cleaning the throttle valve...
 

hi,

so i noticed on my civic that the thing (don't know the correct terminology) that the throttle cable connects to is rather dirty and grimmy. I think the thing it connects too is the throttle valve. the throttle cable pulls on it i think and the engine revs. My question is "is it normal for that thing to be all dirty, and grimmy? or should i clean it?". I was thinking of just whipping it with a rag to remove some of the gunk and grime.

could this be responsible for sluggish acceleration by the way?

thanks.

From my experience with other cars, no, that bit being dirty/grimy should not affect actual acceleration, but it can and will make a difference in the feel of the pedal, and if grimy enough to seize that part, could even potentially cause a break in the throttle cable.

In short, go ahead and clean it, it won't hurt anything, but there is likely something else going on if the car isn't accelerating how it should be.

thank you for the advice. when taking off the throttle body are there any precautions to take? or is it as simple as removing bolts and putting them back on? will there be any liquids that could spill out in the throttle body? i heard there is coolant in the idle air control.