Nobody likes smoke coming out of their vehicle, right? Smoke can be released from a vehicle due to numerous reasons. It can make your driving experience quite bad.
If smoke comes out of the car, you might wonder if a bad throttle body can cause smoke. You might also want to know why your throttle body is smoking. Let’s find the answers to all your queries regarding smoke caused by the throttle body.
Can a bad throttle body cause smoke?
A bad throttle body can cause smoke. If the throttle body becomes defective, the air-to-fuel ratio in the engine will be inadequate, causing black smoke. Due to a bad throttle body, unburnt fuel can get released through the throttle, which will form white smoke.
A throttle body basically controls how much air goes inside the engine. It is a flat valve that rotates when the engine requires air to maintain the proper air-to-fuel ratio.
If the throttle body becomes defective, the whole air-to-fuel ratio in the engine will become non-uniform. The air level in the engine can become high or low due to a bad throttle body.
The improper level of air inside the engine will cause black smoke to form and be released through the exhaust system.
When the throttle body gets faulty, the engine won’t function properly. As a result, a defective throttle body will also form white smoke and blue smoke.
Let’s take a look in detail if a bad throttle body can cause white smoke, black smoke, and blue smoke.
White smoke:
When the throttle body becomes defective, the engine will start to malfunction. The fuel will not ignite in the proper way when it occurs. As a result, the unburnt fuel will get into the throttle body, which will cause white smoke to form and release.
Black smoke:
The throttle body basically controls the airflow to the engine. If it becomes defective, the air inside the engine will not be of the required level. As a result, the improper air level in the engine will cause black smoke.
Blue smoke:
The faulty throttle body will cause engine misfiring, which will cause the engine oil to get into the combustion chamber. When the oil enters the combustion chamber, it will burn along with the fuel, causing blue smoke.
Can a dirty throttle body cause smoking?
A dirty throttle body can cause smoke. However, the vehicle will not emit too much smoke due to a dirty throttle body, and the amount of smoke will be moderate.
A dirty throttle body basically prevents air from getting inside the engine.
If the engine doesn’t get enough air, the perfect air-to-fuel ratio won’t be maintained. As a result, the engine will start to smoke which will be emitted through the exhaust tailpipe.
A dirty throttle body will also reduce the airflow to the engine. As a result, the oxygen level in the engine will reduce.
The lower the oxygen level in the engine, the harder a vehicle’s engine has to work. So, due to a dirty throttle body, the engine will work very hard, which will overheat the engine.
As a result, white smoke will come out from the engine until the temperature is reduced.
Why is my throttle body smoking?
A throttle body can smoke due to numerous reasons. It is very important to know why your car’s throttle body is smoking so that you can address the issue as soon as possible.
If you don’t know the reasons, you might not know what to fix if the throttle body smokes. It can result in permanent damage to the car. So, let’s find out why your throttle body is smoking.
Unburnt fuel entering the throttle body:
If the throttle body of a car becomes defective, the air level in the engine will reduce. As a result, the engine can malfunction. If the engine malfunctions, it won’t be able to ignite the fuel properly. As a result there will remain unburnt fuel in the car.
If the unburnt fuel in the car enters the throttle body, it will start to smoke. The smoke caused due to this reason is mostly white smoke.
Low air to fuel ratio:
The throttle body controls how much fuel will get into the engine. If it becomes defective, the air to fuel ratio in the engine will reduce, which will cause black smoke to form.
The formed black smoke will be eventually released through the throttle body.
If the air to fuel ratio is low inside the engine, it will impose pressure on the throttle body to pass more air. As a result, it can overheat and also release smoke.
Engine oil enters the combustion chamber:
Due to a faulty throttle body, the engine will malfunction. The malfunctioning engine can let the engine oil enter the combustion chamber. If it happens, blue smoke will be formed and released through the throttle body.
What are the signs of a bad throttle body?
Understanding the signs of a bad throttle body is very important to fix the issue immediately and effectively. There are numerous signs of a bad throttle body. Let’s find out the signs of a bad throttle body.
Lack of power:
When the throttle body is defective, the amount of air inside the engine will either be too high or too low. As a result, the engine will malfunction and it won’t be able to produce enough power for the car to accelerate properly.
Engine misfiring:
Due to a bad throttle body, the air-to-fuel ratio inside the engine will be either too high or too low. As a result, the fuel ignition won’t occur properly, which will cause the engine to misfire.
The engine misfire can occur even in the middle of a drive, which can be quite dangerous.
Bad fuel mileage:
The fuel mileage of a vehicle will be reduced severely if the throttle body becomes faulty. This is because the engine won’t have enough air to burn the fuel properly.
As a result, a good amount of unburnt fuel will be drained out of the car, causing a bad fuel economy.
The check engine light will illuminate:
A bad throttle body will cause the engine to malfunction. It can even cause the engine to misfire. As a result, the check engine light will illuminate due to the bad throttle body.
How to fix a bad throttle body causing smoke?
There are not many ways you can fix a bad throttle body that causes smoke. You can either replace it or clean it to fix the issue.
If dirt and dust accumulate on the throttle body, it will get fixed by only cleaning it. Otherwise, you will have to replace the bad throttle body with a new one.
Have a look at how you can fix a bad throttle body causing smoke:
Clean the throttle body:
Dust and dirt can accumulate on the throttle body as it passes through it into the engine.
If dirt gets clogged in the throttle body, the airflow into the engine will get reduced which can cause smoke. As a result, by cleaning the throttle body you can fix the issue.
To clean the throttle body, you can use a soft brush or a microfiber cloth. After cleaning the throttle body physically, you should apply high pressure air to it to remove all the dust from its body.
Replace the throttle body:
Replacing the throttle body if it smokes is one of the most effective methods of fixing one that causes smoke. You can easily replace the throttle body by getting a unit of the same model as the previous one.
You should take help from a professional to replace the throttle body to do it without any issues.
Final Thoughts
A defective throttle body can most definitely cause smoke. The bad throttle body will stop air from getting into the engine, which will hamper the engine’s mechanism. As a result, smoke will be formed and released through the throttle body. The formed smoke can be black, white, and even blue.
I am an automotive enthusiast and have been interested in cars since I was a little kid. I have worked in the automotive industry for many years and have extensive knowledge of vehicles and their engines. I am a father of two and I love spending time with my family.
Read more about the author here.
