Throttle body cleaner under the valve cover

[asetoftools]

TLDR: is it ok to use throttle body cleaner to clean up the valve cover gasket? should i flush the motor with an oil change or two?

Doing the valve cover gasket, i used throttle body cleaner spray to clean up the old gasket material. I got some inside the engine for sure with overspray and such. After i realized it was not the recommended product, i went out and purchased some brake cleaner and used that instead. I cleaned all the surfaces with brake cleaner that i used throttle body cleaner on, however one link i read said that TB cleaner leaves a residue, so one should do an oil change, run it for a few days an then do another oil change to flush the system of the chemical as much as possible.

Is it necessary? will TB cleaner under the valve cover corrupt my seals or anything like that? The other link was concerned about residue and also it affecting rubber parts. I thought the two solvents were mostly identical and didnt have any brake cleaner to use at the time i was doing the first part of the job. Just wondering an expert opinion or two

For the oil change i would use a cheapo filter and conventional oil and just run it like that for a day or two then change to a good filter and synthetic. I am planning to change the oil one time regardless as it hasnt been done in a while because it all leaked out the valve cover anyways. (well i guess you could say i was CONSTANTLY changing the oil lol, but not the filter)

car sounds and runs great so im not worried about immediate effects, just long term stuff.

Topic

[Kris]

Unless you got a total heap in the engine i wouldn’t worry about it, chances are it was so dilute it’s not a issue

Next time i’d probably just clean it with a old hacksaw or small razor blade to scrap the junk off as brake cleaner and rubber can be iffy together 🙂

[Douglas Haynes]

Unless you got tons in there I agree they should not be an issue. If it makes you feel better you can do an oil change but I don’t think multiples is necessary.

[asetoftools]

Ok thanks. I think yes i was over-reacting, But that’s what happens if you read to many internet posts. Ill change the oil once as planned and skip the dual oil changes.

[Author]

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