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Re: removing water hoses from throttle body... Posted by Ari [Email] ![]() ![]() In Reply to: removing water hoses from throttle body..., kooch, Tue, 19 Jun 2001 19:44:47 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Frankly, given the minimal surface area of the throttle body, and the large amount of air flowing through, you get a minimal effect either from heating or cooling. Compare the surface area of the throttle body to that of the intercooler. If you were looking for cooling, you'd be better off wrapping cooling coils around the big air pipe running to the throttle body - the run is longer. There is no question that theoretically it will help. Maybe someone has measured an improvement by removing the heating, but until I see some numbers, I doubt the effect is noticable.
The issue with the heating really has nothing to do with cold weather or cold starts. In a cold start, the coolant is just as cold as the engine, so by circulating it through the throttle body, you aren't warming much up. The issue isn't really cold temperatures. By the time the air has made it through the turbo, it isn't very cold, intercooler or not.
The issue is throttle body icing. At low throttle settings, you have the same setup as the expansion valve in your AC. Pressure on one side, a small hole (low throttle setting), and low pressure on the other (intake manifold). This causes rapid cooling, and any moisture in the air can condense, and potentially freeze. This can happen at temps well above freezing - ask any pilot who flies a piston engine plane.
OK - is it common in cars? No, not really - it takes just the right combination of conditions - very light throttle, enough moisture in the air, and the throttle body not heat soaked by the engine. It would have to be after the engine warmed up but before everything in the engine compartment was hot, and you were cruising down a long incline. But it can happen, which is why they put the heating in.
My opinion is not to mess with it - I don't think it adds anything (again, just my opinion.) But if you do disconnect it, just flush it with some clean water, and after it's dry (easily done - just drive the car), I would plug it up with something. My favorite is to stick a rubber hose on it, and block the hose with the appropriate size bolt or screw. It doesn't have to be a hermetic seal - you're just trying to keep dirt and debris out. A little moisture won't hurt. I wouldn't spray it with anything, because that will just contaminate the coolant when you hook it back up.
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