Dipwhittle
Supporting Member
- 50
- 8
- Jan 16, 2022
-
Jacksonville,
North Carolina
Not really a question, more of a dumb story so no one else does what I did.
I was having really rough idle issues along with unrelated overheating. In trying to fix the idle, I sprayed carb cleaner through the throttle body into the intake manifold. Battery cable was unplugged and everything, so I figured it would be good. I gave it the rest of the night to dry, protecting it from dust with a rag over the top but leaving room for it to vent out the carb cleaner.
In the late morning the next day, I started it. It went from rough idle to extremely high idle. Like constant 4000 RPM. For the first 10 seconds, I thought it might be residual carb cleaner, but it had definitely been way too long. I quickly shut it off and looked for vacuum leaks, but I couldn’t easily find any and don’t have a smoke machine handy. Then I hopped on Google and found out I should have removed the IAC before cleaning the throttle body.
I turned the car on but didn’t start it and checked the inputs. I was getting 5V at the signal and positive wires and ground in the other wire. I turned it off and plugged in the IAC, then turned it back to the on position. It did nothing (should vibrate).
Bad IAC.
TL;DR take out the IAC before cleaning your throttle body and always read the manual first. It says to clean the sensor with a rag and don’t spray it with solvents.
I was having really rough idle issues along with unrelated overheating. In trying to fix the idle, I sprayed carb cleaner through the throttle body into the intake manifold. Battery cable was unplugged and everything, so I figured it would be good. I gave it the rest of the night to dry, protecting it from dust with a rag over the top but leaving room for it to vent out the carb cleaner.
In the late morning the next day, I started it. It went from rough idle to extremely high idle. Like constant 4000 RPM. For the first 10 seconds, I thought it might be residual carb cleaner, but it had definitely been way too long. I quickly shut it off and looked for vacuum leaks, but I couldn’t easily find any and don’t have a smoke machine handy. Then I hopped on Google and found out I should have removed the IAC before cleaning the throttle body.
I turned the car on but didn’t start it and checked the inputs. I was getting 5V at the signal and positive wires and ground in the other wire. I turned it off and plugged in the IAC, then turned it back to the on position. It did nothing (should vibrate).
Bad IAC.
TL;DR take out the IAC before cleaning your throttle body and always read the manual first. It says to clean the sensor with a rag and don’t spray it with solvents.
