Cleaning Used Throttle Body

[Michaelr11]

I purchased a pair of used throttle bodies.

My plan is to clean them up, send the injectors out for professional cleaning and eventually swap them onto my R1100RT (currently 100k miles).

So, I don't have a parts washer or ultrasonic cleaner. I've got an aluminum roasting pan, simple green and any other bottle of cleaner chemical available at the local auto parts places. What's my best choice to get these cleaned up. They are fairly grungy both inside and outside.

[Guest Kakugo]

Toothbrush and a small brush (good quality like one of those painters use) and a solution made with 1 part carburetor/injector cleaner and 5 parts gasoline. Those cleaners are pretty aggressive and need to be diluted.

Since you have the TB removed it should be pretty easy to do with those simple tools.

[biometrics]

PINE SOL! Trust me... This works and you won't have to worry about it eating any part of your fuel system.

 

I learned this method (for cleaning carb's) when I was riding a honda, and it will certainly work for throttle bodies. See this thread over on the Nighthawk forum...

 

If you can't reach the thread, it is worth registering on the forum just to be able to read it...

 

http://nighthawk-forums.com/tools-and-equipment/the-pine-sol-degreaser-topic/msg54844/?PHPSESSID=278887d4f736d954c2e5ec24055d67a2

 

 

 

 

 

This is what they look like after a 24 hour soak in a strong pine sol solution.

 

 

 

 

 

[Selden]

PINE SOL! Trust me... This works and you won't have to worry about it eating any part of your fuel system.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Cleaning carbs from a 2003 Kawasaki Ninja 250 is not something I've been looking forward to, but this should make it easier. Your link requires a login, and I don't feel like signing up for yet another forum. What is the short version? 100% Pine Sol? Soak for how long?

[hopz]

What? Hey there is yet another process... Do you have a dishwasher?

 

Its like I am sure no one has cleaned motor parts in one before... sheesh. A blinding flash of the bloody obvious.

 

[Chris K]

Selden, here is a link to all you wanted to know and more: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=560117&highlight=pinesol

 

[biometrics]

Yep, That is a good link! I forgot that Hondo had posted the process on more than one forum. He was a Nighthawk and RT owner

 

As I recall, the Pine Sol has to be Name brand (not chinese generic or from the Dollar Tree) and Hondo used 3 full bottles to 1.5 bottles of water as the mixture because that is the amount necessary to cover the carbs in the article in the container he was using... so any multiple of that ratio should work just fine. How long? I would start with at least 24 hours, and work my way up to 3 days... or you could toothbrush it every time you check the progress.

 

don't forget to do a thorough wash with DAWN dishwashing liquid and hot water, and then a very hot water rinse, and blow it all out with compressed air when you are finished.

 

Hopz, I have tried the dishwasher routine (when the wife wasn't going to be home of course) and it really didn't do as good a job of brightening the parts as the Pine Sol method. I also would not combine the two methods by using Pine Sol in the dishwasher... I think that would be a suds disaster!

 

-John

[Michaelr11]

Great link on Pine-Sol. Seems like the people there tried evrything from straight undiluted Pine-Sol, to 2:1 and 1:1. Undiluted PS seemed to be the one most likely to end up with discolored results. I'm going to give it a try at a 1:1 mix of Pine-Sol and water. I'll take pictures before and after and will report back. Won't be updated by me for several days.

[philbytx]

 

 

READ THIS from the PineSol FAQ's. Original PineSol is NOT recommended for Aluminum or Copper.

 

 

[biometrics]

Interesting that they don't recommend use on aluminum or copper, but don't say why. All I can say is I have seen the results personally and wouldn't hesitate to clean dirty carbs or throttle bodies using the method linked here, at the solution ratio recommended. 3 Bottles of Pine Sol to 1.5 bottles of water... YOUR MILAGE MAY VARY... Use this process at your own risk. I just know it works.

[Michaelr11]

Done.

I soaked the throttle bodies in a mixture of Pine-Sol and water in a 1:1 ratio. The water was hot when I started this. Soaked the right side TB for about six hours. I used a soft toothbrush on a few tough spots but that might not be necessary. Then I removed it and rinsed, first with warm sudsy water, then just hot water. With the hot water I was able to remove the rubber manifold between the TB and the cylinder which was stuck on before.

 

Then I placed the left side TB into the Pine-Sol solution after adding a bit more of hot 1:1 mix. The TPS was removed before the left TB went into the bucket. Soaked it for six hours too. The mix was pretty dirty after the first TB and this may have reduced the effectiveness as the left TB did not clean up quite as well as the right TB. The insides cleaned real well on both, just the outside of the left TB was not as clean.

http://rtmaintenance.shutterfly.com/pictures/31

 

[biometrics]

Nice work Michael... but I agree that the solution should have been renewed after the right TB was done... I am sure they will both work much better... next time, clean the left one first!

 

Thanks for posting photos of your results.

 

[taylor1]

Wow those look great. I think I will pull the Bing's off of my airhead and use that process

[cris nitro]

Wow those look great. I think I will pull the Bing's off of my airhead and use that process

 

Great idea!