DYI: [Throttle Body Coolant Bypass]
There has been some discussion in this thread about the throttle body coolant bypass.
This is a very simple DYI and almost anybody (within reason) can do it.
Tools:
10mm socket wrench
Philips head screw driver (optional)
Needle nose pliers
Bucket (to catch any coolant that comes out)
*Materials (note: my hoses were dry-rotted so I needed to replace them)
1) About 2 feet of 1/4" high temperature rubber tubing (available at most any hardware store or auto parts store).
-You can buy the pre-formed hose from Acura but the tube at a hardware store is about $0.49 a foot, you can't beat that deal.
2) Hose clamps (Just use the ones that are already located on the original hoses)
Basic procedure summary (further down is the detailed procedure with pictures):
1) Remove the intake
2) Remove the throttle body cable cover
3) Re-route the Idle Air Control (IAC) coolant line to the Throttle Body (TB) coolant out plug
4) Connect the TB "coolant in" and "coolant out" plugs together with 1/4" tubing.
5) Put the throttle body cable cover back on
6) Put the intake back in the car.
7) Start up the car and check for leaks.
If you already have a basic idea of what is going on with this tutorial, you can skip to step 3 of the procedure.
Procedure:
1) Remove the intake.
I have a CAI intake, so for anybody that has a factory intake, removing it is not hard. (Note, I don't know what all is needed to remove the intake from the legends with mas air flow sensors)
-Loosen the hose clamp that connects the intake to the throttle body with the 10mm socket.
-Disconnect the vacuum line and oil line from the intake.
-Remove the filter cover top and disconnect the resonator box (at least I think its a resonator box) from the radiator.
-Now the intake tube should just lift out.
You should see the following:
I'm pretty sure the Idle Air Control (BLUE) coolant line flows from out of the IAC into the base of the Throttle body. From there it heats the TB and flows back out of the TB and back into the engine block (YELLOW). (But its not real important which direction the coolant flows)
2) Remove the throttle body cable cover
3-4) This is the most important part.
Remove the 3 hoses from the bottom of the throttle body:
Coolant is going to come out, but not a lot. Its going to seem like a lot if you have never messed with the cooling system before, but don't worry you won't loose much. Just try to catch most of it in a bucket (to save cleanup time). If necessary check the coolant levels (once finished after you start the car to check for leaks) in the overflow tank and add any necessary coolant.
When removing the hoses, loosen the hose clips with the needle nose pliers. After you loosen the hose clamps, twist the hoses on the plugs with the pliers to un-stick the hoses, then simply remove the hoses.
Connect the IAC coolant line to the lowest plug on the throttle body (the one in the picture with the coolant coming out of it)
Simply connect the remaining two plugs together with a small piece of tube.
*If you buy new hoses, they may be hard to get onto the plugs, Just work with the hoses a little until they go on.
5) Put the throttle body cable cover back on
6) Put the intake back in the car.
7) Start up the car and check for leaks.
There has been some discussion in this thread about the throttle body coolant bypass.
This is a very simple DYI and almost anybody (within reason) can do it.
Tools:
10mm socket wrench
Philips head screw driver (optional)
Needle nose pliers
Bucket (to catch any coolant that comes out)
*Materials (note: my hoses were dry-rotted so I needed to replace them)
1) About 2 feet of 1/4" high temperature rubber tubing (available at most any hardware store or auto parts store).
-You can buy the pre-formed hose from Acura but the tube at a hardware store is about $0.49 a foot, you can't beat that deal.
2) Hose clamps (Just use the ones that are already located on the original hoses)
Basic procedure summary (further down is the detailed procedure with pictures):
1) Remove the intake
2) Remove the throttle body cable cover
3) Re-route the Idle Air Control (IAC) coolant line to the Throttle Body (TB) coolant out plug
4) Connect the TB "coolant in" and "coolant out" plugs together with 1/4" tubing.
5) Put the throttle body cable cover back on
6) Put the intake back in the car.
7) Start up the car and check for leaks.
If you already have a basic idea of what is going on with this tutorial, you can skip to step 3 of the procedure.
Procedure:
1) Remove the intake.
I have a CAI intake, so for anybody that has a factory intake, removing it is not hard. (Note, I don't know what all is needed to remove the intake from the legends with mas air flow sensors)
-Loosen the hose clamp that connects the intake to the throttle body with the 10mm socket.
-Disconnect the vacuum line and oil line from the intake.
-Remove the filter cover top and disconnect the resonator box (at least I think its a resonator box) from the radiator.
-Now the intake tube should just lift out.
You should see the following:
I'm pretty sure the Idle Air Control (BLUE) coolant line flows from out of the IAC into the base of the Throttle body. From there it heats the TB and flows back out of the TB and back into the engine block (YELLOW). (But its not real important which direction the coolant flows)
2) Remove the throttle body cable cover
3-4) This is the most important part.
Remove the 3 hoses from the bottom of the throttle body:
Coolant is going to come out, but not a lot. Its going to seem like a lot if you have never messed with the cooling system before, but don't worry you won't loose much. Just try to catch most of it in a bucket (to save cleanup time). If necessary check the coolant levels (once finished after you start the car to check for leaks) in the overflow tank and add any necessary coolant.
When removing the hoses, loosen the hose clips with the needle nose pliers. After you loosen the hose clamps, twist the hoses on the plugs with the pliers to un-stick the hoses, then simply remove the hoses.
Connect the IAC coolant line to the lowest plug on the throttle body (the one in the picture with the coolant coming out of it)
Simply connect the remaining two plugs together with a small piece of tube.
*If you buy new hoses, they may be hard to get onto the plugs, Just work with the hoses a little until they go on.
5) Put the throttle body cable cover back on
6) Put the intake back in the car.
7) Start up the car and check for leaks.