Throttly Body Warning Light Question
Thread Starter
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 196
From:
Throttly Body Warning Light Question
Hey guys, I got a couple questions for you regarding my 2006 V6. First off Ill give you the back story:
I Live in Baltimore, MD, and was heading home from work last night just as the terrible snow storm we are currently having started. There wasn't a lot of snow at the time, nothing I was afraid of, and I was going slow anyway, about 25 mph. I was cruising along a 2 lane road by myself, no incline or decline, all flat. All of a sudden I tried to give it some gas, easily, and it felt like my back tires were spinning, so I let off the gas, and tried again, same result. So I look down at the dash and notice a dash warning light, a small yellow one on the right hand side that looked like a wrench. I had no idea what that meant, so I pulled over, shut my car off for a second, and then restarted it. (By the way I read some other throttle body posts, and a lot of them said they lost power, which I never did, it just seemed like I lost traction) When I restarted the car, the warning light wasn't on, and it ran just fine all the way back to my house (about 5 more miles).
Now once In the house I looked up the warning light in the manual and saw that it was the electronic throttle body light. It says the car goes into "limp home mode" and to see a dealer immediately. Because of the 24 inches of snow we have, I haven't moved my car at all since then.
After using the search function on the forum (amazing isn't it?) I have a couple of questions after I read some other threads:
- Can anyone tell me exactly what the throttle body does? (My knowledge is limited past basic repairs, thus me being on these forums)
- Anyone have any idea how long I can run before replacing it? (Just wanna make it through the holidays, but I drive A LOT per day)
- Will I be doing any serious long term damage by trying to drive it, even if the dash light isn't on anymore? (At the very least if I take it directly to a dealership I'll have to drive it about 15 miles)
- Anyone have any idea how much it is at a dealership to replace one? (Warranty has expired) Or could this be something simple enough I could do myself?
- I read somewhere saying that if your going to upgrade, just upgrade to the GT500 throttle body, I do not have any engine mods, so is this something that would be worth it? Remember I have a V6.
- Would upgrading to the GT500 throttle body hurt my car in any way? Hurt gas mileage? Cause long term problems?
- How much is the GT500 throttle body? (My inner child has me seriously considering the upgrade)
As usual, I appreciate all of the advice and suggestions, and thank everyone for their time. If you need any more information from me to better answer my questions just ask, I have quite a bit of time on my hands being snowed in and all. (and yes i realize those of you in the north are probably laughing at me being snowed in, but this is the most I have seen in years.)
Thanks again,
- Zach
I Live in Baltimore, MD, and was heading home from work last night just as the terrible snow storm we are currently having started. There wasn't a lot of snow at the time, nothing I was afraid of, and I was going slow anyway, about 25 mph. I was cruising along a 2 lane road by myself, no incline or decline, all flat. All of a sudden I tried to give it some gas, easily, and it felt like my back tires were spinning, so I let off the gas, and tried again, same result. So I look down at the dash and notice a dash warning light, a small yellow one on the right hand side that looked like a wrench. I had no idea what that meant, so I pulled over, shut my car off for a second, and then restarted it. (By the way I read some other throttle body posts, and a lot of them said they lost power, which I never did, it just seemed like I lost traction) When I restarted the car, the warning light wasn't on, and it ran just fine all the way back to my house (about 5 more miles).
Now once In the house I looked up the warning light in the manual and saw that it was the electronic throttle body light. It says the car goes into "limp home mode" and to see a dealer immediately. Because of the 24 inches of snow we have, I haven't moved my car at all since then.
After using the search function on the forum (amazing isn't it?) I have a couple of questions after I read some other threads:
- Can anyone tell me exactly what the throttle body does? (My knowledge is limited past basic repairs, thus me being on these forums)
- Anyone have any idea how long I can run before replacing it? (Just wanna make it through the holidays, but I drive A LOT per day)
- Will I be doing any serious long term damage by trying to drive it, even if the dash light isn't on anymore? (At the very least if I take it directly to a dealership I'll have to drive it about 15 miles)
- Anyone have any idea how much it is at a dealership to replace one? (Warranty has expired) Or could this be something simple enough I could do myself?
- I read somewhere saying that if your going to upgrade, just upgrade to the GT500 throttle body, I do not have any engine mods, so is this something that would be worth it? Remember I have a V6.
- Would upgrading to the GT500 throttle body hurt my car in any way? Hurt gas mileage? Cause long term problems?
- How much is the GT500 throttle body? (My inner child has me seriously considering the upgrade)
As usual, I appreciate all of the advice and suggestions, and thank everyone for their time. If you need any more information from me to better answer my questions just ask, I have quite a bit of time on my hands being snowed in and all. (and yes i realize those of you in the north are probably laughing at me being snowed in, but this is the most I have seen in years.)
Thanks again,
- Zach
5th Gear Member
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,213
From: Boston, MA
Can anyone tell me exactly what the throttle body does? (My knowledge is limited past basic repairs, thus me being on these forums)
The Throttle Body is what controls airflow into the engine. When you step on the throttle, the engine computer system opens a butterfly valve inside the TB to allow more air in
- Anyone have any idea how long I can run before replacing it? (Just wanna make it through the holidays, but I drive A LOT per day)
If it's a one time thing (maybe some underhood wiring got wet?) You might not have to replace it at all. If it's really acting up, you will need to replace it soon as the car will run pretty poorly if at all with a failing TB
- Will I be doing any serious long term damage by trying to drive it, even if the dash light isn't on anymore? (At the very least if I take it directly to a dealership I'll have to drive it about 15 miles)
If the dash light is off, the TB is most likely operating normally
- Anyone have any idea how much it is at a dealership to replace one? (Warranty has expired) Or could this be something simple enough I could do myself?
It's simple enough to do yourself. A few bolts and a couple electrical connectors is all that needs to be dealt with
- I read somewhere saying that if your going to upgrade, just upgrade to the GT500 throttle body, I do not have any engine mods, so is this something that would be worth it? Remember I have a V6.
The GT500 TB does not even come close to fitting the 4.0, and wouldn't gain you a thing even if it did. You'd need custom mounting, a custom ECM tune, and in the end you'd probably loose performance due to the air flow mismatch to the needs of the 4.0
- Would upgrading to the GT500 throttle body hurt my car in any way? Hurt gas mileage? Cause long term problems?
See above
- How much is the GT500 throttle body? (My inner child has me seriously considering the upgrade)
Doesn't matter, see above
The Throttle Body is what controls airflow into the engine. When you step on the throttle, the engine computer system opens a butterfly valve inside the TB to allow more air in
- Anyone have any idea how long I can run before replacing it? (Just wanna make it through the holidays, but I drive A LOT per day)
If it's a one time thing (maybe some underhood wiring got wet?) You might not have to replace it at all. If it's really acting up, you will need to replace it soon as the car will run pretty poorly if at all with a failing TB
- Will I be doing any serious long term damage by trying to drive it, even if the dash light isn't on anymore? (At the very least if I take it directly to a dealership I'll have to drive it about 15 miles)
If the dash light is off, the TB is most likely operating normally
- Anyone have any idea how much it is at a dealership to replace one? (Warranty has expired) Or could this be something simple enough I could do myself?
It's simple enough to do yourself. A few bolts and a couple electrical connectors is all that needs to be dealt with
- I read somewhere saying that if your going to upgrade, just upgrade to the GT500 throttle body, I do not have any engine mods, so is this something that would be worth it? Remember I have a V6.
The GT500 TB does not even come close to fitting the 4.0, and wouldn't gain you a thing even if it did. You'd need custom mounting, a custom ECM tune, and in the end you'd probably loose performance due to the air flow mismatch to the needs of the 4.0
- Would upgrading to the GT500 throttle body hurt my car in any way? Hurt gas mileage? Cause long term problems?
See above
- How much is the GT500 throttle body? (My inner child has me seriously considering the upgrade)
Doesn't matter, see above
Last edited by Torch_Vert; Dec 20, 2009 at 01:57 AM.
6th Gear Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 16,182
From: PA to KY ('07) to IL ('09) to MS ('10) to FL ('11)
If the dash light is off and your car is running normal now, I'd chalk it up to an erroneous glitch, possibly due to the weather. But I'd also check all of the piping from the air box to the TB for anything loose.
The stock TB's on our S197's flow as well as an NA engine needs. There's nothing to gain by upgrading your TB unless you intend to heavily mod the engine internals or go FI.
The stock TB's on our S197's flow as well as an NA engine needs. There's nothing to gain by upgrading your TB unless you intend to heavily mod the engine internals or go FI.
Thread Starter
2nd Gear Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 196
From:
Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the answers. It's finally stopped snowing here, so I may be able to get around a little bit today. Ill see if the light comes back on before I do anything about it, but maybe the next time I take it in to have it serviced, Ill have them check it. Im hoping some of the underhood wiring just got a little wet (as someone mentioned). This is the worst snow we have had since I got my car, so we'll see. Thanks again. And I appreciate letting me know about the GT500 TB not matching, saved me some money and headaches.
- Zach
- Zach
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 750
From: CA
Depending on your mileage, and maintenance (or lack thereof) your throttle body could just be getting dirty and gummed up. It does get build up over time. You could try to clean it yourself, but if you are not mechanically inclined then it's better to let the dealership do it.
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 695
From: NY
Might just have been a computer brain fart. There is so much computer electronics in our cars and it doesn't take much to confuse it. Could have been anything from a voltage spike to momentary accessory drive belt slippage causing a low voltage and it tripped the light. Turning off the car and then restarting it reset the computer. If the light went out and things are back to normal I wouldn't worry about it. Its when the light stays on and the problem persists that you have trouble. I don't think that the dealer is going to find a trouble code.
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