Our '04 Sienna at 56,000 miles has not yet showed any sign of needing this done, but when I change the plugs this fall I plan to do the task. A can of Throttle Body cleaner or Seafoam DeepCreep Cleaner is about $9 and the task takes about an hour if you actually remove the throttle body for the best cleaning, or about 15 minutes if you leave the throttle body in-place and just spray it good then wipe it out after a few minutes of letting the cleaner work.. Note I am talking about an internal cleaning, not the outside surface.

Do not recall ever seeing a recommended cleaning schedule, but perhaps every 50,000 miles would be about right if no observed problems exist. My plan is to do a thorough cleaning (removed) when I pull intake system for spark plug replacement, then a quick clean sometime about halfway to next sparkplug change. I do most work myself, so would not pay big bucks unless car was giving me major run problems while far away from home.

 

Symptoms of dirty throttle body

I could not find mention of it in the 60K or 90K service intervals. "Poor throttle response and lack of low-end power are the most common symptoms ( of a dirty throttle body), and in worst cases, a high or wavering idle. It is most easily taken care of with a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the fuel tank." I do my own maintenance, and at 90K, cleaned the throttle body, air induction system, and fuel system, using Berryman and Techron products. I have noticed a slight pick up in acceleration. Need to drive a few tankfuls to see if their is any increase in mpg. Your air filter needs to be changed every 30K or less depending on driving conditions. I would pass on the dealership service, and add a can of a good fuel system cleaner, i,e Techron Concentrate Plus, Berryman, BG, or Royal Purple, to name some good ones.

 

My next question was what are the symptoms of a dirty throtlle assembly, but Optic nerve just answered it. Dont have the symptoms yet, so it means i dont need it.

I started getting these "requests" after i bought my new set of tires from the dealership. When i come in for an oil change and rotation, service comes to only $35 since rotation is now free. But i get hit with all these extra things i need on my van ????

 

*** It is most easily taken care of with a bottle of fuel injector cleaner in the fuel tank." ***
Note that this feeds from fuel tank to injectors, which does help keep injector system clean and I do add a bottle of this cleaner to fuel tank every fall. But it does not affect the throttle body internals. The throttle body gets most of its gummy contamination from oil fumes fed thru the PCV system. And of course any dirt in the air which gets by the air filter will deposit in any oily fumes left by the PCV system. As the engine ages, more blowby occurs, so you may not notice significant gummy buildup in the throttle body until maybe after a 100,000+ miles or so.

 

Dave is right on, unless you drive your 6 year old Sienna a lot in dry,hot,dusty places, don't buy a top tier gasoline,don't change your air filter on schedule, your throttle body probably, does not need service. You did not say how many miles you have on it, but your money in my opinion would be better directed towards buying a quality diagnostic scanner and guide to how to use it.The tool will help you be a more informed of the efficiency of your engine. Then you can begin to be a more aware and critical consumer of the auto repair and maintenance business.

 

Because the main throttle plate is also used in idle control (there is no separate Idle Air Control on these engines), occasional cleaning becomes a bit more important. However, Toyota has a warning against simply removing the intake hose and spraying at random. See the attached procedure.

http://www.mediafire.com/view/sugjj...w/sugjj2zrr5nayx7/T-TT-0086-11_Hard_Start_or_Poor_Idle_After_Battery_Change.pdf

 

I had 45000 miles on my van when i had it in for service couple of weeks ago. But ever since i got my new tires my service bill has been below $40 which I guess triggers something in the service advisor's screen which tells them to bug me with stuff i dont need . Thanks for all the feed back.

 

When to the dealership the other day to have an oil change and tire rotation done on my 2008 Sienna XLE. 25 mintues after they drive it in. Service manager comes to me and tells me that my van needs a Throttle body assembly cleaning.
I asked him how much, he said $125. my question is, is this a scheduled maintenance items and how often should this be done.

Thanks.

I had it done get the fuel injector service and they do it all they charge me 199 it good all the carbon they clean fuel line to.