Unless it can even remotely be classified as a safety issue then manufacturers will never admit faulty equipment if it means a big repair bill like replacing throttle bodies would. Although there have been several times in the last couple of years where I've hit the throttle hard trying to merge into traffic and gotten that wave of panic when there is that delay in finding the right gear that lasts a second or so but feels alot longer and you feel like the car is gonna cut out on you and you're gonna get T-boned. That feeling is pretty unsafe to me.

 

I would imagine so and I would do it whether its stick or automatic. Just more noticeable with a slushbox that has its inherent disadvantages to begin with. My car at idle is much smoother now as well so if I were you I would get them cleaned. There's no downside to doing this especially if you can do it yourself.

 

It's certainly useful info that's good to know. At the moment, I'm under 18000 miles, and am experiencing no adverse issues with the idle or the throttle, so... I've taken note about this, however, and will probably have it done as a preventative thing when I hit 30k.

Good job, Dan.

 

For those who did this themselves, did you have any problems or issues? I'm alittle paranoid when it comes to computer issues on cars. Want to DIY, but may have my mechanic clean the throttle bodies. Looks so easy, though...

 

My brother and I did it on my 09. The key to doing anything is to first find a good diy that is very detailed and then second to take your time doing it. I literally about **** my pants when I started the car back up after cleaning the TB, when the RPMs shot up, but it's normal. Just take your time doing it. Mistakes are made when you rush things.

 

There is a good DIY on the forum though naturally I just lost the link. I've read it three times this weekend and am probably going to do this in the next couple weeks along with a Seafoam treatment.

 

More reasons to do this ASAP. My gas mileage has improved noticeably.

There's a right turn close to my house I take on my way to work that is on an incline. This is my tranny litmus test because before there would always be a noticeable hesitation to a point where i would just lay off the gas and coast for a few seconds before the turn to allow the tranny to hunt for the right gear to go up the incline.

I've done this turn numerous times since the cleaning (actually have turned around and repeated the turn several times yesterday just for ****s and giggles) and every single time it downshifts almost instantly and smoothly in normal driving conditions like a good tranny should.

The weird thing is this car always failed this test, either hesitating or going to the wrong gear up the incline, from day 1 of owning the car and of course Infiniti attributed this to the adaptive tranny working itself out with the break in period which is a bunch of malarkey (always liked that word). This only tells me the TB were somewhat dirty coming from the factory because I have always had disappointing mileage from day 1 as well.

 

Norcal, I'm at 85k miles and some change. Technically the fluid is good for the life of the transmission, and never needs to be changed, but it's really open to interpretation as to what exactly constitutes "lifetime" of the transmission. You should probably be ok at 35k miles for a while.

We all know that automotive fluids breakdown over time.. Oil, coolant, brake fluid, and transmission fluid. There's no dipstick or fill (to my knowledge) on the 7AT. I finally asked the dealer if they could do it and they said yes. Basically they disconnect the lines from the transmission oil cooler and the line coming from the trans gets drained and the return line is filled with new fluid until all of the old fluid is evacuated.

 

For those of you that are doing a seafoam treatment with the TB cleaning, a good way to get it into the engine is through disconnecting the brake vacuum hose that goes into the back side of the intake plenum. I did an Amsoil power foam treatment at about ≈ 35-40k miles. It does take a little bit for the engine to clear it and not sound like it's missing but it will clear itself.

 

Even better if you can find a smaller vacuum lead and a long hose bought just for this intent. That way you can sit in the driver's seat and feather the throttle while sucking on the Seafoam, and you can do it yourself, without a second pair of hands.

I used the little VIAS vacuum lead on the VQ35 in my old car. Worked like a charm. Although I have no idea where to go with this approach on the VQ37.

 

I'm at 65k miles, have no issues with idle or throttle.

 

No problems or issues if you follow the DIY on this board. It is easy and straightforward.
Only thing I got was a bit of a sore back, you have to constantly lean forward.

 

do NOT move the butterfly, and make sure you disconnect your battery. Do NOT disconnect the electrical connection.


FWIW, when I first started experiencing this problem, I took it to the dealer. They totally disavowed the problem (cannot replicate, blahblah) even though it was present, and I was willing to pay for a throttle body cleaning, even though I'm under warranty.


"the electronic throttle bodies cannot be cleaned, you'll ruin them."


My problem is severe enough that when mine get dirty, the car almost stalls out upon startup.


I can almost guarantee that if I bring my car back to the dealership for this, the next time it happens, they'll blame my stillen intake for the problem.


Clean the bodies, however...and the car goes right back to normal.


I suspect - but can't confirm - that my car's tendency to foul the throttle bodies extremely quickly has to do with my short (2 mile) daily commute, and the recirc system venting more heavily into the intake during "cold" mode.


Regardless, short answer is that this is a legitimate problem that Infiniti will not - and likely never will, at this point - acknowledge, with an easy DIY fix that the dealers disavow.


Be careful, don't push hard on the butterfly, and use q-tips soaked in throttle body cleaner. instant car improvement.


I've taken to doing the procedure about once a year.

*edit: this has led me, multiple times, to contemplate a breather filter for the crankcase to see if it alleviates the problem. Apparently - disregarding the environmental responsibility of venting to atmosphere - there's no consensus as to whether or not the car will run properly done this way.

 

Our cars must have been separated at birth because that was pretty much my car's symptoms and that was my dealer experience. Although my driving is a 30\70 mix of Hwy\City driving. And weekly my car would not start unless I immediately press the gas to keep the revs up so it didn't cut out. After that it was fine starting for another week. I started to have the fear I was gonna get stranded somewhere and thought enough is enough.

And when I suggested a TB cleaning, they looked at me the same way and were willing to try anything else except the cleaning which I found bizarre because changing sensors cost them more to do than a simple cleaning especially when it's not under warranty, although it should be for this problem. Maybe the dealers don't like being told what to do a la backseat driver. But in the end when they couldn't eliminate the rough idling and occasional start up problems, I said humor me and just clean the TB. And it's been bliss ever since with the added bonus of feeling like I have a new transmission although I haven't called the dealer back to rub it in.

 

I didn't have any issues on mine when I did them at around 40k miles. As long as you don't disconnect any of the wires, you shouldn't have to do the idle air relearn. I need to do them again in addition to spark plugs.