Did the throttle body bypass
 

This is one of those "free mods" I do to most of my cars as a matter of course. for those who don't know: There is engine coolant running through your TB to try and keep it warm in extremely cold climates to prevent the throttle plates from freezing over. this provides little purpose in warm climates, or places like New England during most of the year. The IAC also gets coolant from this same feed, so you can't just block it... you have to bypass it around the TB or your idle will be incorrect. The theory is that the warm (read: HOT) TB heats up incoming air, and helps heat the intake manifold. both of these things add to decreased performance when the car is warm. Also the engine will get heat soaked faster in stop-and-go traffic. This mod should be particularly helpful to our cars since we have 2 throttle plates heating up air.

I did the mod and I like the results. a little more responsive, and much peppier after sitting in stop-and-go traffic. also, the intake manifold is noticably cooler. I can rest on it with my palm and not burn myself :D. The TBs are actually cool to the touch after highway driving. all-in-all, it was worth the 5 minutes.

needed: 2 ring clamps, 3/8" barbed hose coupling, a foot or so of 3/8" ID tubing to or caps to cap off the TB water lines.

that's all I got.

EDIT - FYI, this mod is dyno proven to provide 5-6 hp in mustangs. so it's proven to help to some extent. that's not to say our cars will gain any real power from it... but the foundation is there, it's been proven on some cars. at the very least, it helps to prevent heat soak.

Wow...you could touch your intake manifold?! I know that I can park the car in the garage after highway driving, open the hood, go inside for 4 or 5 hours (literally), come back out to the garage, and still not rest my had on any part of the engine for more than 3 seconds. I don't know if it's just my engine, but it kicks out a TON of heat. Surely it doesn't help that it's 100* outside, but still....5 hours??

yeah, that's the other reason I wanted to do this... the intake bits of the engine get enough heat as it is. these engine bays run hotter than any other car I've dealt with. last thing the intake manifold needs is a heat source at both ends. engine heat is enough :D

of course, this mod is 100% reversible and should be reversed during the winter in cold climates.

IggDawg, Can you describe the mod in more detail for clarity, as this isn't written up in the How-To's?

Glenn

sure thing.

0) let the engine cool the hell down. I've gotten many "enthusiasm burns" over the years.

1) remove sexy engine cladding covering throttle bodies. rub sexy engine cladding on body for arousing effect. this step is very important.

2) loosen the clamps holding the intake tube to the throttle bodies and the MAF.

3) carefully remove the intake tube, making sure to disconnect all the oil vapor hoses connected to it. BE CAREFUL! heat makes plastic brittle! This 5 minute free mod can become an expensive all-day mod if you break something!

4) stuff lint-free object of some sort into TBs and the back end of the MAF so you don't break something expensive. be very careful near the MAF. it's best to just put saran wrap over it with a rubber band. less chance of fux0ring the element.

5) locate the coolant fittings on the TB. the drivers side one should be pointing a different direction than the passenger side one. you'll see what I mean. they're small tubes with squeeze-clamps holding them in place. use pliers to open the clamps and pull them a few inches down the lines.

6) Use pliers to pull the water lines off the TB. it makes it easier fo you put the pliers around the tube and rotate it a little to "crack" the lines free a little from the fittings. they tend to seal in place. after this they should slip off without a fight.

7) using the barbed fitting and the ring clamps, connect the two coolant lines. DO NOT re-use the squeeze-clamps that were on the lines before. I'm not confident these will hold the lines on the barbed fittings. I don't like these in general, and always replace them with screw-down clamps whenever I can.

8) use a piece of tubing or some rubber caps to cap off the ends of the fittings on the TB. bugs like coolant, and will try to get in there. dirt also likes clean engine parts. it's best to keep this area clean if you want to re-connect the water lines later.

9) remove the stuff you have blocking the TB and the MAF. put back on the intake tube, making sure to re-connect ALL the oil vapor lines. or else. re-tighten the clamps securely.

10) rub hte sexy cladding on yourself one last time, shed single tear, and put it back on the engine.

11) drink something cold, and tend to scratches/burns.

there you have it. if this isn't clear enough, I'll be glad to answer questions.

Interesting mod IggDawg. Do you have a digital camera? Can you take a few pics and post in your locker? Sounds like a pretty cool and inexpensive mod... ;)

-Chike

P.S. What do you classify as a cold climate? You're in MA, and compared to VA where I live, THAT'S A COLD CLIMATE! :D At what air temp will you need to hook the lines back up? If you didn't and drove the car in 20/30* weather, will it damage the engine?

This sounds similar to the TB Mod for RX-7s in a TB there are 2 sets of butterflys, you remove the first set of plates, freeing the air flow and you bypass the coolant line because there is a thermal wax pellet that expands with heat or cold and opens the plates to idle in the winter. If you get below 32 in the winter it becomes a real ***** to start your car, and on 5 speed cars you have to start them and hold the gas pedal at idle until you reach normal operating temps before the car will idle otherwise it just drops and dies...


But you do gain great top end..

IggDawg

I will write this up and add your pictures if you can take some. I will then add it to the How-To docs. Thanks :)

To email me direct if you want to attach pics, click on "Earl" on my signature.

Thanks Dawg! Very clear, especially the part about "rubbing" !! Sounds like an excellent HOT weather mod, and it gets Mucho Caliente here in Sac!!

Glenn

Chiketkd and tancred - This is a little different. I can address both posts in one answer :D . the reason for the coolant is to prevent "icing" in cold climates. cool air with moisture in it will pass through the throttle body, where the pressure drop lowers the temperature even further. If the throttle plate gets cold enough, ice crystals can build up on the plate or even worse on the hinge shaft. this could freeze the plate open and make slowing down *margianlly difficult*. also, ice could build up and dislodge... damaging components as it flies down into the engine.

The chances of either of these are low. at worst you'd prolly get a sticky throttle plate. I've had this mod done all winter in my last Impreza and had no problems. I just carelessly forgot to undo the mod. YMMV. basically, when it gets around freezing (35-ish degrees) it's time to think about undoing this mod. just for safety's sake. you'll be cruising along on the highway, and you'l let off on the throttle to get off at an exit and all the sudden the throttle plate is frozen open and won't close. no fun.

ensteele - I'll take some pics this evening and try to get them up.

That happened to me, in december, car kept pulling boost when i let off, took it out of gear and it finally blew off and slowed down...but letting foot off gas didnt help..LOL...yeah, intake temps do get pretty chilly with that mod......

Awesome! I'll look for it in the How-To Documents! Your instructions do seem pretty clear!

-Chike

Chike will be waiting for the "TB Bypass for dummies" is what he means...

lol, and even then i will have to read it to him......

w00t! [sings]I've got a how-to! nya nya[/sings]

rojo - Glad the instructions are good for you. and yeah, this is definitely a good mod for any so-cal folks :D. shouldn't have to worry about un-doing it.

Go Iggy! Go Iggy! It's your Birthday! :p ;)