8 Signs of a Bad Throttle Body and Replacement Cost

The throttle body, an essential mechanical part in fuel-injected vehicles, regulates and controls airflow into the engine.

If the throttle body has been maintained in good shape, it will ensure that the engine gets the best air/fuel ratio possible and delivers the highest performance. The combustion process won't work properly if the throttle body has been damaged by an insufficient air/fuel combination.

We will be discussing the most common signs of a damaged throttle body and its location as well as the cost to replace it. Let’s begin with the signs to look for.

8 Bad Throttle Body Symptoms

The most common symptom of a bad throttle body is engine performance issues together with a check engine light on your car’s dashboard.

A bad throttle body or an unsound one are the main signs.

You may still be interested in more information about the symptoms. Here is an extensive list:

Make sure your engine light is on

There are angle sensors as well as other sensors inside the throttle body. As soon as the car’s onboard computer detects a problem with the throttle body signal, it will cause the check engine light to illuminate.

You may also see the check engine lights flashing for other reasons. This is why it's important to consult an auto technician to scan your vehicle and look out for possible trouble codes.

Rough Idling

If you notice your car’s engine idle is jumping up and down and make strange sounds, it may be due to a dirty or damaged throttle body.

You will feel the most vibrations in your car's engine at idle. This is where you can notice any symptoms such as a dirty or faulty throttle body.

Rapid Acceleration

Also, the throttle body regulates the mixture of air and fuel entering the engine. The problem with acceleration is caused by a bad throttle body.

If you notice that your car has a very uneven acceleration – sometimes it is fast and sometimes slow, you might have a bad throttle body.

Failures

When the air-fuel mixture contains a lot of oxygen, or if the spark plug produces a weak spark, misfires can occur. This is also known as incomplete combustion within the combustion chamber.

We have already mentioned that a bad throttle body could cause problems with your air-fuel mixture and can even lead to misfires. When revving your engine, you will notice small bumps that indicate a misfire.

Idle with high RPM

The throttle body controls the engine’s idle to make sure it is always holding a steady RPM. It is possible for the engine to be running at an excessive RPM if the throttle body has problems.

This can be caused by a poorly calibrated throttle body. The majority of diagnostic scanners allow you to calibrate the throttle body.

Stalling Idle

It is possible for the throttle body to affect RPM in the opposite direction. The engine can die if the idle RPM is too low. It is common to see this when the throttle body flap has a lot dirt and soot. This will reduce airflow and cause low idle RPM.

This can usually be solved with a throttle-body cleaning or calibration using a diagnostic tool.

Poor Engine Performance

To perform well, the engine needs both fuel and air. The engine may not receive adequate air supply because of a damaged throttle body. This will cause a decrease in engine performance.

Bad throttle bodies can cause your car to feel like half its horsepower when it accelerates.

Modified Fuel Consumption

A bad throttle body can cause strange fuel mixtures, as you know. You may also notice a rise in fuel consumption, if your vehicle is refueling more often or less frequently. A bad throttle body can cause this.

Refueling less frequently might sound like a good thing, but your engine doesn’t think the same in the long run!

What is a throttle body?

The throttle body on your car is really a butterfly valve. The throttle body’s core function is to regulate and control the amount of air allowed to enter the engine.

The input data is sensed from the driver’s pressure on the accelerator pedal of the vehicle.

To ensure more combustion, the engine is permitted to burn more fuel. This allows for greater acceleration and increased combustion power.

With the rare exception of larger, more powerful vehicles, there is one throttle body on most cars. Other parts of your vehicle, like the air filter, are also important for the function and operation of your throttle body.

Clean the Throttle Body

Even with an air filter, dust and soot can build up from turbochargers, EGR valves, crankcase ventilation, and other parts of your vehicle and stick to the throttle body valve. The whole will then cover the valve, causing a decrease in RPM.

It is possible to clean the throttle body valve if it has become dirty. You can read our article on cleaning the throttle body. However, you should recalculate it with a diagnostic scanner.

Throttle body location

The most common location for the throttle body is on the intake manifold near the large hose of the turbocharger/air filter.

Aluminum is commonly used to manufacture the throttle body. Different cars may require a slightly different throttle body location.

However, according to the throttle body’s purpose, it should be located anywhere between the air filter and the intake manifold.

Price of Throttle Replacement

The average cost to replace a throttle body ranges between $250- $650 depending upon the model of your car and how much labor you need. You can get a throttle body for as low as $200 to $500. The labor costs are between $50 and $150.

Prices for the throttle body vary according to vehicle models and manufacturers. The main expense involved in replacing the throttle body is its replacement cost.

Regular maintenance can effectively prolong the life of the throttle body’s parts, and you may not require a replacement for a long time.

Depending on the car shop where you are replacing the vehicle, the labor costs involved can vary between inexpensive and expensive.

You will have to do a recalculation after replacing the throttle body with a scanner.

FAQs about throttle bodies