the old one didnt have a descriptive enough title and got axed...

any ways, I was having trouble with my 3vze idle and fuel mixture. my MPG had dropped from ~17 down to ~14.. plus my idle would change from day to day and even from start to start, it would be 1600rpm, I could shut off the engine, start it again and it would be 500RPM. it turns out I had a vacuum leak, just in a very scary spot! the factory plug on the vacuum port on top of the TB somehow got loose and started to fall into the TB!!!!!!! that would have been a VERY bad thing.
(think marbles in a blender followed by a catastrophic engine failure)

sooo, if you notice your fuel mileage dropping and having a erratic idle, I would think about checking this plug.

 

I ended up drilling out the plug and putting a 13mm bolt in it with thread sealant. if you find your self having to do this make sure you run a vacuum the whole time you are drilling plus some grease on the bit to catch shavings.. i also had a vacuum running on the inside of the throttle body to make sure.. or you could do it right and take the TB off...

 

has anyone seen this happen before?