ranging from half a metre to a couple of metres. I got the half metre bar at Re 550/-, and was able to remove the screwdriver in less than a minute, and without much trouble.

I have not driven the car after removing the screwdriver, however I have started it and let the engine run for a couple of minutes. There is some surging in RPM after revving the engine, and the idle RPM is at 1000 RPM. Would get to know more about the DIY workout in the night.

[R2D2]

@Swapnil4585, good to hear you were able to recover the tool from the manifold without disassembly.

The high idle speed is probably due to the TB cleaner solution and it should level out after a while to approx. 800 RPM.

[Jaggu]

Ideally one shouldn't use any hard instruments like a screw driver near the butterfly valve to clean the throttle body or to pry at it. Chances are, you will upset the system more by mis-aligning it.

Just spray the cleaner fluid and use some cloth and your fingers to wipe the area out gently. As much as possible don't disturb the actual butterfly with external force, even if you have to, then use a soft material like plastic and with minimal force. Modern throttle body with electronic controls, one just cleans the outside and then while running the engine at high rpm just spray the fluid few times while moving the throttle position using the accelerator. This would free up the pivot area. Yes RPM might sputter and all, and too much means you might want to clean the plugs afterwards, but much better than permanently messing up the fine balance of the electronic system.

[sudev]

Just do battery reset and then start car without any throttle input....let the idle settle down. Should be good.

[Gothm95]

Hello everyone!

I have a 2008 Chevrolet Spark 1.0 LS that I bought used a few years back. It's had this particular problem before, which was sorta fixed with a basic engine tune up (with new plugs and HT cables) at the service centre. They did initially ask me to replace my throttle body then. Since it ran fine afterwards, I didn't bother much about it. Well, all of it has come back again

Right now, I need to press the accelerator pedal to even get the engine started. As soon as I let off the accelerator pedal, it shuts off. Driving this car has become a difficult task now. At this point I'm ready to spend the 18k or so to replace the throttle body if it'll run properly.

The reason I feel this doubt is that when I took my car's throttle body apart, the gears looked intact and everything else seemed to be in working order. These were the problems I found diy guides for on YouTube. This part I've highlighted seems to be blocked off. There's a plastic line next to it that I think leads to the charcoal canister. It had a check engine light a while back and the scanned result are also attached. This was cleared by another workshop who did the same things the service centre did and it ran fine for a few days. Now it doesn't have an active check engine light but still behaves just as horribly as it did before.

Does anyone know if the part being blocked off will create bad idle? A mechanic told me they usually block it off when a car shows up with poor or fluctuating idle. Is that a problem with the charcoal canister? Do you think it'll be fixed if I just replace the throttle body?

Thanks in advance!