Over time, your car’s throttle body can get a build-up of carbon deposit, which can lead to issues like a rough idle, poor acceleration, and decreased fuel efficiency. From time-to-time, it’s worth cleaning your throttle body to improve the performance of your vehicle. On the 2000-2006 Audi TT, the throttle body is located at the front of the engine bay closer to the passenger side.
The best way to clean your throttle body is to clean it while it is removed from the car. This way, you can adequately clean it from both sides of the throttle body. You might be able to clean it while the throttle body is still on the car with the intake hose removed, but you won’t be able to do as good of a job as if it were removed from the car.
While you’re there, you might as well replace the throttle body gasket as well. Over time, repeated heat cycles can cause that throttle body gasket to harden and potentially cause a vacuum leak. A vacuum leak could lead to metering issues with your vehicle as it struggles to match the fuel to the air coming into the engine.
Parts & Tools Needed
The main parts you’ll need is the throttle body gasket, some cleaning solution, and something to clean with like a microfiber towel and/or scuff pad. For cleaning solution, the safest option is to use a throttle body cleaner, but if you have mass air flow sensor cleaner, that also works (plus you can safely use it on your mass air flow sensor as well). And finally, a microfiber towel or rag cleans decently, but if the carbon on your throttle body is super caked on, you might need a scuff pad for some extra cleaning action.
Throttle body gasket for MK1 Audi TT (Part #028129748): FEL-PRO 61092 / MAHLE G31613
Throttle body cleaner or mass air flow sensor cleaner
Microfiber towel or rags
Removing the Throttle Body
Use a flat head screwdriver and loosen the bolt clamp to the intake hose. Pull the intake hose off of the throttle body. Also loosen the bolt clamp for the smaller hose on the throttle body and remove.
Use a size 6 hex key or allen wrench to remove the (4 qty) hex bolts from the throttle body. You’ll be able to separate the throttle body now. Remove the old throttle body gasket and clean off the surface of the throttle body if any bits of the throttle body gasket are stuck to it.
Cleaning the Throttle Body
Use a mix of throttle body cleaner (or mass air flow sensor cleaner) and a mild scuff pad. I’m using a white scuff pad here, which is pretty safe to use, while still having the ability to clean old cabon deposits away. Remember to clean from both ends of the throttle body. Also, open up the plate so you can clean on the edges of the throttle plate as well.
You can also use a rag or microfiber towel with throttle body cleaner or mass air flow sensor cleaner to clean the surface of the throttle plate.
Installing the Throttle Body Gasket
After cleaning, install a new throttle blody gasket and reinstall the (4 qty) throttle body bolts. Torque to 7 ft-lb (or 10 Nm).
Reassemble everything else back on your vehicle and reconnect/tighten up any hoses removed. Start up your car again and allow it to idle for a while. The vehicle’s idle may be a bit erratic at the beginning while the car makes adjustments due to the increase in air entering the throttle body.
