Throttle Body Housing
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 32 other vehicles, including the 2011 Mercury Milan, 2011 Mercury Mariner, 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis, 2011 Lincoln Town Car, and 2011 Lincoln Navigator L. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The throttle body housing assembly is a single piece aluminum or plastic casting with an air passage and a butterfly throttle plate with linkage mechanisms. When the throttle plate is in the idle (or closed) position, the throttle lever arm should be in contact with the throttle return stop. The throttle return stop prevents the throttle plate from contacting the bore and sticking closed. The setting also establishes the amount of airflow between the throttle plate and bore. To minimize the closed plate airflow, a special coating is applied to the throttle plate and bore to help seal this area. This sealant/coating also makes the throttle body resistant to engine intake sludge accumulation.