Just for the heck of it I asked my Chevrolet Service department Tech how much they charge to clean the throttle body on my 2.4L HHR and do the remove it to clean.

Their answer was $69.95 and they do it on the car.

They never mentioned the MAF sensor.

Hmm.... Your thoughts.


Silverfox

 

It’s an easy job, remove the air box, remove four bolts on throttle body, lift it off gently, spray throttle body cleaner, sparingly, let dry, reassemble.
Now remember disconnect the battery negative cable first . And don’t touch the throttle body butterfly plate!!
For the cost of the cleaner, which should last a few cleanings, you’re gonna save enough to go out to dinner, or put gas in the tank

 

That is less than I've heard before, but still a rip off. That is one expensive shop towel!

 

I gently use a Qtip. But do not open the throttle plate(butterfly)

 

One concern for me is can you just spray the intake/front side and have a quality result or is there a noticeable difference in removing and spraying both sides.

Also I wondered if the 69.95 job was really a recommended/approved Chevrolet procedure or just a quick fix by the dealer at a $110 per hour shop rate.

Silverfox

 

From the Service Manual:

2.2L/2.4L



2.0L

 

I would say, since this isnt a labor intensive job, To go ahead and do it yourself. Grab a can of Throttle body cleaner and spray it in there. The main thing is that you want the outer edges of the plate as clean as possible, not so much the flat surfaces. Once clean, you will notice that there are small crevasses between the plate and the throttle body. Improved idle comes from cleaning those spaces. You may end up spraying a bit too much, in which case you can either deal with the rough first start, wait for a few hours before starting, or put the vehicle into clear flood mode if you are worried. I wouldnt give the dealership that much, but if you go elsewhere or to an independent shop be sure to go to a reputable one, as not alot of the independent mechanics know how sensitive the electronic throttle bodies can be if you move them or are forceful.

 

I guess both of the above answers make the case the Dealer is short cutting the correct procedure.
It also indicates the best way to do it yourself is to remove the throttle body just as Blue has stated and spray away on both sides until you feel it is acceptable and then let it sit and dry out a bit before reinstalling. That way the start up should not be a problem.
In my case the car idles perfect and as earlier stated it only has 28,000 miles on it so it may not be as dirty as many.
My only issue would still be the varying throttle hesitation/pause at different speeds.
I have pretty much completed the intensified use of additives I use for the injectors now and have switched to Mobil One 5/30 as well which I can now sense a slight difference/improvement in overall run quality.

Silverfox

 

Only 2.0L says to remove it.

I doubt that is your problem, more likely trans shifting.

 

Those little plastic gears are fragile, think about it! Pressure on the throttle plate applies torque to the butterfly shaft, resulting in the computer thinking, hey, the plate moved, now I got to reposition it. Causes uneven idle , that nasty fluctuations of high idle and hard starting.
If you simply spray and let dry, the computer doesn’t get any signal there’s been any movement.
I clean mine every spring, why ?, because of fuel additives and gunk left from winter driving.
Don, if you don’t remove the TB to spray both sides of the butterfly, you’ll have residue on the inside of it, unless you move it. Risking damage to those gears