TK-421
Well-known member
Maybe it's just because I'm relatively new to all this wrenching stuff, but I sure find it a great feeling when I fix something all by myself, and nothing explodes when I turn the key.
Story: This morning I drove down the street to the mail box, because I'm a lazy ****. On the drive there everything was fine, I turn the car off since the mailbox key is attached to my car key. I turn the car back on and it starts up fine, but the check engine light is on and I have no throttle. I have to push the pedal to the floor to get it to start going. I'm so glad I was lazy and did that, because later in the day I was planning on a several mile trip that likely would've left me stranded had I attempted it and this happened.
So I limp it home, and park it on the road in front of my house since it would've been more of a chore than I felt like dealing with to get it up the driveway. I pop the hood and nothing is obviously broken, and nothing is spewing anywhere, so I let it sit for a bit. I start it up again 10 minutes later or so and everything is good enough that I can limp it to the auto store, at least good enough that I don't have to mash the pedal to the floor to get it going. So I limp it to the auto store and have them run the code, and it comes back as there's something up with the throttle body, it either needs to be cleaned out, or replaced. So I limp it home figuring I'll try cleaning it rather than pay $400-500-ish for a new one.
Well, stupid me, there I was at the auto parts store, decided I was going to clean my throttle body, and I left without any throttle body cleaner. Well fine, my car seems to be acting better than it was when I tried to leave the mailbox, and if something happens then I'll get to figure out how my insurance company's roadside service works, so I decide to take that trip to Home Depot that I had been planning on earlier. (Side note: this one accepts harbor freight 20% off coupons, saved me $15 on an M12 charger, so stoked.) So I get there, get what I need and then get home, all without any major catastrophes.
Got my car torn apart and the throttle body removed with a little help from google, get it cleaned out and everything put back together, take it for a test drive, and I must've had a huge grin on my face when I hit the gas and that turbo kicked in and my car screamed like it hasn't in too long. Guess now I know why the throttle hasn't been acting as well as I thought I remembered it had in the past, but I had simply chalked that one up to my crummy memory. Turns out it wasn't my memory and there was something wrong, ya live and learn.
tl;dr - Sure is a great feeling when you fix something yourself, you don't have to pay someone else to do it at $100+/hour, and it doesn't blow up when you're done.
Story: This morning I drove down the street to the mail box, because I'm a lazy ****. On the drive there everything was fine, I turn the car off since the mailbox key is attached to my car key. I turn the car back on and it starts up fine, but the check engine light is on and I have no throttle. I have to push the pedal to the floor to get it to start going. I'm so glad I was lazy and did that, because later in the day I was planning on a several mile trip that likely would've left me stranded had I attempted it and this happened.
So I limp it home, and park it on the road in front of my house since it would've been more of a chore than I felt like dealing with to get it up the driveway. I pop the hood and nothing is obviously broken, and nothing is spewing anywhere, so I let it sit for a bit. I start it up again 10 minutes later or so and everything is good enough that I can limp it to the auto store, at least good enough that I don't have to mash the pedal to the floor to get it going. So I limp it to the auto store and have them run the code, and it comes back as there's something up with the throttle body, it either needs to be cleaned out, or replaced. So I limp it home figuring I'll try cleaning it rather than pay $400-500-ish for a new one.
Well, stupid me, there I was at the auto parts store, decided I was going to clean my throttle body, and I left without any throttle body cleaner. Well fine, my car seems to be acting better than it was when I tried to leave the mailbox, and if something happens then I'll get to figure out how my insurance company's roadside service works, so I decide to take that trip to Home Depot that I had been planning on earlier. (Side note: this one accepts harbor freight 20% off coupons, saved me $15 on an M12 charger, so stoked.) So I get there, get what I need and then get home, all without any major catastrophes.
Got my car torn apart and the throttle body removed with a little help from google, get it cleaned out and everything put back together, take it for a test drive, and I must've had a huge grin on my face when I hit the gas and that turbo kicked in and my car screamed like it hasn't in too long. Guess now I know why the throttle hasn't been acting as well as I thought I remembered it had in the past, but I had simply chalked that one up to my crummy memory. Turns out it wasn't my memory and there was something wrong, ya live and learn.
tl;dr - Sure is a great feeling when you fix something yourself, you don't have to pay someone else to do it at $100+/hour, and it doesn't blow up when you're done.
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). Yep valve is still working. OOppss !! No vacuum at regulator. Traced vacuum line and found a 2" rubber splice was rotten (after only 18 years ! 
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