Problem with throttle body shaft seal replacement...

[Gromit]

Boost leak test revealed a leak at the throttle body shaft seals - big surprise. I'm following the VFAQ & got the TB off & cleaned it up. Then I disassembled it & removed the old seals. I cleaned up the shaft & the area where the seals sit. Greased up the new seals & inserted them.

Now, when I insert the shaft it does not rotate smoothly. I can't see anything that would be binding it up, but it takes considerable more force to spin it when it is seated in the new seals (I am using seals I got from JNZ Tuning, not o-rings). In other words, it does not spin as easily as it did before I took the old seals out. Any thoughts what could be causing this? Or is this to be expected with the new seals (1 of the old ones was pretty well broken up)?

 

[ROOKIE1]

I thought I saw on here somewhere the seals are different sizes . Are you sure you have them in correctly ? Sorry that was a 90 thing .

 

[nuclearpenguin]

i don't know, but i just did my shaft seals (mine is a 92, i did the oring method) and my throttle plate seems to be a little sticky when shut, sometimes i gotta push my pedal a little harder to get it to open up, but other than that its fine, im expecting it to wear in

edit: did you grease them up when you put them in? did you put the throttle plate in exactly how it was taken out? did the spring seat ok? is it hard to rotate the throttle plate without the tps on? try and narrow down where the problem is.

 

[Jake90TSI]

It shoul not be sticking at all are you sure its the shaft and not the plate rubbing the walls when I took mine apart I put the plate back in upside down, even though it appears cemetrical make sure its in there right, before you snug up the plate check its allignment by opening and shutting it.

 

[tranceman]

It shoul not be sticking at all are you sure its the shaft and not the plate rubbing the walls when I took mine apart I put the plate back in upside down, even though it appears cemetrical make sure its in there right, before you snug up the plate check its allignment by opening and shutting it.

I did the same thing, its really easy to put the throttle plate on upside down. When I made that mistake, the throttle was really sticky opening, and wouldnt quite close all the way. If you put everything back correctly the throttle should open and close smoothly with out any areas that seem to stick a bit. Like others have also said, make sure you lube up the throttle shaft as well. I used dielectric grease so it wouldnt eat at the new TB shaft seals at all. You might have to take it apart a few times to find the right way for everything.

 

[Gromit]

Yeah, I greased up the seals & I'm sure I'm putting them in correctly - hollowed out part toward the inside. I haven't even put the plate in - I'm just noticing how tightly the shaft spins once I slide it back in. I'm thinking now that the seals are actually sealing against the shaft, this is probably how it's supposed to be. What had me concerned was the VFAQ talks about how smoothly & freely the shaft spins now that you've replaced the broken-down seals. It may be smooth, but it takes more force to spin it. I'm just going to finish the re-assembly & see if appears to operate correctly without sticking...

 

[EclipseTrbo420A]

Yeah, I greased up the seals & I'm sure I'm putting them in correctly - hollowed out part toward the inside. I haven't even put the plate in - I'm just noticing how tightly the shaft spins once I slide it back in. I'm thinking now that the seals are actually sealing against the shaft, this is probably how it's supposed to be. What had me concerned was the VFAQ talks about how smoothly & freely the shaft spins now that you've replaced the broken-down seals. It may be smooth, but it takes more force to spin it. I'm just going to finish the re-assembly & see if appears to operate correctly without sticking...

When you say you put it together, did you mean all back together with the springs and everything ? Reason Im asking is because when you do this you are supposed to mark the spring before you remove it or you might install it too tight or loose when going back together.

I found out about that AFTER my spring snapped last week...I HE-maned it on there...felt like I needed to start squating to open it and if finally just snapped and now my car idles at 1500 and 1.7% throttle because the other spring can pull it closed. I have a 1g TB going in friday...that goodness for local DSMers with extra parts. haha Goodluck.

 

[Gromit]

When you say you put it together, did you mean all back together with the springs and everything ? Reason Im asking is because when you do this you are supposed to mark the spring before you remove it or you might install it too tight or loose when going back together.

I found out about that AFTER my spring snapped last week...I HE-maned it on there...felt like I needed to start squating to open it and if finally just snapped and now my car idles at 1500 and 1.7% throttle because the other spring can pull it closed. I have a 1g TB going in friday...that goodness for local DSMers with extra parts. haha Goodluck.

I didn't say I had put it together - I've only gotten as far as greasing the new seals, inserting them, & then inserting the shaft. At that point, I checked to see if the shaft spins smoothly & noticed how much more force was now required to turn it. I haven't put the plate in or the spring (& yes, I did mark the spring before I removed it). I was just trying to determine if the new seals would make it harder for the shaft to spin & if that was normal. Seems reasonable, but I wasn't sure.

 

[overboostedtsi]

where did you get the new seals from, i am trying to find some for my tb.

 

[Gromit]

where did you get the new seals from, i am trying to find some for my tb.

I got them from JNZ Tuning. I believe Mach V also sells them. I think the 90 TB might be different, though?

 

[timloomis]

i got my o-rings at advance auto parts.i used the misc. o-ring kit they have,has a whole bunch in it.i think the brand is "help".they have the 1/2x3/8x1/16 and 1/2x3/8x1/8 sizes.i used the 1/16 inside the metal ring on the spring side and the 1/8 on the tps side and i didnt need the ring.works great with no binding and it seals.

 

[shadowdrag]

I did my shaft o-rings and had no problem. If u follow the vfaq instructions slowly, I don't think u should have a problem.

U can get those o-rings at ACE hardware store. I got mine from RICEKILLER for 2 bucks ship and went to Ace and bought 20 extra. Boost leak disappear after the new rings in, make sure u clean the crap out of the plate with some sort of greese remover.

if anyone needs a pair, pm me.

 

[2GeNTSi]

ah dammit I read the other vfaq that didn't say anything about marking the spring. Hmmm I've already got everything off, just need to stop by the store tmw because I don't have the o-rings. My dad has a kit of them, but we don't have the exact size, and I'm not going to take that risk.

The outside spring only spins two full revolutions right? I don't even remember even messing with the inside one, other than un-hooking it.