Had to take my girl cat to the vet on Saturday morning. With heat at 106F (actual temp), I decided to do the car work on Sunday morning. Good thing it rained last night. I was able to clean the MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor and the throttle body. I had to take out the air box. Knocked out the dirt and bugs from the air filter (just changed a few months ago). Took the two halves and cleaned them inside. I had to let the MAF sensor dry after cleaning it with MAF cleaner.
I had to take two small canisters off of the air intake hose to be able access the clamp that held the air intake hose on the throttle body. I'm not sure what they do. They are just void space with no exit and no sensors. No mention of them in my Chilton's manual. The odd-shaped canister closest to the throttle body was clamped on with a wire clamp. However, the retaining bolt was positioned facing away. Whomever put it on that way was a dick. I had to also take off a PCV intake hose coming from the crankcase and another harness for a sensor that I'm not sure of it's purpose.
I finally got off the air intake hose. I put on some gloves and sprayed inside the air intake/throttle body. Took a rag and scrubbed what I could remove. I could see that the throttle was pitted a little, but I was able to clean it up noticeably.
After putting everything back together (I did install that clamp so that the next person can loosen it up from the top), I started the engine with my Viper's remote start. The engine hesitated but finally turned over after about three revolutions. I suppose the computer was getting used to the clean intake as well as burning up the residue of the throttle body cleaner. I noticed pretty quickly after the computer had adjusted that the car was running smoother and quieter.