How To Clean Your IAC

Cleaning your IAC (Idle Air Controller) does not take long, and makes sense. A dirty IAC will cause performance problems such as surging idle, etc. IAC's take an hour at the most to clean.

The materials you will need to clean your IAC are: Brake cleaner, WD40, 10 mm and 5/16" sockets/drivers or wrenches. I also had to use some Q-tips, but you may not have to.

I started by removing the negative lead to the battery (5/16"). You may not have or want to, but I did, just in case.

Then, remove the cover covering the throttle body. It's held in by three 10 mmscrews (red arrows). This will then expose your throttle body, IAC, etc.

The IAC is held in by 2 5/16 bolts, one on either side. There is also a wiring harness attached to the IAC. This will come off by squeezing the little clip on the side or top.[pic 3]

**A word of caution: the "gasket" between the IAC and throttle body was very brittle. I managed to break the corners off, but they only surrounded the bolts. Be VERY careful!**

This is what it should look like once the IAC is removed:

This is the underside of the IAC:

You will want to spray brake cleaner in the 2 holes, of course following the instructions. **Don't get this stuff on your face. It feels like you're going to melt.** I had to help it out a little and work some of the dirt out with Q-tips (mine was really nasty), but you may not have to. If you do, be sure to clean all the lint and fibers out before re-installing.

Once clean, you should be able to see the colors of the different parts. If it still looks dirty, it is. If it's clean and dry, squirt it a couple of times with the WD40. This will help keep it in good shape. Carefully replace your gasket, bolt it back in, cover it back up, hook up your battery, and be done.

Article contributed by Kyle Mulligan.