Any big difference between for example gum out carb cleaner and throttle body cleaner? Ran out of carb cleaner which works great for cleaning the TB and bought a new can of "TB cleaner". Wonder if the same or different.
Carb cleaner or throttle body cleaner?
- Thread starter dla442
- Start date
You can look at the side of the cans for the formulations, but I'd guess that the vast majority of new engines have throttle bodies, so Gumout is just marketing what the customers are looking for.
The new buzzphrase is "sensor safe" cleaner, which is supposedly safer to hit the IAT and MAF sensors with. Since you have to remove the TB on our engines to get at the back, it's sort of moot. Only a lazy person who failed to read the Article would just spray the junk in their inlet and *hope* it will get the throttle body clean on the back where the tar is.
The new buzzphrase is "sensor safe" cleaner, which is supposedly safer to hit the IAT and MAF sensors with. Since you have to remove the TB on our engines to get at the back, it's sort of moot. Only a lazy person who failed to read the Article would just spray the junk in their inlet and *hope* it will get the throttle body clean on the back where the tar is.
RayVoy
Member
- Nov 20, 2011
- 939
Ok, let me see if I have this..........you have a dirty throttle body and you want to clean it. You have always used carb cleaner and now it is empty. You bought throttle body cleaner and you are asking if it will clean the throttle body 
I know, your asking if there is any difference in the two products; I suspect there is, but you will need to read the cans to see the different chems used in the products. I suspect the one labeled tb cleaner will do a better job.
The can I have contains acetone, I think most carb cleaners contain a petroleum distillate. All I have ever used to clean a carb has just been varsol.
Bill............stop reading threads and go back to work........ haha
I know, your asking if there is any difference in the two products; I suspect there is, but you will need to read the cans to see the different chems used in the products. I suspect the one labeled tb cleaner will do a better job.
The can I have contains acetone, I think most carb cleaners contain a petroleum distillate. All I have ever used to clean a carb has just been varsol.
Bill............stop reading threads and go back to work........ haha
yup just conversation. you see all these sprays and cleaners, tb, carb, maf sensor etc and really wonder if they are all similar in makeup with slight variations just to market another product. seen how my can of carb cleaner has now emptied after many years, I will now be using the TB cleaner and will eventually see if it really cleans any better? Seen I have to clean my impala tb soon the test will begin. The other day a wifes co-workers had the rep and cel come on, codes revealed either dirty tb or a tps..the tb was really dirty. cleaned and booom, no problems. thanx
Well, used the TB spray cleaner on my impala. It does work better than carb cleaner. Melted the carbon deposits right off and easy to wipe it up.
Texan
Member
- Jan 14, 2014
- 622
Trying to stay on topic, 20 or so years ago I had a neighbor who had a Lawn Boy
2 stroke lawn mower. It would not start and he asked for some help. I pulled the
plug and it had fire. I used my teenage trick of a teaspoon of gas in the cylinder
and it fired up and shut down. Took the carb apart and it was so gummed up
from the gas/oil mix that carb cleaner would not do anything. Discovered that
fingernail polish remover worked great.
2 stroke lawn mower. It would not start and he asked for some help. I pulled the
plug and it had fire. I used my teenage trick of a teaspoon of gas in the cylinder
and it fired up and shut down. Took the carb apart and it was so gummed up
from the gas/oil mix that carb cleaner would not do anything. Discovered that
fingernail polish remover worked great.
