Carburetor cleaner vs throttle body cleaner

[ajchien]

Is the carburetor cleaner sold these days equivalent to a throttle body cleaner? Or should I look specifically for a throttle body cleaner to clean ... Well the throttle body and the IACV.

 

[getnpsi]

If you are removing them and doing it all by hand then probably not. I do remember a warning sticker on a 2.3 1996 ford ranger on the throttle body about using those type of cleaners but its probably an epa thing of that stuff getting burned with the engine running. That being said ive used brake cleaner really nasty) on a throttle bodies with a rag behind it to clean. Try to let nothing drop into your engine, that's all.

 

[electrolover]

man i removed mine to clean it and used carb cleaner(im cheap)
i also used carb cleaner on my maf just let it dry before you put it back in

 

[j_mac]

Some of the older and perhaps the newer throttle bodies had some sort of an anti-stick (something like teflon) coating to keep oil vapor from forming deposits on the throttle body and air bypass valve. It was recommended not to use carb cleaner or other harsh chemicals on them because they would strip the thin plastic-like coating away. The specific one I'm talking about was the latter year 5.0 mustangs. Starting in 1991 or 92 they had a warning sticker on them not to use these cleaners. The earlier ones would coke up with oil deposits since the crank vent tube went directly in front of the throttle body. This would gum up the throttle blade and allow nastyness to circulate through the air bypass valve, clogging it up and making it respond sluggish, causing a "hunting idle."

Maybe thats why they make a throttle body specific cleaner.

 

[ahoier]

Good question lol. I was confused too, here at WM they sell all sorts of "Carb Cleaner" (SuperTech brand) and "Carb and Choke Cleaner" (Prestone brand if I recall) - and both reference to use "Fuel Injector Cleaner" on vehicles that are fuel injected.


Then lo and behold, the other day on my browse down the additive aisle, I noticed a new bottle amongst the other "SuperTech Carburetor Cleaner" bottles, "SuperTech Carburetor and Air Intake Cleaner".....both products have the same UPC - so no idea if the formula changed or not, but apparantly it's now "safe" for Air intake and PCV valve cleaning - where as the "previous" bottle of "Carburetor Cleaner" stated not safe for the air intake or PCV valves....

So they must have changed something in the chemical make-up to make it "compatible" with newer Fuel Injected/air intake/pcv valves and such

Edit: Looking through various "Carburetor Cleaner" MSDS listings, many of them contain the primary chemical, Acetone....so that "could" be the difference and why they caution not to use Carb cleaner to clean the throttle body....as another user mentioned above, the Acetone would likely "eat away" at that special coating within the throttle body....

 

[j_mac]

The last time I cleaned a throttle body and idle valve I used a wonder-fluid called Ballistol. Look it up. Works wonders on the crud around the butterfly valve and I sprayed it directly into the idle valve. Its a cleaner and lubricant. Really eats up the oil residue that causes the mentioned problems. And its not harsh.

 

[flyingtoaster]

They sell MAP sensor cleaner at Autozone for $5, twice the price as TB cleaner. I used it on my S2K TB, but I thought I was just a sucker.