Here’s a daily reminder: Carbon buildup clogging in the idle air control valve (IACV) can somehow lead to the incredibly low performance of your vehicle.
Such a matter may sound costly to fix when handled by a mechanic. The good news is you are now completely able to learn how to clean idle air control valve yourself!
Wait for no longer but dig in and shape up some further details!
Why Should You Need To Clean Idle Air Control Valve
Let’s imagine: What happens if you don’t wipe up the floor every day? It’s dusty, bingo!
The same things occur with the IACV. As a matter of fact, cleaning the hood regularly is the only fundamental approach to keep it away from carbon or other particles building up inside.
You may think it might not be any harm to have a meager teeny dust interior. Which car system doesn’t have dust?
Then, feel free to continue letting the situation slide badly over time. The gigantic fee derived from the garage service, which costs you an arm and a leg, will soon explain itself.
Here is how you can flash on such a distinction more transparently. Thanks to the sounds your engine generates, the well-kept IACV with soft and consistent noises will show up more and more apparent against the tough, unreliable of the untidy one.
Needless to say, once you know how to care for such a system properly, smooth, gentle rides would be nowhere else further but right in front of your eyes.
How To Clean Idle Air Control Valve
Sick of hearing on and on about tons of long-winded, annoying hypotheses? Our blow-by-blow guidance is coming in handy for your most understanding in terms of how to clean idle air control valve without removing them!
Step 1: Set up your working area
To what extent does setting up your working area relate to how to fix idle air control valve? You may ask.
It is immensely crucial whether or not your engine is cold enough for any touching or manipulation. Otherwise, you can easily get burnt while trying to arrive at it. Wait until the scars left afterward prove themselves so you can buy our words!
Step 2: Determine the location of the idle air control valve
Well, any driver surely will have their first time with such an automobile contact at some point. So there’s a common chance that the location of the idle air control valve is not at all familiar with you from the beginning.
Then the question is: How to look it up without resulting in a massive pile of mess?
The direct answer for the question “where is the idle air control valve located?” would be near the throttle and right at the back of the intake manifold.Yet, since it’s probably quite tricky for those as a newbie to get the hang of, taking the plunge at the air filter box will be our earliest suggestion.
From then on, all you need to do is to grope after the duct, which goes through the mass flow sensor and continues deep into the engine. That’s how you find the exact simple way of getting to the throttle body idle air control valve!
Step 3: Remove the air duct and the filter box
What’s next is to detach the clamps used in placing the filter box. Bonus: You will also want to disconnect the electric line linking to the MAF sensor in case your car has any of it!
Following up in the process of idle air control valve cleaning chevy is the game of the air duct. This progress will require a little bit of your carefulness to avoid screwing up a bunch of wirings and hoses.
Just bear in mind to check whether you’ve disconnected all the vacuum lines, crankcase ventilation system, as well as PCV hose, and you’re good to go!
Step 4: Remove the clamps connecting the air duct to the throttle body
Your arrival area must be some way clearer by then. It’s time to move forward and free the air duct from the attachment with the throttle body.
The task is not much different from these above, which merely is to remove the fixing clamps.
In case there is any wonder, doing such vehicle technology not only aids in getting closer to the throttle body but also is a great help to prevent it from restricting air if your air filter has a seriously bad clogging of dirt or some other kind of filth.
That’s it! Basically, nothing at such a locating step can hold you back no more.
Step 5: Find the idle air control valve’s passage
Now that you have found the throttle body, the next thing to get done is to place a hole or small passage inside it.
Because this will be where air passes and carbon accumulates easily, the more thoroughly you look over it, the less likely it is to shut in air propulsion when your car is idle.
Step 6: Using throttle body cleaner to spray the hole
Can you clean an idle air control valve without a throttle body cleaner? We’re afraid not.
Well then, what are you waiting for without heading to the store or some website online (of which we highly recommend Amazon) and grabbing yourself one? Pretty sure that it’s not much as extravagant as the bill given by your mechanic!
Coming next, a throttle body cleaner and a plastic wire brush (or a towel is also feasible if you prefer) will be what to use to clean idle air control valve. Once having decent equipment, you are now standing ready to clean out every nook and cranny of your IACV.
When being on the way to clean idle air control valve with throttle body cleaner, make sure to tidy up both inside and outside of the area. Every little hole is just as important for you to not miss out on, too!
The rest of the task is to leave it there for about at least half an hour, and you are now not far away from the eventual end.
Step 7: Reconnect all of the components
Last but not least, here comes the procedure of turning things back to their positions.
How do I reset my idle air control valve? You may ask.
For those with short-term memory or who plainly seek more proper oversight, the simple yet ultimate tip is to use a pen and note to write down every minor detail in the first place so that you won’t skip out any of them by accident.
Yet, if you are confident enough with this whole recalling thing, the coming stage of putting those into action is all set for you to jump right in. In that manner, reconnecting clamps and hoses in the correct order is pretty much all the moves to accomplish.
Why Should You Need To Clean Idle Air Control Valve
How To Check Idle Air Control Valve
You’ve sensed something unusual with your IACV but still need more guarantees for the problem? Dive into and stock up some detailed means, as well as top-notchmanufactured goods to get things done right!
Check RPM
Checking RPM is one of the obvious ways to test if there is anything wrong with the system. By that, the idle RPM should be 1000 or under.
Engine Stalls
We all agree when the engine stalls or suddenly slows down, of course, there must be serious damage to some vehicle parts. In these cases, it is not ruled out that the filthy IACV could totally be a suspected culprit hidden behind the crime.
Check Engine Lights
Every vehicle has an Engine Control Unit (ECU) installed to diagnose engines‘ problems. This gadget makes your job even more effortless to see if the IACV is going wrong.
That way, all you need to do is to check out the unit frequently and make sure the mechanical engineering light doesn’t come on when idling.
The Idle Air Control Valve’s Most Common Issues
Here are some narrowed-down problems that can happen when your car is in improper idling.
The first to come is a vacuum leak triggered by a damaged, worn out, or cracked vacuum leak.
Want to shoot a double-check shot? Soap and water mixture would be an astounding assistant. Spray the mixture on the vacuum lines and wait until you see air bubbles. That’s how you can rest assured to investigate them using this engine technology.
Aside from that, the need for replacement of the servo motor, partial or complete jamming in the valve, as well as some destructions regarding rotating machines, or internal combustion engine are also typical issues you can easily encounter.
The End
Now when you’ve seized the whole package of how to clean idle air control valve yourself, it’s time to go on stage and show off your potential skill! A dirty valve will do no good for your pal, indeed. Whether you have any concerns in relation to other relevant topics, don’t hesitate to contact us for more helpful information. See you then!