2005 Ford Freestyle Ford Freestyle clogged Throttle body

Tiny
RAGTOPMANN
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 FORD FREESTYLE
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 84,000 MILES
Just wanted to share some information for those who are having the symptoms of a clogged throttle body. My freestyle was surging forward and in reverse due to the throttle body problems everyone is having. It would even stall out. The dealership wanted to charge me nearly $800 to replace the Throttle Body. Luckily they were on back order which forced me to find a temporary solution for the time being. I went to Autozone and asked for their help. They couldn't really provide me with much guidance other than to try cleaning it out with some Throttle Body Cleaner. A customer behind me was listening in and he happened to be a retired mechanic for a Nascar team. I took the retired mechanics advice and sure glad I did. First, he referred me to "Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant with Fuel Injector Cleaners". It goes in the gas tank. He said to put it in the gas tank then drive on the highway for atleast an hour. Steady 60+ mph if possible. My car was in limp mode so it was tough getting it to go much past 65. Anyway, drive about an hour then shut it off for about 20 minutes. Should take care of the issue. I tried it and was surprised that it did the trick. He also said to stop putting cheap corner store gas in the car. This includes Walmart, HEB, and Kroger gas stations. There are no cleaners or additives in that gas and all it does is cause computer errors on sensitive throttle body's. Well, its been over 20K miles now and I put that Lucas additive in my tank maybe once every 2 months. I've never had a problem since. Occasionally the car will try to surge forward every now and then but the engine light hasn't come on forcing the limp mode. Still getting over 28+ mpg.
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 AT 4:53 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
MHPAUTOS
  • MECHANIC
  • 31,937 POSTS
Hi there,

That just proves the importance of a clean fuel system, the only thing that I would add is to change the fuel filter on a regular basis as well.

Mark (mhpautos)
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Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 AT 6:50 PM

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