Throttle Body???? Help!

georgiatarheel · #1 10-16-2009, 01:23 AM

I have a 2004 F-150 Super Crew with 93,000 miles on it. A couple weeks ago it started giving me trouble when idling and even started quitting at red lights. I took it into a mechanic today and they said the throttle body is filled with crud and needs to be replaced. They also said I need a fuel system service to keep this from happening again. Total estimate came to $942. Seems steep. Is this right?

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migdaddy · #2 10-16-2009, 06:04 AM

hahaha. you can either remove it and clean it all urself, or spend 200 bucks and buy a bigger throttle body, and gain a little better performance out of it. 900 bucks is a joke.

4.6 Punisher · #3 10-16-2009, 09:19 AM

Remove the throttle body
Clean it with some kind of TB cleaner
Reinstall it
Don't go back to that shop

DirtySCREW · #4 10-18-2009, 04:55 AM

Question on TB cleaning---Do you have the engine running when you spray the TB cleaner?? or is it better to do it with the engine off? Reason I ask is I cleaned my TB on a Bronco II I had and I did it with engine running---just making sure theres no set way---DirtySCREW

4.6 Punisher · #5 10-18-2009, 01:18 PM

You take the throttle body off the engine and clean it with the spray and a rag.

georgiatarheel · #6 10-19-2009, 08:13 AM

Thanks for the replies. The shop is saying that the sensor in the throttle body is busted and must be replaced (versus cleaning). They say I need a fuel system cleaning because that's what caused the throttle body to fail in the first place. Any thoughts? Thank you!

migdaddy · #7 10-19-2009, 12:29 PM

How much are they charging? Take it to another shop or 2 and get their opinions

4.6 Punisher · #8 10-19-2009, 01:01 PM

There aren't any sensors in the throttle body, just the drive-by-wire system. You can do all this stuff in your garage with basic tools and common sense.

Remove the throttle body and elbow off with a socket wrench
Remove the electronics off the side of the TB
Clean the TB and elbow with TB cleaner and a rag
Reinstall and go

The carbon buildup is because of the EGR system sending burnt air back through the engine. The whole fuel system cleaner isn't going to do jack ****.