un metered air would be able to get in along with coolant.

this could have been the reason for the codes you were/are getting, no way to tell for sure other than the fix it, reset codes/pcm, and drive it around.

 

honestly, i still would take the TB off and check to see the condition of the gasket and intake.

takes all of 5 mins to do and gives you the piece of mind that it is put back together properly. who knows what you may find considering you were able to fix your missing nut

 

LOL yeah I was thinking of doing that.

I'm also reading this could effectively cause a a vacuum leak? I had a buddy tell me it could have also been dumping coolant into the exhaust? I have been plagued with a damn P0420 code and had the cat replaced only to have the code return a month later. So I'm wondering if this leaky throttle body was the cause of that code the whole time.

I got a buddy that works at Autozone and I'm gonna get with him and have him reset that code tomorrow hopefully.

 

I agree/support the posts vikesfan made.

I would first be curious why that nut was loose. It's really not tough to pop off the t-body and inspect the UIM and replace the t-body gasket. Considering the gasket wasn't working as a "seal" it may even be damaged.

That issue with the loose nut will cause a vac leak. The coolant does not have a direct way to "dump" into the exhaust. As I mentioned earlier, it could spray into your incoming air stream and go into the cylinders. Small amounts in a short time should not cause big problems and when it comes out of the exhaust, it's steam at that point. If you did not notice big white smoke clouds, then it was not that much coolant. It is possible it caused some weird errors.

If this were my car, I'd pull the t-body, inspect the UIM, replace the T-body gasket if that's all it needed, clear the codes and see if everything is running fine at that point.

 

Thanks for the advice and that is probably what I will end up doing just gotta find the time to do it.

So basically open it up and inspect this area I'm pointing to in the pic?



Also is that the gasket that is "pink"? What exactly is that called at Autozone or O'reillys? I'm trying to look up "throttle body gasket" and not having much luck.

 

That pink thing is the throttle body gasket (I've seen pink, blue and I think black ones). Here's a link to a Fel-Pro (Part #61093) one from O'reillys:
Fel-Pro 61093 - Throttle Body Mounting Gasket | O'Reilly Auto Parts

Inspect all the plastic around the gasket for cracks or damage. You will notice too little ports in the bottom of you pic, they travel back about 1-2 inches and then drop down to the LIM. They go right by that larger opening on the inside of the bottom of the UIM (that opening is for the EGR where what is called the "EGR Stove Pipe"). Heat from that EGR tube can and does make the plastic around it brittle. I have seen it cause pin hole and larger leaks around it sending coolant into the air flow. If it is broken, the fixes are replace the UIM or plug that passages on the UIM or the ports on the LIM.

Just take a good healthy look and look also for signs of coolant where it might not belong.

 

OK cool thanks man.