Cleaning 5.5 gen throttle Body - with pics
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 181
From: Louisville, Ky
Cleaning 5.5 gen throttle Body - with pics
my 5.5 gen has been having issues stalling when its started after the engine is warmed up so i am thinking it was the MAS thats dirty or the throttle body. I took the intake tubes off and see that the butterfly is a bit dirty. i have attached some before pics and will take more after im done and update the status of the stalling. My one question is in order to manually move the butterfly i just have to have the ignition in the ON position correct?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 181
From: Louisville, Ky
i had my wife sit in the car with the key on and pressed the gas pedal and the butter fly didnt open. When the key gets turned off the butterfly opens and then shuts
I moved my throttle body's butterfly.
I completely removed it from my car and sprayed the crap out of it with THROTTLE BODY cleaner, opened the butterfly, and wiped it until it was clean.
It did not damage anything.
I DID get a CEL and it was a pain to get rid of, and here's why.
Its the fact that the ECU adjusted to the gook that was in the throttle body.
It opens the butterfly valve more, to keep the idle stable.
But when you clean it, more air can flow, but the ECU is still assuming that the dirt it still there, so the butterfly valve is open more than required, causing a high idle condition.
Check out this thread, particularly post #44 by me. It goes into more detail.
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ml#post6917270
I completely removed it from my car and sprayed the crap out of it with THROTTLE BODY cleaner, opened the butterfly, and wiped it until it was clean.
It did not damage anything.
I DID get a CEL and it was a pain to get rid of, and here's why.
Its the fact that the ECU adjusted to the gook that was in the throttle body.
It opens the butterfly valve more, to keep the idle stable.
But when you clean it, more air can flow, but the ECU is still assuming that the dirt it still there, so the butterfly valve is open more than required, causing a high idle condition.
Check out this thread, particularly post #44 by me. It goes into more detail.
http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ml#post6917270
Its the fact that the ECU adjusted to the gook that was in the throttle body.
It opens the butterfly valve more, to keep the idle stable.
But when you clean it, more air can flow, but the ECU is still assuming that the dirt it still there, so the butterfly valve is open more than required, causing a high idle condition.
FWIW I have NEVER had an issue with a VQ35 DBW TB, regardless of how I played with it, ignition on or off. On the car, removed. Hell, stripped one down, put it back together, still worked a treat. 
And as said, the ECU will not move the throttle plate unless the ignition is on, the car is in gear and you're pressing the gas pedal (when it's not running, of course).
And as said, the ECU will not move the throttle plate unless the ignition is on, the car is in gear and you're pressing the gas pedal (when it's not running, of course).
The TPS is what tells the ECU where the throttle plate is. No matter what you do to it, nothing changes with the TPS. I can take my throttle body out, move the butterfly 1000 times, plug it back in and it will run perfectly fine.
The ECU simply adjusted to the dirt in the throttle body, so it automatically opens the butterfly more to compensate.
The ECU can't tell that the dirt was removed, so it doesn't know to put the butterfly back to the default spec. So now the butterfly is open as if there was dirt in there still, but theres not, so we have a high idle condition.
Most people can just do an idle relearn and the high idle condition will go away.
I had so much dirt in mine, that it was too far out of spec for the relearn to take. I even had one of my friends with the Consult II try to do a relearn, and it would not take.
If the idle is too high, the ECU will not let the relearn take, so what I had to do was unplug my front 3 fuel injectors to force the idle lower, which allowed the relearn to take.
This procedure is pointed out clearly in NISSAN TSB NTB05-067.
The reason they "say" you need a new ECU and throttle body is becasue the new ECU is set for the default butterfly spec.
There is no reason you would ever need a new throttle body unless you physcally damaged something. Period.
If anyone wants the TSB, I can email it to them, just let me know.
It seems that not alot of people know about that TSB, as my friend who is a tech at Nissan had no clue and he told me to just replace the ECU. It seems that its a problem with 2002-2005 Nissan vehicles.
Last edited by Unklejoe; Aug 11, 2009 at 04:56 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 181
From: Louisville, Ky
I beg to differ.
The TPS is what tells the ECU where the throttle plate is. No matter what you do to it, nothing changes with the TPS. I can take my throttle body out, move the butterfly 1000 times, plug it back in and it will run perfectly fine.
The ECU simply adjusted to the dirt in the throttle body, so it automatically opens the butterfly more to compensate.
The ECU can't tell that the dirt was removed, so it doesn't know to put the butterfly back to the default spec. So now the butterfly is open as if there was dirt in there still, but theres not, so we have a high idle condition.
Most people can just do an idle relearn and the high idle condition will go away.
I had so much dirt in mine, that it was too far out of spec for the relearn to take. I even had one of my friends with the Consult II try to do a relearn, and it would not take.
If the idle is too high, the ECU will not let the relearn take, so what I had to do was unplug my front 3 fuel injectors to force the idle lower, which allowed the relearn to take.
This procedure is pointed out clearly in NISSAN TSB NTB05-067.
The reason they "say" you need a new ECU and throttle body is becasue the new ECU is set for the default butterfly spec.
There is no reason you would ever need a new throttle body unless you physcally damaged something. Period.
If anyone wants the TSB, I can email it to them, just let me know.
It seems that not alot of people know about that TSB, as my friend who is a tech at Nissan had no clue and he told me to just replace the ECU. It seems that its a problem with 2002-2005 Nissan vehicles.
The TPS is what tells the ECU where the throttle plate is. No matter what you do to it, nothing changes with the TPS. I can take my throttle body out, move the butterfly 1000 times, plug it back in and it will run perfectly fine.
The ECU simply adjusted to the dirt in the throttle body, so it automatically opens the butterfly more to compensate.
The ECU can't tell that the dirt was removed, so it doesn't know to put the butterfly back to the default spec. So now the butterfly is open as if there was dirt in there still, but theres not, so we have a high idle condition.
Most people can just do an idle relearn and the high idle condition will go away.
I had so much dirt in mine, that it was too far out of spec for the relearn to take. I even had one of my friends with the Consult II try to do a relearn, and it would not take.
If the idle is too high, the ECU will not let the relearn take, so what I had to do was unplug my front 3 fuel injectors to force the idle lower, which allowed the relearn to take.
This procedure is pointed out clearly in NISSAN TSB NTB05-067.
The reason they "say" you need a new ECU and throttle body is becasue the new ECU is set for the default butterfly spec.
There is no reason you would ever need a new throttle body unless you physcally damaged something. Period.
If anyone wants the TSB, I can email it to them, just let me know.
It seems that not alot of people know about that TSB, as my friend who is a tech at Nissan had no clue and he told me to just replace the ECU. It seems that its a problem with 2002-2005 Nissan vehicles.
I beg to differ.
The TPS is what tells the ECU where the throttle plate is. No matter what you do to it, nothing changes with the TPS. I can take my throttle body out, move the butterfly 1000 times, plug it back in and it will run perfectly fine.
The ECU simply adjusted to the dirt in the throttle body, so it automatically opens the butterfly more to compensate.
The ECU can't tell that the dirt was removed, so it doesn't know to put the butterfly back to the default spec. So now the butterfly is open as if there was dirt in there still, but theres not, so we have a high idle condition.
Most people can just do an idle relearn and the high idle condition will go away.
I had so much dirt in mine, that it was too far out of spec for the relearn to take. I even had one of my friends with the Consult II try to do a relearn, and it would not take.
If the idle is too high, the ECU will not let the relearn take, so what I had to do was unplug my front 3 fuel injectors to force the idle lower, which allowed the relearn to take.
This procedure is pointed out clearly in NISSAN TSB NTB05-067.
The reason they "say" you need a new ECU and throttle body is becasue the new ECU is set for the default butterfly spec.
There is no reason you would ever need a new throttle body unless you physcally damaged something. Period.
If anyone wants the TSB, I can email it to them, just let me know.
It seems that not alot of people know about that TSB, as my friend who is a tech at Nissan had no clue and he told me to just replace the ECU. It seems that its a problem with 2002-2005 Nissan vehicles.
The TPS is what tells the ECU where the throttle plate is. No matter what you do to it, nothing changes with the TPS. I can take my throttle body out, move the butterfly 1000 times, plug it back in and it will run perfectly fine.
The ECU simply adjusted to the dirt in the throttle body, so it automatically opens the butterfly more to compensate.
The ECU can't tell that the dirt was removed, so it doesn't know to put the butterfly back to the default spec. So now the butterfly is open as if there was dirt in there still, but theres not, so we have a high idle condition.
Most people can just do an idle relearn and the high idle condition will go away.
I had so much dirt in mine, that it was too far out of spec for the relearn to take. I even had one of my friends with the Consult II try to do a relearn, and it would not take.
If the idle is too high, the ECU will not let the relearn take, so what I had to do was unplug my front 3 fuel injectors to force the idle lower, which allowed the relearn to take.
This procedure is pointed out clearly in NISSAN TSB NTB05-067.
The reason they "say" you need a new ECU and throttle body is becasue the new ECU is set for the default butterfly spec.
There is no reason you would ever need a new throttle body unless you physcally damaged something. Period.
If anyone wants the TSB, I can email it to them, just let me know.
It seems that not alot of people know about that TSB, as my friend who is a tech at Nissan had no clue and he told me to just replace the ECU. It seems that its a problem with 2002-2005 Nissan vehicles.
http://www.technosquareinc.com/350reset.htm
Or the FSM...
I beg to differ.
The TPS is what tells the ECU where the throttle plate is. No matter what you do to it, nothing changes with the TPS. I can take my throttle body out, move the butterfly 1000 times, plug it back in and it will run perfectly fine.
The ECU simply adjusted to the dirt in the throttle body, so it automatically opens the butterfly more to compensate.
The ECU can't tell that the dirt was removed, so it doesn't know to put the butterfly back to the default spec. So now the butterfly is open as if there was dirt in there still, but theres not, so we have a high idle condition.
Most people can just do an idle relearn and the high idle condition will go away.
I had so much dirt in mine, that it was too far out of spec for the relearn to take. I even had one of my friends with the Consult II try to do a relearn, and it would not take.
If the idle is too high, the ECU will not let the relearn take, so what I had to do was unplug my front 3 fuel injectors to force the idle lower, which allowed the relearn to take.
This procedure is pointed out clearly in NISSAN TSB NTB05-067.
The reason they "say" you need a new ECU and throttle body is becasue the new ECU is set for the default butterfly spec.
There is no reason you would ever need a new throttle body unless you physcally damaged something. Period.
If anyone wants the TSB, I can email it to them, just let me know.
It seems that not alot of people know about that TSB, as my friend who is a tech at Nissan had no clue and he told me to just replace the ECU. It seems that its a problem with 2002-2005 Nissan vehicles.
The TPS is what tells the ECU where the throttle plate is. No matter what you do to it, nothing changes with the TPS. I can take my throttle body out, move the butterfly 1000 times, plug it back in and it will run perfectly fine.
The ECU simply adjusted to the dirt in the throttle body, so it automatically opens the butterfly more to compensate.
The ECU can't tell that the dirt was removed, so it doesn't know to put the butterfly back to the default spec. So now the butterfly is open as if there was dirt in there still, but theres not, so we have a high idle condition.
Most people can just do an idle relearn and the high idle condition will go away.
I had so much dirt in mine, that it was too far out of spec for the relearn to take. I even had one of my friends with the Consult II try to do a relearn, and it would not take.
If the idle is too high, the ECU will not let the relearn take, so what I had to do was unplug my front 3 fuel injectors to force the idle lower, which allowed the relearn to take.
This procedure is pointed out clearly in NISSAN TSB NTB05-067.
The reason they "say" you need a new ECU and throttle body is becasue the new ECU is set for the default butterfly spec.
There is no reason you would ever need a new throttle body unless you physcally damaged something. Period.
If anyone wants the TSB, I can email it to them, just let me know.
It seems that not alot of people know about that TSB, as my friend who is a tech at Nissan had no clue and he told me to just replace the ECU. It seems that its a problem with 2002-2005 Nissan vehicles.
can you email me the TSB to hassan.ahmad04@gmail.com thanks
Don't move the throttle body manually. Only move it with the ignition on and gas pedal. I tried this on the G35 and had some problems but you can try the procedures from the link below to see if the CEL will get reset. Read the last post by me for what I did different
http://g35driver.com/forums/intake-e...g-now-cel.html
http://g35driver.com/forums/intake-e...g-now-cel.html
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 33
From: N Alabama
Newbie - Just Registered
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2
From: Fort Worth, TX
Relearn Procedure
95supersport@gmail.com
Could you please send me the relearn procedure. I have the same problem with my 2000 Maxima Se. Can't get the idle to correct itself after throttle body cleaning.
95supersport@gmail.com
95supersport@gmail.com
i can confirm a$$ talking. Electronic= drive by wire.
Glad I haven't had any problems with my throttle body, since it seems like your rolling the dice on cleaning it, might work out for you and it might not.....someone should make a successful video of cleaning it .....
Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 139
How much good are you actually doing with cleaning the TB from just the front? What if you unplug and remove it to clean both sides and potentially not even touch the butterfly? This is why engine mods and tricks seem scary to me. Maybe if there was a video like mentioned above i would dive in and add 100whp to the butt dyno.
