So, now that my 1.8L is running happy again, I’m able to notice small issues. Today I noticed that my throttle body appears to have some wear inside it. Idle was a little high and when I pushed on the linkage arm, it returned to normal.

So, I think a full rebuild is in order. And if it happens to come out a little larger, we that wouldn’t bother me a bit.

Who would you recommend to make my throttle better than new?

Phil rebuilt mine and many other members here.
pbeslins@msn.com

+1 killer job, super happy!!

Any other info? User name, website, etc?
I saw you recommended him on a thread last Nov but I didn’t see anything from him.

Another happy customer of Phil

There is an old thread in the member vendor for him
And he is active on samba also

And another happy customer of Phil. They look better than new. He blasts everything, plates everything, I believe makes a new throttle plate, slightly bores the TB and makes a stop so that the throttle plate closes against the stop instead of using the inside of the bore as the throttle plate stop.

I think that the Msn email is the best way to get in touch with him. His username here is Whip618. The following link shows many pictures of his work.

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...=344988&hl=

Also, check the gasket at the TB !

I also do Throttle body repairs. PM me if interested

Mark are you able to do replating now? I saw last year that you didn't have the equipment for that yet.

At this time I am not repalting parts. It is cosmetic. My price reflects a savings on the rebuild. I do plan later this summer to offer all parts replated. Really it is only a couple of parts. The actuator arm and the spring. I replace the washer and nut with new parts

914 World,
Phil is out of the Throttle Body game. I finally got a response from him today, see below:

"Good morning Van,



Thank you very much for your interest in my re-machined throttle bodies however as of February of this year I am no longer providing this service and I apologize for the late reply. A word of advice, some of the people offering rebuilding services are just re-bushing the worn areas where the throttle shaft passes through the main housing, this will not cure the problem, try and find a rebuilder that will install bearings and seals and provide a positive vertical locking feature for the throttle shaft. Good luck in your search for a quality rebuilder.



Regards

Phil"

Damn....that's too bad. He's a true craftsman whose work looked as good as it functioned. I hope he's retiring and enjoying time with his friends and family.

bummer.

---

replace with a vanagon throttle body?
makes them go a bit better says @clayperrine .
might be able to get hold of one of those without the throttle plate groove wear problem?

I’m sure there aren’t any NOS of those either.

Bottom line, we need someone who can do a full service TB rebuild in the community. I just don’t understand why I can’t find anyone.

I cannot help but feel this comment was directed at me. I don't criticize others work and it would be unfair fore someone that does not know me, my business or has seen my work to criticize my efforts.

914 is a hobby for me and not a business. I do have a full service machine shop including lathes, manual milling machines CNC milling machines etc. Id make parts and repairs on many aspects for the 914. I had a really bad throttle body so I naturally repaired it. I went to the effort of making fixtures to do this in a precise and repeatable manner. I rebuilt several for friends and I decided to make this available to others here. I have rebuilt quite a few without complaints.

I do a basic cleaning and I precisely bore out the TB throttle shaft. I install bronze bushings and ream them for smooth operation. I replace any seals. The actuator arm and the spring are cleaned. I do not plate them simply because of the volume of these that I do. I do replace the nut and washer so in the end, it is a nice looking part. Occasionally I have needed to bore out the large diameter as it can happen that a groove gets worn into the surface. I also can make the throttle plate. As a machinist, this is easy for me to do. I should note here that the plate is not a round disk. It is a special operation needed to properly create one.
I plan on offering the service with plated parts and larger openings for those wanting a larger bore.

Hello Mark,

What's the typical turnaround time to rebuild one of these units?

Thanks,
Chris

Yeah Mark, I can’t really say who he was talking about as there isn’t really anyone I can find that does this service professionally. I also don’t know what he means by adding a positive vertical locking feature for the shaft?

I understand your reluctance to invest in cad plating equipment given your “hobby” status. I’ve come close to buying a 5 gal bucket type setup myself, but I just don’t have enough use for it since I replace all the old bolts I take off.

What do you think about stepping up to be the full service guy?

Van

Hi Chris

That depends on my regular work schedule. Currently I am open. I can turn around in a couple of days

Hi Van

I have a plating kit I planned on setting up. Maybe this summer.

Try to shake it off as I am sure that, in addition to myself, there are many here who are SUPER appreciative that you even do this for the community. Thank you.

Mark ( @Bartlett 914 ) is a talented machinist who has helped me out many times!
He has made many parts from scratch for my projects...and he is a great friend!

Mark there is clearly a need for such a service but as specialized as it is, you can assume it'll never be high volume.
Ill say that from my perspective Ive seen a number of cars with difficult tuning issues that can benefit from this service.
I was one of Phils customers & transacted a few TB's for customers. In every case the tuning issue we chased was solved or its application pinpointed another failure to help correct that cars problem.
I initially had a heartburn with the cost of his service but after seeing the end product & result, not so much.
There is always a lot of debate about the OE FI being old an problematic, but if you step back & look at the issues you notice that electronics typically operate or fail, but its the mechanical parts that *wear* & only gradually degrade to failure which is easy to overlook when you are seeking an expedient solution to tuning problems.

I think this service would be highly valued depending on price point & If you are accepting jobs I have a couple I can send your way.

Hey Mark,

I setup a plating line and my only thought to pass on is keep the muratic acid stuff outside or in a well ventilated area. I minimized the open container for plating and it rusted anything that was bare metal in my shop.

It's pretty rewarding when you see the finished product, but it does take some tinkering to get it right.

Chris

Perfectly stated!

Once I got my 1.8 running close to spec, it became very clear that some of my remaining issued are traced to the TB.

Holy cow, how did it get to be August already. Sent PM on getting this over, and just as before I am super appreciative that we have a community member willing to take on this work.

This is the latest thread I can find on throttle body rebuild.

Is there anyone out there still offering this service?

I have a '73 2.0 D-Jet TB I'd like rebuilt.

Here is a contact I used back in May 2022 to rebuild my TB.
Excellent workmanship, price & turnaround service.
I don't know if Mark Kinnaman is stiill on 914-world? "Bartlett 914"
Mark has a shop in the Chicago area, but I don't have a phone #.
His shop name
Electronic Gravure Service Inc.
632 Scheider Drive
South Elgin, IL 60177
* Try to look up the # & hopefully he is still active.

Thanks for the information. Alternatively I'm currently using a '74 rebuilt throttle body. Are there any procedures to adding a vacuum advance port (above the throttle plate) to the '74 version?

Mark (Bartlett) was on the board here 4 days ago. PM him.

Yep; he did mine this past winter.