AEMcivic

This is a minor mod that helps keep the air going through your throttle-body cooler. There is a Throttle-Body Heater that is attached to the left side of your throttle-body.(blue arrow) This heater keeps your throttle from freezing in the wide open position by circulating hot fluids through it, thus heating it up and transferring the heat to your throttle-body. But this is only a concern in the colder regions. This mod is a very simple modification that can be reversed or put back to normal at any time.
The following is a picture of the area before the modification:
(donated by ph0ng)

For this mod you will need:
Pliers and a section of 1/16" pipe/tubing about two inches long.


1. You will need to remove your stock airbox if you still have it. If you have a CAI or SRI, you should be able to complete this mod without removing the intake.

2. You need to locate the inlet and outlet hoses that connect to the Throttle-Body Heater.(red arrows)

3. After you locate the hoses, use your pliers to loosen the clips/clamps and slide them back away from the TB heater.

4. Next you can remove the hoses from the throttle body heater. A little bit of greenish fluid (antifreeze) may leak out as you are removing them, but this is not a big deal. I had to use a screwdriver to gently pry mine away from the heater. Over time they will be heated up enough to form a pretty good seal. If you use a screwdriver, use a very small one and be careful not to fo(k up the hoses.

5. Once you have the two hoses removed, you will need the piece of pipe or tubing. You can purchase a piece of small pipe at your local Discount Auto Parts or Autozone it will need to be at least 2 inches long. I'm not sure the exact diameter that you need, but I know it's less than 1/8". After you find piece that will fit into the hose, you will then slip half of the pipe into one hose, and the other half into the other hose. Essentially, you are trying to connect the inlet and outlet so that they will continue to circulate the fluids.

6. Now that you have the two hoses connected by the pipe, you can slip the clips/clamps back up to the end of each hose.

After you finish the 6 steps above, just make sure that the two hoses that are connected can rest without having any kinks in them. When I was finished, I found another piece of hose about 4 or 5 inches long that I could slip over the inlet and outlet on the Throttle-Body Heater...just to keep things from crawling in there or whatever. You know, I'm **** like that.

Well, I guess that's it. Overall, this is a very easy mod. It only took me about 10 minutes to complete. If you have any questions, post them here, e-mail me, or P.M. me. Also, I don't have a pic of the final mod right now, but I will try to post one below this.

Happy Modding,
AEMcivic



Attachments:
[IMG]/forums/themes/orbitz/paperclip.gif[/IMG] tbdiy.jpg (45 Kb)

black2k1vtec

thats cool, but it would be frozen every morning.

AEMcivic

Yeah, I guess if you lived up north, but I live in Louisiana, so I'm not too worried about it freezing. If you really think about it, it gets so hot in your engine compartment, ice can't really form on the throttle body. So I don't think it would be that big of a concern.

black2k1vtec

true, but what if you park it overnight, and there is condensation, and it freezes, then your hooped in the morning.
I will be doing that in the summer though!
Did you notice any hp gains?

AEMcivic

There were a couple things I noticed. I always noticed that after a bit of driving, I would open up my hood, and my intake pipe going into the throttle body would be just as warm as everything else. Which is wierd because I have the Injen CAI and while it does pass behind the radiator(through hot air), it should be sucking enough cold air to keep it much cooler than it was. Well now I can drive for an hour and when I pop the hood, the intake pipe is much much cooler!!!
My car used to lose a bit of power after I drove it for a while mainly because the intake was heating up, then the air was heated up more when it passed through the throttle body. Now, I'm always getting cold air so my car runs better all the time and I don't feel the slight loss of power that I used to. I don't think I gained any HP, but I felt a difference because I drive my car alot.

BAK

Thanks AEMcivic for the DIY ! Hey your sig says San Diego, but you live in Louisiana ??

AEMcivic

haha, yeah, I change it every now and then.
I'm in the whitness protection program!!!
Nah, I don't know, it's been on San Diego for a while now, I just don't feel like changin it.
I'm a lazy bastard!

jamesbbh

good freakin job man i wouldve never thought of that. i give ya props
James

2k2civic

iTrader: (1)

How would the throttle body be frozen every morning? The water isn't circulating overnight when the engine is turned off, so it doesn't make a difference.

AEMcivic

I think black was talkin about condensation that would settle on the throttle body over night and freeze, then when you started your car in the morning, the heater wouldn't work to melt the ice off. Right black? Well, like I said, it seems like the temperature in the engine compartment is always well above freezing, so I guess as long as you let your car warm up, it would be ok.
If I lived in the north, I would probably do this mod for the summer and put it back during the winter since it's not that hard to do.

01LX

<< You know, I'm **** like that. >>



Haha, AEMcivic said ****.

How about an after pic?

ph0ng

An after pic... guess that's my job, being that's my car up there in the b4 pic

BTW, very nice DIY
very obscure type of mod, but a really good idea!

AEMcivic

I'll take an "after" picture after work and post it here for you guys.
Unless ph0ng beats me to it.

2k2tiff

when i get some spare time, i'm doing that one. you said something about the injen CAI warming up and feeling a power loss? well i don't want that, so if this really helps i'd be more than happy to spend 5 bucks for it.

cro2k2civicla

Good Idea, Ill be looking for that after Pic....


Ozzy

AEMcivic

Ok, here's the after pics.

2k2civic

iTrader: (1)

AEMcivic, can you actually FEEL any power gains fro this mod?

AEMcivic

Like I said a few posts back, this mod helps keep the air going into your engine cooler, which helps more if you have a CAI. It's kinda pointless if you still have your stock airbox on. No, you won't feel a great deal of hp gain from this, but I did feel a slight difference. This is just a small, cheap mod like the throttle cable adjustment.

2k2civic

iTrader: (1)

And your sure that this is a heater and that it has no adverse affects? How about gas mileage, how is that?

AEMcivic

lol, nah there are no adverse affects. There is no way that this can have any affect on gas mileage or give you a check engine light. Unless you splice the heater hose to your fuel line!!![IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

97civicex

why is this not in the DIY section?
huh???[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/IMG]

Grey

iTrader: (61)

What do you mean? I put it in the DIY Mega Thread at the top of this forum. If you're talking about the main DIY section on this site, then I don't know? [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/IMG]

AEMcivic

Hey Grey, I didn't know where else to post it. You can move it wherever you want.

Grey

iTrader: (61)

No no, here is fine. I linked to it in the thread at the top of the Tech Stuff forum.

black2k1vtec

<< lol, nah there are no adverse affects. There is no way that this can have any affect on gas mileage or give you a check engine light. Unless you splice the heater hose to your fuel line!!![IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG][IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] >>



If your that dumb, you shouldnt be working on your own car!![IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG]

Mokushi

Yo AEM, do you have access to a dyno? I'd like to see some numbers after the car has been driven around for a while b4 and after...

3rdcivic

Actually there may be an adverse effect on the unit itself. Since you have disconnected the hoses there is no lubrication which was provided by the coolant for the little rotary fin inside that unit. Without lubrication, it is possible that it might dry up and cause wear over time.

Now, to prevent wear you might pull the electrical connector off the unit and see what happens. This might stop the unit from spinning unnecessarily. However, I have not tried this so I do not know what the effect would be.

Mbow

I think I am going to Lowes to get some tubing and try this out. I bet the tbody is kept warm to keep the metal expanded or something. If it gets real cold, the little round thing inside the throttle body that opens as you apply the throttle...(idon't know what it is called, doh) may not seal as well or something...Anyhow, I am going to ask a mechanic at the dealer when I get my oil changed.

cro2k2civicla

Anyone else tried this yet? Im still debating. Yo AEM are you sure there are no side effects? I really dont want any long term problems....


Peace

97civicex

<< Actually there may be an adverse effect on the unit itself. Since you have disconnected the hoses there is no lubrication which was provided by the coolant for the little rotary fin inside that unit. Without lubrication, it is possible that it might dry up and cause wear over time.

Now, to prevent wear you might pull the electrical connector off the unit and see what happens. This might stop the unit from spinning unnecessarily. However, I have not tried this so I do not know what the effect would be. >>



what rotary fin.

i did it to my 97 ex about a year ago and i am still trucking