The throttle body is a critical mechanical component found in fuel-injected cars that controls and regulates airflow into the engine.
When the throttle body is functioning properly, fuel and air mixture entering the engine is ideal and offers peak performance. However, because of a bad throttle body, the combustion process will not occur correctly due to an irregular air/fuel mixture.
In this article, we will look at the symptoms of a bad throttle body, what a throttle body is, where it is located, and what the cost is to replace a throttle body. Let’s start with the symptoms.
What Is a Throttle Body?
The throttle body of your vehicle is basically a butterfly valve. The core idea of a throttle body is to regulate and control the amount of air allowed into the engine.
The input data is sensed from the driver pressing the accelerator pedal.
As a result, when there is more airflow through the system, it allows for more fuel to enter the internal combustion engine which makes for greater combustion and more acceleration power.
Most vehicles only have one throttle body, there a rare occasion which you might have special, larger vehicles that do have them. However, the throttle body is dependent on other parts too, like the air filter.
Throttle Body Location
The throttle body commonly is located on the intake manifold at the large hose coming from your turbocharger or air filter.
At times, the throttle body is manufactured with aluminum. The location for the throttle body can differ for different types of vehicles. But no matter where it located, according to the throttle body’s job, it should always be arranged anywhere between the air filter and intake manifold.
Symptoms Of A Bad Throttle Body
Symptoms of a bad throttle body (or failing throttle body) often consist of a rough idle, rough acceleration, check engine light, engine misfires, and engine stalling.
You might also notice that your fuel consumption, idle and other characteristics of your vehicle have been affected and/or are changing.
If you still wish for a more detailed understanding of each symptom, here is a detailed list of the symptoms of a bad throttle body:
#1. Check Engine Light.
Throttle bodies have some angle sensors, as well as other sensors installed in them. When the car’s computer sees a problem with the throttle body signal, it will illuminate the check engine light.
There are a number of other reasons that the check engine light can come on, so we recommend taking your car to an auto technician and have them scan the car for the trouble codes when it pops up on your dashboard.
#2. Rough Idling.
If you’ve noticed your car’s engine idle jumping up and down and making weird sounds, whatever the problem may be, it can very well be a dirty or damaged throttle body.
The car engine is most sensitive at idle, which is where you will notice symptoms of a dirty or bad throttle body first.
#3. Rough Acceleration.
A throttle body controls the air/fuel mixture that enters the engine, therefore if the throttle body is malfunctioning, it can mess the air/fuel mixture up, which is when problems will happen during acceleration.
If you have an uneven acceleration – sometimes it is fast, other times it is slow – you have a bad throttle body.
#4. Misfires.
Misfires happen when either the air/fuel mixture is very wrong, or the spark plug has produced a weak spark. Misfires represent incomplete combustion that happened inside the combustion chamber.
As stated earlier, a damaged throttle body can disrupt the air/fuel mixture, and it can trigger your engine to misfire. Misfires are fairly easy to identify due to the small bumpy sensation while revving the engine.
#5. High RPM Idle.
The throttle body will control the idle of the engine so that it is always at a steady RPM. If there is an issue with the throttle body, it could cause the RPM to be way too high.
An uncalibrated throttle body may also produce this issue. You can easily calibrate the throttle body with the majority of diagnostic scanners.
#6. Stalling Idle.
The throttle body can impact the RPM the opposite way. It could also make the RPM so low that the engine will stall out as well. This is usually partly caused by a lot of soot and dirt on the throttle body flap which will allow less air to enter the engine which gives a low idle RPM.
Typically, a throttle body cleaning and throttle body calibration with a diagnostic tool will take care of the issue.
#7. Poor Engine Performance.
To have the engine perform efficiently it requires both adequate air and fuel. If the throttle body is no longer providing correct and ample air, your engine will suffer, which in-turn creates a loss of performance to the driver.
If your car feels like it has lost half its power during acceleration, it could feasibly be caused from a damaged throttle body.
#8. Changed Fuel Consumption.
You know that a bad throttle body can produce a strange fuel mixture. This is not exclusive to the mixture, but can show in terms of fuel consumption if you notice you are refueling way more frequently or infrequently; a bad throttle body could produce that too.
Refueling infrequently might sound like a good thing to hear, but it could be bad news for your engine performance in the long run!
Cleaning the Throttle Body
The throttle body valve can accumulate dirt and soot if you have an air filter. Though it will take some time, the soot will come from the turbocharger, EGR valve, and crankcase ventilation and eventually stick to the valve in the throttle body. Eventually, it will cover the valve enough to affect the RPMs.
A dirty throttle body valve causes a multitude of different problems with the throttle body. Therefore, cleaning the throttle body is often a resolution to any of your problems.
Head over to our guide for more information on cleaning a dirty throttle body: Throttle body cleaning. And remember afterwards to recalibrate the throttle body with a diagnostic scanner.
Throttle Body Replacement Cost
The average charge for a throttle body replacement will be between $250 and $650 depending on the labor costs and vehicle make and model. The charge for the throttle body cost around $200 – $500 and the labor costs are around $50 – $150.
The throttle body cost will vary depending on the different vehicles, models and the company that manufactures them. The only cost you need to be concerned about, for the most part, when replacing the throttle body, is the price of the parts to replace.
Regular responsibility can significantly lengthen the usage of the parts of the throttle body and there would not be a need to replace for many, many years.
The labor cost for replacing the throttle body may be inexpensive depending on which car shop services you for the replacement, but it can also be expensive.
Be sure that after a replacement you recalibrate the throttle body valve with a diagnostic scanner.
You will also want to search for technical service bulletins related to the throttle body for your vehicle make and model. For example, there are many GM vehicles that have bulletins for the throttle body.
FAQs.
Q: Can I replace the throttle body myself?
Replacing the throttle body is often quite simple in most car models if you at least have some basic knowledge.
For some car models however, you need to reset/calibrate the throttle body with a diagnostic scanner after replacement, which is something that most people will not have at home.
Q: Does cleaning the throttle body make a difference?
Cleaning the throttle body can make a difference, but it is dependent upon how dirty the throttle body is. Throttle bodies can get dirty over time because of oil residue, carbon buildup, and other gunk that can accumulate.
When clean, throttle bodies will perform better and can help improve fuel economy and performance. So, if your throttle body is dirty, then cleaning the throttle body may have a noticeable difference in the driving characteristics of your car.
Q: Can you drive with throttle body problems?
Yes and no. It really depends on how degraded the throttle body problems are. If the throttle is broken then the car will not be able to accelerate or move. Most of the time, if there is a problem with throttle body, the car will not start at all.
Q: How do you reset a throttle body?
There are a few different ways to reset a throttle body, depending upon the make and model of vehicle.
Some may just require the battery to be disconnected for a certain minimum length of time in order for the system to reset, and for others, you will need to use a diagnostic tool in order to relearn settings. Check a repair manual for your make and model vehicle.
Take your car to a mechanic as soon as possible to diagnose and repair the issue so to get your vehicle back on the road. Because throttle body problems may cause additional problems to the engine, or even accidents.
If you think you have enough knowledge and skills to diagnose the issue, an initial step would be to use a diagnostic tool to read the fault codes from the ECM. You can also try taking the time to clean the throttle body.