Throttle body cleaning messed up Expo

[dleague]

2004 Ford Explorer V6 4.0. So, I was cleaning the throttle body with the car running using carb/choke cleaner. Had someone inside the car giving it gas and letting off while I was spraying the inside of the butterfly valve. It was working fine and then it started to stall. It was able to restart then it would stall again. Got to the point where it wouldn't start anymore. Got it jumped and it ran until you turned it off and would not start again without a jump. Took the battery to Autozone and it registered dead. They tried to charge it and it wouldn't take a charge. Said it must have shorted out somehow because it registered zero. So wound up buying a new battery and it runs now but my MPG is down now by about a third of what it was before. So not sure what has happened to short the battery out and to run my MPG down but not wanting to take it to a dealer to have them over price me. I have no check engine light and everything seems to be running normally. Any one run into anything like this or have any clue? I was thinking maybe the IAC or MAS? Any thoughts?

 

[lincolnshibuya]

if you're basing it on the display then it's not right after the battery disconnection. do a manual mpg calculation to figure out if your mileage is screwed up.

or you could simply drive it on the highway (all highway) for 100miles and see what you got after resetting it.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Carburetor cleaner spray isn't oxygen sensor safe. You need to use throttle body cleaner which is intended to be used on fuel injected vehicles. Remove the oxygen sensors, and the mass air flow sensor, then clean them with the proper chemicals which are safe to use.

 

[drdoom]

Yeah I am certainly no expert but that doesn't sound like the proper cleaning method. I believe the TB should be removed and cleaned, then reset the PCM after reinstalling.

 

[2000StreetRod]

not the IAC valve

I believe that in 2004 Ford eliminated the IAC valve and went to electronic throttle control.

The throttle body is normally downstream of the MAF sensor. Did you spray carb cleaner into the throttle body or did you spray it into the MAF sensor? If you sprayed it into the MAF sensor then you need to clean the MAF sensor with MAF sensor cleaner.

 

[dleague]

I sprayed it into the throttle body itself. I wouldnt think it would mess up the MAF if it is more downstream closer to the airbox itself. I will take it to get the codes run over the weekend and post back here Monday to see if I get anything. I have kept track of the miles and was getting roughly 300+ to a tank now barely getting 250. SO I did something and not sure what exactly I did. But want to get it running better without jumping through loops.

 

[Joe in NY]

Oh no... You did it 100% wrong.. You are NOT supposed to use while engine running. You are NOT supposed to spray into the intake manifold. You are suppose to use a towel and wipe the TB clean. You took all that crap that built up in the intake manifold and washed it down into the cylinders. BAD!

 

[rwt101]

Also if the MAF was not getting any air flow it would throw some codes.
Bob T

 

[05_moutianeer_mn]

If your truck has a drive by wire throttle plate control it is not recommenced to manually open and close throttle plate like someone would with the old cable/spring system. Drive by wire has little gears and stepper motors that move the throttle plate and the computer controls all of it. If the fine tooth gears jump a few teeth or the motor becomes damaged then the throttle plate is out of sync or out of place then you may get performance issues. I have read in an infinity oem tech manual that the throttle plate can be opened and closed by the accelerator pedal instead of manually opening it. Also if power would be cut from the throttle plate assembly the computer would need to relearn or recalibrate the plate positions

 

[fordbluefamily]

It doesn't hurt these Ford throttle bodies to open them manually. They are quite easy to move and the gears are pretty tough. I have cleaned a lot of them by removing them then holding them open and wiping them out. No harm done to any of them. Infinity's are garbage so I would expect them to break by just touching them....did I say that out loud? You may have done damage to your o2 sensors that will not always throw a code. I also never run a MAF engine without air going over the MAF. They can cook. But that would throw a code. You may need some 02 sensors.

 

[turborich]

There's a lot of bad info in the thread. Although using carb cleaner may not be ideal to clean the TB, it will NOT cause any issues by "washing the grime into the cylinders" it will simply burn up in the cylinder during the combustion process. Also, moving the TB butterfly manually shouldn't cause it to break or go bad, although I would recommend doing this with the key in the off position just to play it safe.

If you sprayed the cleaner into the TB while the engine was running then things should be fine. A short cleaning like this isn't going to hurt the O2 sensors. I've done this dozens of times without any issues.

As long as you sprayed it into the TB and not through the MAF then I would think that your problem is elsewhere.

I have seen multiple professional mechanics use brake cleaner to clean MAF sensors without any issues. I have used it myself without issues. Not everything that you hear is always the only way to do it. The problem is that somebody will read how to do something and then they scare others who have done it differently. Actual hands on experience is far more valuable versus some of the stuff you'll read about in a book or online.

Go check for codes that may be stored, if none then I would disconnect the battery for 30 minutes and reconnect. Then drive until the computer relearns and goes through the drive cycle. Do not rely on the dash MPG. Use actual gallons used at the pump.

Not saying that you didn't damage the TB, but it's unlikely.