OK - I am posting this to warn those who port their throttle bodies - particulary the step where the IAT/AIR holes are epoxied and re-drilled to allow more flow going into the intake

I've done that a year ago....all worked like a charm.
3 days ago, I've decided to remove the air-box/filter/Maf assembly for some routine clean-up

Anyways, I'm looking at the throttle body, only to notice that the whole epoxy piece is GONE ! It got sucked into the manifold....HOLY F### !!!
I lurked in there, but I couldn't see it... it most likely went past the intake manifold

Note, that if that piece (1 inch x 1.5 inch x 2 inches) got into my combustion chamber, I'd be looking at a new engine at this point - a terrible prospect !

So I removed the intake manifold, and lurked into the head's intake ports.
Well, there it was - passanger side, last cylinder's intake port.
I took long pliers and removed it....the whole piece....I'm so lucky it didn't crumble into smaller pieces, otherwise, they'd pass through the valves, straight into the combustion chamber. My piston would be dead for sure. !

PLEASE, DON'T EPOXY THE THROTTLE BODIES....POSSIBLE DRAMATIC CONSEQUENCES ARE NOT WORTH THE EXTRA 1-2 RWHP. JUST PORT IT AROUND, BUT DON'T FILL IN THE HOLES WITH EPOXY.

Now, for some pictures !

INTAKE REMOVED





NORMAL INTAKE PORT



CLOGGED WITH EPOXY INTAKE PORT



REMOVED EPOXY PIECE, AND HOW IT WAS BEFORE IT FELL OFF THE THROTTLE BODY






Thanks for reading.

 

I did nt epoxy mine but you need to rough up the surface you are applying the epoxy to so it will have something to stick to.

I agree about the porting around it. I dont think it makes more power with epoxy, just looks better.

Your engine should have been running like *** with that port being blocked like that.

 

I was shocked - the car felt no different with that piece wedged in...
I can't understand that... I guess even if I was losing 30-50 rwhp, it'd be hard to tell a difference on a 390 rwhp engine...

 

I'm about to be running 42# SVO's cam only too.

You need to go buy some damn lottery tickets my friend.

 

The main reason it came out is because it wasn't applied properly. I do see your concern and it's pretty much been proven you don't need to epoxy it. There has been tons of people that have had thiers epoxied for years. Mine been epoxied for over 4 years and looks the same as the day I did it. It even looks like where you put the epoxy was polished up. Thats a big no no when it comes to almost all expoies. Especially the kind used for the tb.

Glad there was no damage, you got very lucky! Just chalk it up as a valuable lesson learned.

 

wow, you're lucky you got that out! that classifies as a good day in my book! any day you don't need a new engine is a good day in my book

 

Good eye! Thats cool it did not fall in. Thats the reason why I didnt epoxy mine, I really didnt feel comfortable even though I never heard of that happening before.

 

Wow you are a luckey SO B
Did you use an epoxy that was a roll? or 2 part mix type in tubes?
That looks like the roll type wich does not bond very well in the first place.
and it should work fine if the surface was prepped properly and used the 2 part stuff in tubes the longer the cure time the better.

Anyways. Glad your engine lived

 

Thanks Guys !

I used the 2 part epoxy, but regardless of surface preparation it's risky business..
I cleaned my surface with alcohol, but I DID not polish the surface. It was stock before I applied the epoxy...

I already purchased a lotto ticket....maybe my lucky day afterall

 

just ported my 3rd tb tonight and ive never epoxied...its a tb, whos gonna see it?, its about it working good

 

there's one of the many reasons to never epoxy the tb... sorry it happened man but it's a good thing no MAJOR damage happened

 

I have ported........... I dont know how many Ive ported come to think of it but I have never filled one(that I sold- I welded one up and used it for testing and seen it did squat on the dyno over nonfilled).

 

Quick Follow-up:

Car fired up with no problems, it sounded healthy too. They only bad thing is that the idle shoots up to 1700 rpms. With epoxied and re-drilled to smaller sized IAT/AIR holes, I had my RAF table values set higher (2-3 times higher) to ease the idle. However, now with epoxy gone there's a lot more air going through the holes, so idle is waaaay too high. I guess I need to lower the values a bit....

I consider myself a lucky guy You live, you learn I guess....

 

holy crap! You are one lucky dude. That thing would have busted all kinds of crap had it gotten into the combustion chamber.

Never been a fan of epoxied t-bodies, never worth any gains shown on the dyno or track.