1994 850/na wagon Throttle Body leaking oil into TPS

[Jwestlind]

Hey everyone! Long story short, I had to replace my throttle position sensor this weekend, no big deal. But when I pulled the old sensor off, i noticed that it was full of oil. In fact, the oil was flowing through the sensor and out into the plug wire. I'm fairly confident this is the source of my recently noticed small leak onto the driveway. I'm taking it as a sign that i need to hurry up and get around to replacing the PCV system. I have a few questions for the community:

1. If i replace the PCV, is there a likelihood that the leak will stop?
2. Is this kind of thing likely to damage the new TPS?
3. Any tips, or anything I should be aware of before I go tearing apart the throttle body?

and finally: 4. Is anything terribly likely to happen if I continue to operate the vehicle whilst collecting the parts for the job?

Thanks everyone, you are always so helpful. I'm a newcomer here, and I am very grateful to have access to such a large and helpful community.

-Jwestlind-

[Ozark Lee]

If you have that much oil then it is almost certain that the PCV is clogged up. It is not uncommon for the throttle body to have a light film of oil, even with a correctly functioning PCV but it should never puddle. If it messed up one TPS then sure, it can mess up another one.

I would be hesitant to disassemble the throttle body completely. I tore apart a Porsche throttle body and I had trouble with it hanging up thereafter and wound up replacing it. You should be able to clean it just fine by simply removing it but be sure that you have a new gasket on hand.

I doubt that it will get messed up with a couple of weeks of normal operation but if it was getting that oily then a couple of months may be a bad thing.

...Lee

[Jwestlind]

Thanks lee.

What I'm taking away from this is that once the PCV system is serviced, this will likely not be an issue, but that I should do said service soon, and while I have the intake all ripped apart, I should take that opportunity to clean the throttle body and replace the gasket.

[erikv11]

I tihnk you are on track.

Just one comment about the TPS: I once ruined one, by getting carb cleaner inside when cleaning the throttle body. So if you are trying to get that oil out then only use "electronics cleaner" or similar products.