What Is a Throttle Body? Features, Types, & Cleaning Process

Throttle body is a component that is part of the car’s fuel system. The function for regulating the amount of air that goes to the engine and, in result, the amount of fuel burned. Here, we will cover details for throttle body features and workings, as well as how to clean the throttle. So let’s get started with What Is a Throttle Body?

What Is a Throttle Body?

• Throttle body is a component that is used for controlling the air that moves into the car engine. When we press the downward gas pedal, the throttle body opens up to help air flow into the engine, which uses more fuel, resulting in the car moving.

• Basically, the throttle body is the main component in a combustion engine vehicle, and if it does not work well, it affects the car’s working performance.
• The throttle bodies are in mechanical and electronic types. If it is not working well, the glowing engine light is the main sign of reduced engine power, stalling, and rough idling.
• If the throttle body is not working well, it causes driving difficulty and also damages other connected components.

 Throttle Body Location

• In older carbureted engines, a throttle body in the carburetor. It opened and closed through the cable and connected from the gas pedal and the engine vacuum in providing more fuel when open.
• Fuel-injected engine comes with a throttle body between the air filter and intake manifold and mechanically connected with the gas pedal through a cable and wire used for making an electronic connection.
• At the time of driving, we press the pedal, the butterfly of the throttle body pivots to provide more air flow into the manifold.
• In result, the throttle position sensor instructs the ECU that we provide during pressing on the gas. After that, the air flow sensor senses air and sends the signal to the computer of the car for increasing the field provided by the injector.

How Does a Throttle Body Work?

The main function of the throttle body is to control the air that goes into the engine. It’s working involves these steps.

• Throttle body is configured with the accelerator pedal through a mechanical connection in older versions of vehcilces and the latest vehicle has an electronic connection through the wire. If we press the accelerator pedal, as a result, the throttle plate opens in the throttle body, causing more air flow in the engine.
• Throttle position sensor is the main component of the throttle body that monitors the angle of the throttle plate. When the accelerator pedal is pressed or released, the TPS transmits a signal to the engine control module that shows the current throttle plate position.
• ECM used for controlling different engine operations, such as fuel injection, air intake and ignition. According to an input signal from the throttle position sensor, the ECM defines a certain fuel amount needed for mixing with the incoming air. That helps to provide accurate combustion for the working of the engine.
• When the throttle plate opens, more air flows into the engine through the intake manifold. ECM set fuel injector for providing accurate fuel providing a good air fuel mixture to use for combustion. When the accelerator pedal releases, the throttle plate closes, which causes airflow and fuel delivery to stop or reduce.

How many throttle bodies?

• Some vehicles come with one single throttle body, and some cars have larger V6, V8, or V12 engines, come with one for every bank of cylinders or also one on each cylinder, but it is not common..
• Some vehcilces use a throttle body with two small throats and butterflies than one larger throat like Ford truck EFI motors but provide the same working.
• The good air filter is used for the operation of the throttle body since dust can gather in the butterfly resulting of idle and drivability problems. Based on PCV breather plumbing features of car motor, we can get  build up of oil residue.

Different types of throttle bodies? 

Different types of throttle bodies are listed here

Single throttle body:

• The single throttle body is a common type and is commonly used in vehicles. it comes wth a throttle plate that opens when we press down on the accelerator pedal.

Twin throttle bodies:

• The twin throttle body is used for a high-performance engine, since it provides good airflow for high power and throttle response.

Electronic throttle body:

• The electronic throttle body is controlled electronically as opposed to a manual operation. This throttle body works quickly to throttle inputs and offers more accurate control of air intake.

Port throttle bodies:

• Port throttle body used for racing vehicles and comes with larger throttle plates for increasing airflow.

Butterfly-type throttle bodies:

• It is like a port throttle body, but comes with a more butterfly-shaped design plate that opens or closes in response of the throttle inputs.

How to Clean a Throttle Body

Follow these steps for cleaning the throttle body.

1. First, disconnect the negative battery terminals before doing any work on the throttle body. It is best to do at a time when work in hood since some components like the cooling fan can start working.
2. Now remove air intake duct and hoses connected with throttle body. For this process, use screwdriver and note that botls, camps, or screw connection points.
3. Now remove electrical connections like throttle position sensor or mass airflow sensor from the throttle body. Try to avoid damaging any wiring or connectors.
4. In some conditions, we can remove the throttle body from the vehicle, which helps to clean it carefully. For disconnecting it, use a socket wrench for removing bolts that connect the throttle body with the intake manifold.
5. With use of safety measures like gloves and glasses, use throttle body cleaner on the throttle plate in the throttle body and around the corners of the throttle plate. With use of a soft bristle brush, remove dust, and carbon deposits. Not cause scratch on the surface or strongly push brush into small openings.
6. Clea loosened dirt, grime with use of a clean rag and made sure that the complete surface is clean and dry before connections.
7. Not again, make all electrical connections and hoses, and air intake ducts at their respective points. If the throtlle body also removed connect it at accurate point.
8. Now start the vehicle and test that the throttle is working well, avoiding any damage.

Reasons for  Replacing the Throttle Body

• First of all, check that the engine light is on, since this light comes on when the engine has any issue. If the issue is in the throtlle body and solved, the light will be off.
• If you are changing gears or accelerating, result shaking or jerking occurs, so improper set speed causes faulty combustion, resulting in rough idling and power losses.
• If we do some preparing work on the car after that faces misfires and power loss like spark plugs, then first of all check the filter. If not solved, that means there is a problem with the throttle body
• If there is a change in fuel combustion, the throttle body has problems
• If the engine’s working performance is not well or losing power caused by a faulty throttle body.

Advantages of upgrading throttle bodies

• If the throttle body is not working well, that indicates the need to replace or upgrade the complete fuel system. That can be replacing the throttle body and other parts like the fuel injectors, the air intake, the throttle control system, and the engine management system. So benefits for upgrading or replacing the throttle body are
• It provides high power and good throttle response.
• it increases fuel efficiency
• it reduces the emission of the engine

Disadvantages of upgrading throttle bodies 

• The upgrading of throttle body has some high starting cost and requires more professional work, making it a costly process.
• Throttle body upgrading causes support problems with other components of cars, which require to use more components to make proper compatibility with other parts.
• Throttle body that is regularly upgraded wears out more quickly than other throttle bodies and increases maintenance costs.

Throttle body problems

• The main problems for the throttle body are is that it comes with affected idle air control valves or a manifold absolute pressure sensor.
• The IAC valve helps the computer to control idle speed through releasing small air into the intake.
• The MAP sensor converts engine vacuum in the manifold into electronic signals indicating the computer to define how much fuel is injected.
• The engine that revs high for idle can cause a vacuum leak or torn intake hose. The constant high idle can cause the IAC valve to stick open or a mechanical throttle stop is needed to set.

FAQs.