The throttle body will come off. If it doesn’t come off with a few hits from a small sledge & a block of wood then go grab a heat gun & heat it up for a few seconds. I guarantee it will break loose after that.

I decided against my better judgement to leave the stupid throttle body heater plate that was just replaced on my new to me 04 D2. I noticed over the weekend it was seeping..... I removed that weak link in the cooling system and I’m not going to look back. I’ve owned plenty of vehicles that DO NOT have a throttle body heater & you hear no reports of them freezing up. The amount of spring tension in itself is enough to keep it from just jamming open! The only way I could ever see it sticking would be from someone seriously neglecting their P38/D2 and the grime made it stick vs cold weather. Our D2’s especially ones with SAI are very warm under the hood to begin with so after a few miles that sucker is easily at 150-200F.

I even took a spare throttle body I had and soaked it with water & slapped it into my deep freezer with the throttle plate held open. When I removed the throttle body it looked more like an ice castle. Once I quickly removed the large metal rod I had holding it open it moved instantly. I then grabbed where the cables attach & I was able to get it to open/close, so it did not stick open even after all that. That was enough proof for me! If my intake is solid ice I have bigger issues IMHO. So on all my D2’s that is the first weak link I remove. After that I route the intake directly to the reservoir and call it a day.

 

Seconded. My heater has been removed for 2-3 years and it won't stick around on any future D2s I own either.

 

I know it comes off.
I simply stated that it does not have to come off of the upper intake to replace the coil packs.
If the heater plate is not leaking, it is much simpler to remove the hoses instead.

 

I know I never touch my throttle body. However messing with the nipples & hose clamps is like messing with a ticking time bomb IMHO. The nipples can get brittle, and corroded. Not to mention they might not ever seal up 100% ever again after being messed with (ask me how I know). So honestly it’s much less trouble to leave em attached if you still have the throttle body heater plate or add a new to your tune up list inventory.

 

So far, mine is dry.
Hoses off/on and looked, sealed ok.
Gasket looks petrified, so I left it alone.
Hopefully it holds.

 

Just keep an eye on it. I visually inspected my 04 and was like oh nice someone tried a new throttle body heater plate. Then one month later hello mr seepy lol.

 

Well, I think my 04 is possesed anyway.
Right now, it's waiting for me to fix a couple things....that way, then something else can break, lol.

 

I got the NGK Spark Plugs gapped and installed. They needed a 13/16 spark plug socket, but that was the only hiccup on install. A swivel extension is your best friend for this job, and I get why they make spark plug sockets with a swivel as part of the socket.

The old spark plugs came out fine, looked old, and they did not seem to be torqued in to 22 ft/lbs.

Tomorrow, wires and coilpack.

 

You did remember to put a little anti-seize on the sparkplug threads right? If not, it's not the end of the world just do it next time.

 

You aren't kidding about the swivel extension socket, id say its damn near impossible without.

Good luck on the wires and coils.