Fire0nic3FX
Member
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR VEHICLE BY FOLLOWING THIS GUIDE! DO IT AT YOUR OWN RISK OR PAY THE DEALER TO CLEAN YOUR THROTTLE BODIES FOR YOU! PLEASE DO NOT POST THIS GUIDE NO WHERE ELSE OR MODIFY IT. Email or PM me with any questions you may have :smile (2):
I had my throttle bodies cleaned a long long time ago back when I first purchase my 2009 FX35. I figured it would of been a good idea to clean my throttle bodies again since my FX was starting to experience poor idling characteristics. When sitting in park or drive while idling the RPM would dip down to like 300-400 RPM and the whole car would quiver and shake and then the RPM would bounce back up to normal at 650RPM. KEEP THIS IN MIND GUYS ALL INFINITI'S IDLE AT 650 RPM FROM THE FACTORY. IF YOURS DOESN'T IDLE AT THAT AFTER CLEANING THE THROTTLE BODIES YOU MUST OF NOT OF LISTENED TO ME IN THIS DIY GUIDE!!! So please be careful.
Some know that throttle bodies are very sensitive and really don't want to try cleaning them on your own. But if you follow this DIY guide properly you'll be good with no high idling and service engine soon lights coming on. So don't screw this up please :smile (2):
What you'll need:
- 10mm socket wrench
- 5mm allen key
- Flat head screw driver
This was a good chance to test out my new 205 piece Stanley tool set I bought last week:
- Clean lint free microfiber towel/QTIPS:
- Throttle body cleaner (PLEASE USE THROTTLE BODY CLEANER ONLY NOTHING ELSE WE DON"T WANT TO RISK ANYTHING HERE AND ANY BRAND OF CLEANER WILL DO):
- Pliers:
STEP 1: Remove 5 bolts off the engine cover using a 10mm socket wrench:
And this is what it should look like uncovered. I circled in red where the two throttle bodies are located. Remember the VQ35HR motor has one throttle body per bank so there are 2 of them. So we will be cleaning 2 of them today. Same goes for the VK50VE motor on the FX50. Anyways here is it:
Step 2:
Now we will start on one side first. To get to the throttle body the intake hose and PCV hose needs to be removed first. Start by using a flat head screw driver to remove the two clamps CIRCLED in red. Next remove the PCV hose from the engine block. It's the hose in the picture with the arrow pointing to it. Use a pair of pliers to pinch the clamp together then pull the hose right off:
It should look like this once removed:
Step 3:
Now with the intake tube off we can see a part of the inside of the throttle body. It won't look too dirty when looking at it from the outside because all the blow by shit is on the inside so we need to remove the whole throttle body. Start off by using an allen key wrench to remove the five bolts circled in red on the throttle body:
Step 4:
Now with the throttle body completely removed from the manifold we can clearly see all the built up blow by inside. You'll smell a little hint of fuel and other crap that's built up in there from the combustion:
THIS IS THE VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS DIY!! DO NOT AND I REPEAT DO NOT TOUCH OR OPEN THE BUTTERFLY VALVE WITH THE RED ARROWS POINTING TO IT IN THE PICTURE. IF YOU DO YOU WILL HAVE TO DO AN IDLE RELEARN AND THROTTLE POSITION RELEARN AND THE IDLE WILL BE HIGH AND THE SES LIGHT WILL COME ON. I REPEAT DO NOT TOUCH IT WHEN CLEANING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:
Step 5:
Time to clean it! Use a lint free microfiber towel and spray the throttle body cleaner directly on to the microfiber towel and wipe off all the blow by. Once that's done you will also notice blow by built up in the crack and crevice of where the butterfly valve meets the actual bore of the inside of the throttle body. Spray throttle body cleaner on a Q-TIP and wipe in the crevice taking precaution not to make the butterfly valve move:
Step 6:
And this is what it should look like all cleaned up. It doesn't need to be perfect though. Were just aiming to get most of the crap cleaned up:
WOW LOOK AT ALL THE CRAP THAT CAME OFF THEM!!:
Step 7:
Since you already have the throttle body off it would be a good time to clean the opening of the plenum. You'll notice black/gray deposits in there like the throttle bodies. Spray throttle body clean directly on to a microfiber towel and wipe around the opening. DO NOT SPRAY CLEANER INTO THE PLENUM!!
Step 8:
Clean the other throttle body on the opposite side of the engine. The procedure is practically the same.
Step 9 :
Your officially done. Put everything back together in the reverse order of removal. Give your self a big pat on the back and take that extra $150 you saved instead of going to the dealer and take your special someone out to eat.
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest and 1 being the easiest I'd give this a 6. I gave it a 6 even though it is easy but there is a chance of ruining the throttle bodies if your not careful and messing up the idle. Just follow the guide and I promise you'll be good. I was amazed at the amount of restored power I've gained. Start ups are more pronounced now and the engine just runs and idles smoother now. AND NO IT"S NOT IN MY HEAD! I also notice less vibration when accelerating and everything just feels more linear. The throttle response has also improved. I have yet to see if I get an improvement in MPG. The engine just feels like its been awaken after a long sleep. I love this!! I will definately clean both throttle bodies every 10K-15K miles now. Thanks for looking guys!! :top:
SIDE NOTE: Remember earlier why I said you can't touch or open the butterfly valve when cleaning right? There is a reason for this. On older cars there use to be a mechanical linkage on the throttle body connected to the butterfly valve. So when you would touch or open it nothing would get messed up and it was okay to do so. Well on newer cars such as my 2009 FX35 throttle bodies no longer use a mechanical linkage and instead use a fly by wire instead and are electronic. If you push it open it will confuse the computer when the car is later restarted and leads to everything being messed up and needing to be reprogrammed. So it's very important that you listen to me on this.
I had my throttle bodies cleaned a long long time ago back when I first purchase my 2009 FX35. I figured it would of been a good idea to clean my throttle bodies again since my FX was starting to experience poor idling characteristics. When sitting in park or drive while idling the RPM would dip down to like 300-400 RPM and the whole car would quiver and shake and then the RPM would bounce back up to normal at 650RPM. KEEP THIS IN MIND GUYS ALL INFINITI'S IDLE AT 650 RPM FROM THE FACTORY. IF YOURS DOESN'T IDLE AT THAT AFTER CLEANING THE THROTTLE BODIES YOU MUST OF NOT OF LISTENED TO ME IN THIS DIY GUIDE!!! So please be careful.
Some know that throttle bodies are very sensitive and really don't want to try cleaning them on your own. But if you follow this DIY guide properly you'll be good with no high idling and service engine soon lights coming on. So don't screw this up please :smile (2):
What you'll need:
- 10mm socket wrench
- 5mm allen key
- Flat head screw driver
This was a good chance to test out my new 205 piece Stanley tool set I bought last week:
- Clean lint free microfiber towel/QTIPS:
- Throttle body cleaner (PLEASE USE THROTTLE BODY CLEANER ONLY NOTHING ELSE WE DON"T WANT TO RISK ANYTHING HERE AND ANY BRAND OF CLEANER WILL DO):
- Pliers:
STEP 1: Remove 5 bolts off the engine cover using a 10mm socket wrench:
And this is what it should look like uncovered. I circled in red where the two throttle bodies are located. Remember the VQ35HR motor has one throttle body per bank so there are 2 of them. So we will be cleaning 2 of them today. Same goes for the VK50VE motor on the FX50. Anyways here is it:
Step 2:
Now we will start on one side first. To get to the throttle body the intake hose and PCV hose needs to be removed first. Start by using a flat head screw driver to remove the two clamps CIRCLED in red. Next remove the PCV hose from the engine block. It's the hose in the picture with the arrow pointing to it. Use a pair of pliers to pinch the clamp together then pull the hose right off:
It should look like this once removed:
Step 3:
Now with the intake tube off we can see a part of the inside of the throttle body. It won't look too dirty when looking at it from the outside because all the blow by shit is on the inside so we need to remove the whole throttle body. Start off by using an allen key wrench to remove the five bolts circled in red on the throttle body:
Step 4:
Now with the throttle body completely removed from the manifold we can clearly see all the built up blow by inside. You'll smell a little hint of fuel and other crap that's built up in there from the combustion:
THIS IS THE VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS DIY!! DO NOT AND I REPEAT DO NOT TOUCH OR OPEN THE BUTTERFLY VALVE WITH THE RED ARROWS POINTING TO IT IN THE PICTURE. IF YOU DO YOU WILL HAVE TO DO AN IDLE RELEARN AND THROTTLE POSITION RELEARN AND THE IDLE WILL BE HIGH AND THE SES LIGHT WILL COME ON. I REPEAT DO NOT TOUCH IT WHEN CLEANING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:
Step 5:
Time to clean it! Use a lint free microfiber towel and spray the throttle body cleaner directly on to the microfiber towel and wipe off all the blow by. Once that's done you will also notice blow by built up in the crack and crevice of where the butterfly valve meets the actual bore of the inside of the throttle body. Spray throttle body cleaner on a Q-TIP and wipe in the crevice taking precaution not to make the butterfly valve move:
Step 6:
And this is what it should look like all cleaned up. It doesn't need to be perfect though. Were just aiming to get most of the crap cleaned up:
WOW LOOK AT ALL THE CRAP THAT CAME OFF THEM!!:
Step 7:
Since you already have the throttle body off it would be a good time to clean the opening of the plenum. You'll notice black/gray deposits in there like the throttle bodies. Spray throttle body clean directly on to a microfiber towel and wipe around the opening. DO NOT SPRAY CLEANER INTO THE PLENUM!!
Step 8:
Clean the other throttle body on the opposite side of the engine. The procedure is practically the same.
Step 9 :
Your officially done. Put everything back together in the reverse order of removal. Give your self a big pat on the back and take that extra $150 you saved instead of going to the dealer and take your special someone out to eat.
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the hardest and 1 being the easiest I'd give this a 6. I gave it a 6 even though it is easy but there is a chance of ruining the throttle bodies if your not careful and messing up the idle. Just follow the guide and I promise you'll be good. I was amazed at the amount of restored power I've gained. Start ups are more pronounced now and the engine just runs and idles smoother now. AND NO IT"S NOT IN MY HEAD! I also notice less vibration when accelerating and everything just feels more linear. The throttle response has also improved. I have yet to see if I get an improvement in MPG. The engine just feels like its been awaken after a long sleep. I love this!! I will definately clean both throttle bodies every 10K-15K miles now. Thanks for looking guys!! :top:
SIDE NOTE: Remember earlier why I said you can't touch or open the butterfly valve when cleaning right? There is a reason for this. On older cars there use to be a mechanical linkage on the throttle body connected to the butterfly valve. So when you would touch or open it nothing would get messed up and it was okay to do so. Well on newer cars such as my 2009 FX35 throttle bodies no longer use a mechanical linkage and instead use a fly by wire instead and are electronic. If you push it open it will confuse the computer when the car is later restarted and leads to everything being messed up and needing to be reprogrammed. So it's very important that you listen to me on this.
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