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Car Forum / Honda Cars / August 2004"Decarbonizing" Honda Odyssey
My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the cheap gas and, god forbid, the carbon migrate all the way to the catalytic converter. I'm a little confused since I picture the throttle body as being before the cylinders/combustion, and the catalytic converter as after... But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? Thanks > My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in > solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Thanks You can do it yourself if you're the least bit handy with an $8 bottle of throttle body cleaner. Oh, and avoid the $200 "injector" service. You can do that too with a $4 bottle of Techron. Josh >You can do it yourself if you're the least bit handy with an $8 bottle of >throttle body cleaner. Oh, and avoid the $200 "injector" service. You can do >that too with a $4 bottle of Techron. Or just buy better gas for a few weeks, or, y'know, always. I guess the issue is whether this is "de-carbonizing", or "de-gunking". J. >>You can do it yourself if you're the least bit handy with an $8 bottle of >>throttle body cleaner. Oh, and avoid the $200 "injector" service. You can do [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I guess the issue is whether this is "de-carbonizing", or > "de-gunking". Or "de-dollaring". > >You can do it yourself if you're the least bit handy with an $8 bottle of > >throttle body cleaner. Oh, and avoid the $200 "injector" service. You can do [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > J. LOL. When I said "cheap" gas, I guess I meant "lower quality". I buy what I think is good, "name brand" gas. The dealer says Florida has less stringent gas requirements than some place like California and hence we get a lower quality of gas. >My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in >solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? It's not a big deal - the only symptom I've seen of this gunked up throttle body is a sticking accelerator when cold: you press on the pedal and it feels sticky and when it lets go the car lurches a bit. IME I haven't seen this on non-EGR cars so I figure that's at least partly responsible for the gunk build-up. $179. seems excessive for what's required - remove the rubber intake from the throttle body, hold the throttle plate open, spray with TB cleaner and brush with a toothbrush, wipe off with a clean rag. It shouldn't take more than 30mins - 15mins with practice. Rgds, George Macdonald "Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me?? > I'm a little confused since I picture the throttle body as being before the > cylinders/combustion, and the catalytic converter as after... EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) Valve sends back some of those unburnt/not entirely consumed sooty exhaust gases back through your throttle body for better emissions. : My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in : solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] : : Thanks I recently had the throttle body of my 2000 Accord cleaned by my local shop. They told me my sticky throttle was a result of using "cheap gas." Well, maybe. They charged me $64, and I don't have a sticky throttle anymore. $179 every two years seems excessive, especially since you didn't say you're actually having any throttle body-related problems. I'd get a quote from a good independent shop if I were you. I have decided to use only Chevron gas from now on, as a precaution. We'll see if it helps. Oddly, the prices at one of the local Chevron stations are as good as or in some cases better than the prices at the "cheap gas" stations. Paul >My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in >solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >cylinders/combustion, and the catalytic converter as after... >But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? It is worth it to your dealer to recommend this worthless service. They make a hefty profit. A good way to double check this is to look at the service schedule that came with your car. See if this so called service is needed. ------- Alex >>My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in >>solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > service schedule that came with your car. See if this so called service > is needed. yeah. id bring this to the "stealers" attention as well. bring your owners manual and ask where it is. >My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in >solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? Absolutely. It is worth every bit of $179 to your dealer. > My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in > solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. Yikes. Stay away. It's true, throttle bodies can get gunked up--and the old style Odyssey and its brother the Accord are famous for that. But a throttle body clean is nowhere near $179 at any reputable dealer. It's a half hour or so labor, maybe a bit more. That's it. >> My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in >> solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >clean is nowhere near $179 at any reputable dealer. It's a half hour or >so labor, maybe a bit more. That's it. It may include cleaning the injectors, I believe the Acura dealer quoted me about that price for the service on a V6 a year or two ago. I declined the honor ... and the service rep half-apologized for offering it! Guess I was giving him the skunk-eye. J. > But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? A bottle/can of solvent carb/throttle body cleaner, a toothbrush, what ever tool is need to pull the intake pipe off, and about 30mins-1hr time to clean it. No problems, and very little work. Might run lumpy for a little while when the residues burn with the fuel, but it will be much cheaper than dealer job.  SignatureThe poster formerly known as Skodapilot. http://www.bouncing-czechs.com : > But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? : > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] : Might run lumpy for a little while when the residues burn with the fuel, : but it will be much cheaper than dealer job. Not to say $179 isn't excessive (see my earlier post), but I downloaded the instructions for doing this job on my '00 Accord and it didn't look like a trivial process to me. Granted, I am not a trained mechanic. I thought it was well worth the $64 it cost me to have it done by people who really did know what they were doing. BTW, before having this done, I went through three bottles of "fuel system cleaner" (gasoline additive) over a period of several weeks and it didn't cure the sticky throttle. Didn't hurt anything, though, as far as I know, so I chalked it up as an education expense. Paul It is certainly a trivial thing to somebody that has experience working on vehicles. To the mechanically challenged individuals of the world this could certainly appear to be overwhelming. CaptainKrunch > : > But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? > : > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Paul In article <cF8Tc.15495$nx2.9570@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net>, paulDONTSPAMMEmueller@mindspring.com spouted forth into alt.autos.honda... > BTW, before having this done, I went through three bottles of "fuel system > cleaner" (gasoline additive) over a period of several weeks and it didn't > cure the sticky throttle. Didn't hurt anything, though, as far as I know, so > I chalked it up as an education expense. If it is added to the fuel, unfortunatley it wouldn' go anywhere near the throttle plate, because it is added downstream of there, through the injectors. Normally they are either in the manifold, or direct into the head. SignatureCarl Robson (The poster formerly known as Skodapilot) http://www.bouncing-czechs.com In article <cF8Tc.15495$nx2.9570@newsread2.news.atl.earthlink.net>, paulDONTSPAMMEmueller@mindspring.com spouted forth into alt.autos.honda... > Not to say $179 isn't excessive (see my earlier post), but I downloaded the > instructions for doing this job on my '00 Accord and it didn't look like a > trivial process to me. Granted, I am not a trained mechanic. I thought it > was well worth the $64 it cost me to have it done by people who really did > know what they were doing. It isn't exactley rocket science, but with the complexity of modern engines, I can see it might be difficult to actually work out what you are supposed to remove to get to were you want to go, before you actually get there, and what you need to remove to get in. I'm lucky, while I looking for a nice generation 4 prelude, the car I'm currently driving is an 80's Saab. While it is fully injected, the engine bay is huge for the inline 4 engine, and you can get to, or at least see most things very, very easily. Hopefully, by this afternoon (UK time), I shall be the owner of a fairly low mileage metallic black JDM 1991 Prelude VTEC, with just two owners, and about 5k miles away from a cambelt change. Needs it's annual inspection/MOT at the end of this month, so I will put it in early, incase anything needs doing, but I'm hopeful. SignatureCarl Robson (The poster formerly known as Skodapilot) http://www.bouncing-czechs.com > Hopefully, by this afternoon (UK time), I shall be the owner of a fairly > low mileage metallic black JDM 1991 Prelude VTEC, with just two owners, > and about 5k miles away from a cambelt change. No joy, still driving the Saab. The 'Lude was an Auto, I need a 5spd. I want maximise performance and economy and there is no way I'm going to do that in an auto. SignatureThe poster formerly known as Skodapilot. http://www.bouncing-czechs.com > My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in > solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Thanks I advise you to only buy gas from major brand stations such as Chevron and Shell. Shell says that they have a new type of gas that contains lots of cleaning solution--it cost more than regular gas. I think that it is called V-10 or something like that. You should also visit a auto supply store and ask the salesperson at the counter to sell you a bottle of a special solution that cleans out your entire system. I don't recall the name brand. You mix it with a full tank of gasoline. If you use a bottle of that solution in your gasoline about once every two or three months--it'my guess that you won't have any problems with your thottle body. SignatureNEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice. We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people. > Shell says that they have a new type of gas that contains lots of > cleaning solution Good for them, but does anyone know of a source for independent laboratory assessment of such claims? I'd much rather buy a bottle of additive every few months than pay $.15 more per gallon every time I fill up. Abe I used Chevron Techron fuel system and combustion cleaner a few times. Can't say if it worked, maybe it did but surely there was no negative effect. So for $5, you can try without any risk. Quality gas ads from Shell are not confirmed. Don't trust them. Go to their web site and asked for independent lab test. No noticeable difference if I used gas from Costco, Walmart. > > Shell says that they have a new type of gas that contains lots of > > cleaning solution [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Abe > I used Chevron Techron fuel system and combustion cleaner a few times. > Can't say if it worked, maybe it did but surely there was no negative > effect. So for $5, you can try without any risk. i ran some through my 89 kawasaki bout a year ago. a week later, i needed a new petcock o-ring. coincedence? dunno. might wanna think twice before using it in an older car. > Quality gas ads from Shell are not confirmed. Don't trust them. Go to > their web site and asked for independent lab test. > > No noticeable difference if I used gas from Costco, Walmart. Right. Thanks, DTT. > My dealer recommends "decarbonizing" the throttle body (by soaking it in > solvent) of my Odyssey every 2 years for $179. He says it's due to the > cheap gas and, god forbid, the carbon migrate all the way to the catalytic > converter. if theyre snowing you like that, you must be a chick, right? carbon migration? LOL! > I'm a little confused since I picture the throttle body as being before the > cylinders/combustion, and the catalytic converter as after... > > But, none the less, has anyone heard of this and is it worth it? sometimes, on some cars, the TB *might* need to be cleaned to get some varnish and crap out. simple as using a $3 can of throttle body spray cleaner, and possibly a toothbrush. usually can be felt as the throttle sticking a bit, or idling a little off even after a tuneup. but a $179 "soak" every 2 years? sounds like they want to "soak" you. id bet you anything their "soak" involves a $3 can of spray cleaner, and $176 in pizza and beer for the service techs that day. > Thanks |
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