I guess my question is...how is throttle body cleaner any safer than carb cleaner?

Different chemical composition. Carb and Brake cleaners leave caustic residues behind. From an assortment of other automotive sources/forums:

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The sensor wires cleaned with an over agressive
> solvent such as carb
> cleaner, possibly causing internal MAFS damage.
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I wouldn't use carb cleaner, but Throttle Body and Intake cleaner that is designed for fuel injection.
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I used a spray-type brake cleaner, but in hindsight I should have used a non-residue type electrical cleaner instead
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OK, be real easy on that baby... DO NOT use water, brake cleaner, carb cleaner etc., these will ruin your MAF!!! Use non-residue electrical contact cleaner ONLY. You should be able to get some at the local Autozone, Checker, etc.
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I'm not trying to be an ***, just curious. From what I've been able to gather so far is that they're really not that far off. Maybe I'm missing something then. I've looked through a couple and most throttle body cleaners contain Acetone...as do carb cleaners. Both also contain Methanol and Toluene. Quite a few carb cleaners use Xylene, which is naturally found in petrolium. Gunk says about their throttle body cleaner "NOTE: If cleaner is accidentally sprayed on paintedsurfaces, rinse off with water immediately to avoid paint removal." That doesn't sound safer than carb cleaner...If I'm using the wrong stuff I'd like to know, but I'd really like to know why. Has anyone read that throttle body cleaner is safe for sensors? Plastic?

Edit, read above post again.

Every manufactuer is going to be slightly different. No two are identical. We're talking about MAF sensors specifically here, so why WOULDN'T you want to use a cleaner advertised as 'sensor safe'? Which part of typical Carb cleaners is the chemical that leaves the caustic residue? Beats me, and I don't really care, if there'* something out there known to work.

SOME carb cleaners are advertised as such, but have different formulations, obviously. Which ones? I don't care. I'll use what'* know to work. Alcohol and electrical contact cleaner are the two safest.

Cleaners that are known to destroy MAF filaments from my reading are Simple Green, Brake Cleaner, and Carb Cleaner.

You're more than welcome to use whatever you like, but as you read from Damemorder'* post, he'* one of our victims.

The only "sensor safe" throttle body cleaner I've found is for the o2 and catalytic converter. o2 being the only sensor of course. Do they generally advertise being MAF safe?

For the "other side" I tried to stay away from forums:
http://www.los-gatos.ca.us/davidbu/toyota.html
http://www.4x4central.com/tips.htm
http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl004d.htm
http://www.geocities.com/adamk01452/MAF2.html
http://spydermagazine.com/2002/March.../maf_clean.htm
http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cleanmaf1.htm

I guess like you said its up to you. Personally I don't like cleaning my TB with the MAF installed anyway, if you do and you fry your sensor its YODF really. If you pull your MAF, clean it, let it dry, (like you should) and you still fry it never play the lotto again.

So would carb cleaner be safe on the throttle body only as long as all the critical componets were removed and was allowed to evaporate completley? Also would being N/A vs */C'd make any bit of a difference when it comes down to cleaning the intake?? Would electrical cleaner be safe for the intakes?

Electrical cleaner is for the MAF sensor, not the TB. I still wouldn't use carb cleaner on a stripped TB, just on the off-chance you miss a pocket that doesn't evaporate fully. Intake-safe (sensor-safe) cleaner is just as effective as Carb cleaner for cleaning TB'*. It should also be noted that Carb cleaner and Brake cleaner (some brands) have been known to strip Teflon off of Supercharger rotors.

Haha, I guess if you think of carb cleaner as cyanide for engines a pocket my send chills down your spine....Besides, obviously 'harmless' throttle body cleaner has been known to strip paint; but would be harmless to the rotors? You keep mentioning "sensor-safe" but the only reference to that I've been able to find is for the o2 sensor and catalytic converter.

I don't want to drag this into a debate, unless you really wanna ...Point is TB cleaner and carb cleaner do about the same thing, cost about the same amount, and are just as handy. If carb cleaner scares you, don't use it.

I've always used an air hose with a blow tip on it to blow the crap out of them and help the solvents dry faster.

Exactly. If they do the same thing, but we've seen evidence on our own site that Carb cleaner killed a MAF sensor, why on earth would you want to use it?

If carb cleaner scares you, don't use it.