So, I took my TB off when I did the TPS mod. I am pretty sure the O ring style gasket is fucked and this where it is where a coolant leak I have is coming from. What is the **** for?

The coolant passage/lines around the throttle body.

Is it just to keep the throttle plate from freezing open/closed?

 

It's to prevent condensation from freezing to the walls of the throttle body.
I could be a little off on the dynamics but basically:
Air accelerating through the throttle can have moisture forced out of it (as it changes direction and/or speeds up through the opening) if it's cold enough the moisture condenses and freezes, after a while build up can occur (pretty quick if it's humid and cool)

I don't think that its very likely to freeze your throttle open or closed but eventually narrowing the intake to the point you lose power.

 

what o-ring? there's no o-ring on the TB. There's a rubber "o-ring" type gasket for the idle valve, but not for the coolant passages.

 

Actually, it's part of the idle speed controls for the engine. See the following link.

If you have a 1

 

Yes, it is the funny little rubber gasket between the throttle body and the idle stuff. Def. coolant in the passages when I took it off. I'm wondering if I fucked it up putting it back on? And coolant is getting into my IC piping...I can't exactly tell where it is leaking form, but it is ending up 1) On my alternator, and smoking at the front of the engine, I can't narrow where the smoke is coming from.

Thanks guys.

 

coolant can mix with the intake if that gasket is bad.

 

Thank you.

That is exactly what I was looking for.

What are the odd of coolant going BACK down the IC piping at idle and pooling/burning? That would cause the weird "unable to find the exact leak" but there is steam/smoke everywhere phenomenon would it not?

 

chances are really slim...if you ever looked at a TB and where the idle passages go behind the butterfly valve you'd understand.

 

good point. they are behind the plate :\

I just need some warm weather so I can go pull it apart and see what I can find. This is frustrating. I got it running better, throttle response is MUCH better than it was...and I it starts to do this. Heh.

She is pissed that I bought an E30 I think.

 

It was def that seal, it got a little cut when I put it back together because it is not seating right. A little RTV and some time later...fixed.


It smoked for a while, but I decided to see what happened and I think was from coolant going INTO the IC piping while working on it, then just burning off