Check engine light after cleaning throttle body?

[DVad3r]

Hey guys,

I did a tune up on my car. I changed the spark plugs, replaced the air filter, cleaned the MAF sensor, and cleaned the throttle body.

Everything went fine until towards the end of the throttle body cleaning when the check engine light came on. The weird thing about cleaning the throttle body was that the engine would shut off when you unplugged the rubber intake tubes to get to it. We sprayed the cleaner in, reconnected the tube, turned the engine on, reved it a bit, then shut it off and repeat. The engine shut off a few times though when lifting the tubes. Also, we managed to lift the tube just a little while the engine ran to get the nozzle in and spray the cleaner. The engine would idle roughly and then idle strong, my dad said that's normal as it was burning the cleaner.

Anyways, close to the end of using 2/3rd of the bottle, the check engine light came on. We finished cleaning, reconnected everything the way it was, and the light was still on.

We disconnected the battery and reset the computer, and the light went away. Hopefully it doesn't come back.

My question is, is there anything that we could of messed up while cleaning the throttle bodies? If the engine chugged and shut off would that be the reason the light came on and stayed on even after everything was reconnected?

I just want to make sure we didn't F anything up...

Thanks,

Car is a 2001 Lexus ES 300

 

[exdeath]

It was just leaning out through a vacuum leak you were creating. Should be fine.

 

[BW86]

^ yep

 

[LordMorpheus]

The CEL is probably just a lean condition indicator. It should clear itself after you put some time on the engine.

Edit: if you're worried, go to advance or autozone and have them pull the code. If it's anything relating to a lean mixture, you can safely ignore it until it clears itself.

 

[DVad3r]

Thanks guys, that's probably it. I cleared the light by resetting the battery/computer, hopefully it doesn't come back.

 

[moskarimi]

Guys (COROLLA AE110 OF YEAR 2000)
I need help .. my car has been shutting on slowing down and sometimes having trouble starting in the morning. I have changed so many things ... i just wanna die ... Throttle body (second hand), distributor, fuel filter , New thermostat, second hand oxygen sensor, new ignition wires ( those that run from distributor to plugs), coolant sensor(New), New sensor that opens fun, new plugs, New ETF (FROM TOYOTA). HOW MUCH MORE CAN A MAN LOVE A CAR?

 

[RLGL]

Evidently not enough to take it to a qualified mechanic

 

[moskarimi]

My mechanic s skills are wanting ...that's why i have come to the forum... here issues are hands on... you guys may just be the best mechanics consortium in the world. what i need is similar experience

 

[JEDIYoda]

My mechanic s skills are wanting ...that's why i have come to the forum... here issues are hands on... you guys may just be the best mechanics consortium in the world. what i need is similar experience

<--another way of saying your cheap??

 

[Greenman]

Guys (COROLLA AE110 OF YEAR 2000)
I need help .. my car has been shutting on slowing down and sometimes having trouble starting in the morning. I have changed so many things ... i just wanna die ... Throttle body (second hand), distributor, fuel filter , New thermostat, second hand oxygen sensor, new ignition wires ( those that run from distributor to plugs), coolant sensor(New), New sensor that opens fun, new plugs, New ETF (FROM TOYOTA). HOW MUCH MORE CAN A MAN LOVE A CAR?

I have no idea whats wrong with your car, but I'd really like to know more about the sensor that opens fun. I might have one installed on my truck.

Check the idle air control valve if it has one. Those can cause random shutdowns when they go bad.

 

[slag]

<--another way of saying your cheap??

Huh? That's what this forum is for. :\

 

[moskarimi]

Guys honestly am caught in between a rock and a hard place. I could buy a second hand engine but hey... any engine in the market must be 15 years old and over as the last toyota AE 110 was made in year 2000. there are very slim guarantees hence my foolish purchasing spree hoping that issue will clear. On saturday night i took it upon myself to dismantle manifold and throttle body... i cleaned throttle thoroughly using DW40 ... i used petrol for the manifold and cleaned the black soot. come sunday and monday the car has not gone off as yet, however i feel like idling is too high so i rolled down the small accelerator screw and pushed backwards the Distributor, now am just in prayers hoping everything stays as is.
ooohhh did i mention... after cleaning the throttle body my Engline light went on permanently... even after i tried to reset one battery terminal ... nothing happens.
you must be asking WHY CAN'T HE SELL OFF AND BUY ANOTHER CAR?
I have An NZE and Already importing AXIO but Iam passionately in love with corolla110 ... its just my offroad car, its my pickup truck and my companion to work. its convenient and any mechanic can repair it in this part of the world ... offcourse with exception of this recurrent problem.

 

[nakedfrog]

Car isn't running right. I'll just play with the idle and randomly adjust the timing and hope for the best!

 

[BUTCH1]

Guys honestly am caught in between a rock and a hard place. I could buy a second hand engine but hey... any engine in the market must be 15 years old and over as the last toyota AE 110 was made in year 2000. there are very slim guarantees hence my foolish purchasing spree hoping that issue will clear. On saturday night i took it upon myself to dismantle manifold and throttle body... i cleaned throttle thoroughly using DW40 ... i used petrol for the manifold and cleaned the black soot. come sunday and monday the car has not gone off as yet, however i feel like idling is too high so i rolled down the small accelerator screw and pushed backwards the Distributor, now am just in prayers hoping everything stays as is.
ooohhh did i mention... after cleaning the throttle body my Engline light went on permanently... even after i tried to reset one battery terminal ... nothing happens.
you must be asking WHY CAN'T HE SELL OFF AND BUY ANOTHER CAR?
I have An NZE and Already importing AXIO but Iam passionately in love with corolla110 ... its just my offroad car, its my pickup truck and my companion to work. its convenient and any mechanic can repair it in this part of the world ... offcourse with exception of this recurrent problem.

Why would you just replace an engine?, sorry to insult you but it sounds like you have very little knowledge of anything mechanical. Did you ever think to check the fuel pump to see if it's giving the rated pressure to the injectors?. First thing you need to do is buy a $12 Hayne's or Chilton's manual to learn how to properly work on your vehicle, "DW40" is "WD-40" I'm assuming and it's not the proper way to clean out a throttle-body, they make cleaners just for that purpose, WD-40 is a lubricant used to loosen rusted bolts, you may have damaged a sensor using it. I would recommend you have a pro diagnose you car rather then just randomly adjusting everything and hope it runs.

 

[tortillasoup]

Don't Clean V6 Tacoma throttle bodies from the 1st gen tacoma. If you do, you'll get a check engine light that you won't be able to get rid of easily.

 

[John Feliipe Lewiisz]

Hi guys i have a nissan cubr and i remove the cover to reach my sparkplugs and clean at the same time my throttle body and when i put everything the same way i removed it the check engine turn on y remove the battery to reset it and it still the same the light still on



John Feliipe Lewiisz... This thread is 7 years old...? Take the time to ask a question rather than find a thread this old...

AT Moderator
Bartman39

 

[mindless1]

Hi guys i have a nissan cubr and i remove the cover to reach my sparkplugs and clean at the same time my throttle body and when i put everything the same way i removed it the check engine turn on y remove the battery to reset it and it still the same the light still on

I'd guess you might have disturbed a vac line, but the first step is to hook up an OBDII code reader and see what codes are indicated.

Why did you need to reach your spark plugs? If you took the cable off, maybe it's not snapped on completely and not making spark. Is the engine running okay?

 

[John Feliipe Lewiisz]

The cube have the throttle body on top so i had to remove it to reach the spark plug but the this is the light is on after i clean every thiing and the car run good runs even better i can say

 

[mindless1]

^ I asked why you need to reach spark plugs, not why you removed the throttle body. We seem to have some language differences so I don't think I can help you. Hook up an OBDII scan tool and get the trouble code and look that up online.

 

[John Feliipe Lewiisz]

Ooow srry i didnt read it good i was servesing the car and i change them that why i reach there