There may be an intake air leak but I cannot find it. While decelerating there is a faint, odd sound which sounds like air being sucked into a pipe.
Question: how to conquer this prob?
To find an intake leak, start the engine and while it’s idling take something like brake parts cleaner, carb cleaner, MAF cleaner, etc… and spray it where the intake manifold bolts to the head.
If the engine idle speed changes, you’ve found the leak.
Tester
Thank you. I’ve heard of this method but the Venza has a transversely mounted engine and the intake manifold is down, behind, close to firewall. Cannot see manifold or get at it.
That’s the problem.
If you have a lift, you can get at the intake manifold.
Tester
You might be able to drive the car on ramps, get some good lighting going, then get the visual and physical access you need using a extending mirror tool , maybe an extension tube attached to the starter spray can, etc. And there’s always the video inspection tool method. Those gadgets aren’t overly expensive these days. Think of the tools & methods your dentist uses when they work on your teeth. Good lighting, mirrors, properly shaped tools, etc. All those methods can be used with appropriate modifications for working on cars too.
I have spent hours hunting down these kind of problems using the spray approach. A friend of mine has a smoke machine. I watched him find a leak that would have taken a long time to find, if at all, the poke and hope way. Sometimes, it pays to have someone with the right tools do the job. It costs more but the aggravation and time saved is probably worth it…
A propane torch with a piece of tubing may be able to reach. You also won’t be dribbling flammable stuff all over the place. Works only if the torch is not lit.
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