Rerouting the Idle Air Pathway

Copyright 2011 by Gadgetman Technologies, LLC As we are working with engineering that has given little or no concern to true fuel efficiency, sometimes we have to re-engineer some aspects of the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). This is very true with certain throttle assemblies, depending on where the Idle Air Control (IAC) delivers the air. In theory, the IAC system is designed in such a way that, when the throttle is closed, the computer will allow a certain amount of air to enter the engine, bypassing the throttle plate. Once the throttle has been opened, it is (in theory) to be closed off, allowing the operator to be in control of the air. In theory. In fact, it never does close off. This presents some issues in getting the most from a Gadgetman Groove modification. This is because the IAC presents to the system as A) A vacuum leak and B) If it is delivered at the wrong location, it can completely dissipate the waveform created by the modification. To determine whether this is the case with your modification, all you need so is examine the throttle. The IAC always takes air from before the throttle plate and delivers it after the throttle plate. In the example below, we are dealing with the throttle body on a 1995 Plymouth Voyager with a 3.0 L V-6. While this is a particular application, the principles of correcting the Idle Air Delivery are the same. If the Idle Air is delivered into an area that falls into the path of the wave, it must be redirected to another area, and (preferably) greatly reduced in size.

TPS = Throttle Position Sensor IAC Valve = Idle Air Control In this example, you can very clearly see the IAC delivers the air directly into the path of The Gadgetman Groove wave form. This is not just bad, it is DISASTROUS. While this client would have

experienced some increase in power (Remarkable Was the description he used before) there could be no appreciable mileage gains, as the waveform was negatively affected by this design. So, we are going to fix it! What follows is a step-by-step process that can be used on most throttle assemblies to affect as much of a correction as we presently know how. If you come up with a better way. Let me know! Step One: Planning The first thing you have to do is examine the throttle assembly and decide if re-routing the air delivery is appropriate. Read through the presentation and you will quickly see how it can be applied in other ways to the same effect. What we are going to do now is continue, as we can see the path can be corrected with ease in this application. To begin, we need to have the shape as close as possible to the natural shape of the throttle body. So, we make a mold. For this, we use a piece of heavy paper. I use a specially designed tool, and can make them available for only a dollar two ninety-eight each:

Business cards work very well for this. Shiny ones work best, but this will do nicely. First, we are not going to need the whole thing, so we tear off just enough to cover the hole and have some overage on each side.

Use only as much as you need. Too much gets in the way. Next, we put it into the throttle assembly to give us a good form for our epoxy to rest against while it sets up.

Inserting the card between the throttle plate and body itself gives us a nice round shape for the epoxy to rest against. Once we have the form in the right position, it's time to mix the epoxy. I like to use what feels to be less hardener than epoxy, as it seems to expand after squirting from the tube. As a mixer, I just grab one of my bits.

JB Kwik will clean off the bit very easily with Carb Spray, so long as you don't wait too long! Next, we're going to add a little body to the epoxy, so it is a little less fluid and sets more quickly. Just grab some aluminum shavings and sprinkle a few on top of the mixed epoxy.

Remember to mix the epoxy BEFORE you add the shavings! Next, we're going to apply the epoxy to block off the old entry point. We want the throttle to be held in a stable position, with the opening at the top. I use a cheapie vise from Harbor Freight, as I don't do anything real strenuous. Here, you can see the card (ahem) the Form and where the epoxy is going to be applied.

This vise was less than $20 at harbor Freight and does all I need it to do. Next, we apply the epoxy and bend the card up to keep the epoxy from running out the front:

Using a heavy paper enables you to bend it to a slight round. Wait at LEAST 20 minutes. 30 is better, because if you don't wait long enough, when you remove the paper, you will probably pull the pug out of the dam you just created!

Timex-Takes a lickin' and keeps on TICKIN'! Once the epoxy has hardened enough, you can pull the form away. Grip it firmly, and pull from one end to the other, QUICKLY! Some of the card is usually left attached.

In this example, the paper was removed from between the throttle plate and body first. A knife or razor can be used to cut it first. Next, we break out a sanding wheel. I prefer to use the Flap Sander as it is less aggressive and easier to control the depth of the abrasion.

The sanding wheel is only about $4 at almost any hardware store. Once we have it in hand and attached to our Dremel, we begin the sanding process. Please use appropriate protective gear, as once your vision is gone, somebody ELSE will be saving the planet while you listen to it happening!

Use Eye Protection at all times when you're sanding or grinding! Once you have sanded off the majority of the card, you're going to have something that looks like the following:

You don't have to remove all the paper. It is the shape we are most interested in. With the excess sanded down, and the surface sanded flat to match the rest of the mounting surface, you are ready to complete the re-routing procedure. For this, I just use my bits, although there are a variety of standard, off-the-shelf bits that will do the trick. The main thing is to take your time and let the bit do the work.

With the bit, you use the back side and begin cutting the trench. For the IAC to work properly, it in no way needs to be nearly as large. I find that reducing the size of the path to approximately 1/4 in diameter is more than enough. When you're done, the finished alteration should look like this:

The black is Sharpie, added to define the shape for the camera. Once you have completed the re-routing, you can now cut The Gadgetman Groove into the throttle body as normal, and guarantee the greatest possible results from you labors. Now, get to it!!! Ron Hatton Gadgetman