Boost leak at throttle body cable

[JohnCIV_Talon]

Ok so I did a boost leak test today and found that, that is where the leak is at. Its wierd becasue its the actual throttle cable area. The thing in a whole moves back and forth a little and if moved right the leak stops. Its a pretty significant leak. What should I do?

 

[Calan]

Leaking shaft seal... very common problem.

Search for TB (throttle body) shaft seals or check out vfaq.com. There are lots of how-to articles on replacing them.

 

[JohnCIV_Talon]

hmm. ok Ill see what i find.

 

[romeen]

Agreed. You can:

1) Fix it yourself: http://www.plymouthlaser.com/tbor.htm
2) Send it to throttlebodys.com to have it done and get it bored out at the same time for better performance
3) Upgrade to a larger 1G TB. But that may have leaking shaft seals as well.

 

[JohnCIV_Talon]

Are tehre any quick fixes? Like using some sealant for the time being, Im in college and leaving soon again and I have no time until summer. So is it possible to quck fix it without even taking it apart. I plan on buying a 1g during the summer.

 

[Calan]

Unfortunately...no. At least none I've found or could think of. Using sealant or anything similar, you run the risk of causing any number of problems. IMHO the TB is not a place you want to be randomly throwing sealants at.

By the time you remove everything to get to the seals, you're 95% of the way to just replacing them.

Even then, if you use the o-ring method (using the existing seal "cans" and putting an o-ring in them)... you'll run the risk of still having a leak depending on how bad your cans are and how well your o-rings will seal. I know this as mine are starting to leak again... and I thought I did it pretty well.

If you do it yourself, find the actual replacement seals rather than digging out the remaining rubber and popping in a hardware o-ring. Just my opinion

EDIT:

If you don't have any other boost leaks, it SHOULDN'T be to big a problem, depending on how bad it's leaking and what your boost is, etc. Again, that is just my opinion without knowing your situation, so take it for what it's worth With that said, it only took me like 3 hours to do the whole thing (car running to car running again), and I was moving slowly. Even with the one seal starting to leak again (due to old bent up "cans" or not enough grease), it's still way better than it was.

 

[JohnCIV_Talon]

Thank you, its significant enough to cause fuel cut, so I sont know what to do. I know Im running rich also. I wish I had time to fix this.

 

[Calan]

Thank you, its significant enough to cause fuel cut

hmmm... that doesn't sound logical to me (if all you have is a shaft seal leaking), but I'll wait for a more experienced DSM'er to chime in on that one

Good luck though!

 

[romeen]

I completely agree with calan. I'm not aware of any quick or temporary fixes that will allow you to avoid disassembling the TB. But as mentioned it generally doesn't cause any severe driveability issues. If you plan on replacing it with a 1G TB this summer (is that what you meant?) then it should be ok to leave it be until then.

Are you getting true violent fuel cut or just some stuttering and bucking?

 

[kmoore]

I just replaced mine this past week. You need these: http://www.machv.com/throtbodseal.html Go on V-FAQ and follow the 91-94 throttle body shaft seal replacement guide. Even though you are a 2g they are the same procedure. Just get in there and do it. I was skeptical at first but once your done it will be well worth it.

 

[romeen]

kmoore, I'm curious if you noticed any difference while driving the car since you replaced yours? Mine are leaking bad also.

 

[travislaw]

kmoore, I'm curious if you noticed any difference while driving the car since you replaced yours? Mine are leaking bad also.

I know for me there was a significant difference. If you are leaking enough you can change your air/fuel ratio and loose plenty of boost pressure. Once the seals are replaced run a boost leak test and make sure you aren't leaking anywhere else. If you had a huge leak at the throttle body shaft seals, you may not have been able to hear or find any other possible leaks,

 

[JohnCIV_Talon]

The fuel cut isnt violent, but my car has gotten a little slower lately since it got a little worse. Sometimes I dont hit fuel cut in second but in fourth i always do.