Fuel induction and throttle body service

[Camree]

My '95 Camry v6 just passed smog in California, but the tester recommended a "fuel induction and throttle body service" due to the relatively high hydrocarbon levels at low speed.

Is this a service that would be advisable there at the smog station (I tend to trust the dealer a little more) or is there a down side to cleaning the induction system?

The car only has 112K miles and runs well.

I appreciate any comments.

camree

[Luckynumber5]

Well by running oil based engine cleaner through the engine you may end up cleaning a good part of the upper intake but all that gunk may foul up the plugs a little. I would recommend doing this before you change your spark plugs.

[Kep]

It kind of depends just how much you want to do to the car. What Luckynumber5 suggested will probably help. You could take it further by doing the brake vacuum line Sea Foam treatment.

Don’t forget “Kep’s Trilogy” manually clean the throttle body, IAC valve and the EGR system.

You may also have one or more fouled plugs which would result in elevated hydrocarbons (unburned fuel). Bad wires might not be delivering sufficient power to the plugs to give off a hot spark. A weak coil could also result in a cooler spark. Similarly, a misfire would increase HCs

A failing O2 sensor, coolant sensor, or throttle position sensor might not trip the CEL yet but still may cause the ECM to deliver too much gas to the engine.

For some reason excessively lean air/fuel mixture (too much air or too little fuel) is also attributed to excessive HCs. Consider leaking air intake or plugged fuel injectors (possibly helped by Luckynumber5’s suggestion).

There are more but these will be more common.

Kep

[Camree]

Thanks a lot for the great tips!

I am gong to check into the cost for the "trilogy" and also spark plug check/replacement.

I don't know if the standard rules apply for replacement (~60k miles) for plugs/drive belts when the car isn't driven all that much. It has been about 5+ years since the plugs were last replaced, but not 60k miles.

Camree

[hooRAH]

Some before and after photos of cleaning my throttle body. I doubt cleaning the throttle body will improve the efficiency of your burns or reduce your hydrocarbon #s. Cleaning the EGR may help with those more.

The main symptoms of a dirty throttle body are stalling on warm start and the throttle plate sticking on take-off from a stoplight.

I definitely recommend the service, but I wouldn't pay someone more than $30 to do it if I wasn't going to do it myself.

[Camree]

hooRAH,

Great photos, thanks!

I think I would like to learn how to do it myself, as I think the dealer would want $100 or so to do it. I don't have the symptoms that you mention, but I would like to clean it anyway, just need some instructions.

Also, I have read about the brake vacuum line Sea Foam treatment, but it doesn't sound like something an amateur could handle. I think I need to do a little more homework before attempting that one.

Thanks again.

camree

[Kep]

Do some searches on this forum and on the Gen 1&2 forum. There are lots of good posts and some links to DIY videos. The Sea Foam thing is easy. Kep's Trilogy requires some wrenches and patience but is not rocket science. Most folks who can read directions can do it. Actually, it is probably a good beginner project.

Get yourself some manuals and a torque wrench. You may need three gaskets for the trilogy and some throttle body cleaner and some tools. You can do the throttle body without taking anything off (other than the air hose). The EGR can be removed by itself but it is a lot easier if you take the throttle body off first (so why not do both) and the IAC valve can't be well accessed or removed unless the throttle body is removed so again, why not do all three?

Kep