Gumout Advanced Throttle Body & Air Intake Cleaner
CarCareTruth Score
Decent, but wear gloves and ventilate.
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About this product's hazards. This product's Safety Data Sheet uses signal word danger. Read the manufacturer's SDS and follow all safety instructions before use. CarCareTruth ratings translate the manufacturer's safety sheet. They do not replace the SDS or substitute for a hazard assessment specific to your task.
Health score is for adult use as intended, per the manufacturer's SDS. It does not model child ingestion, accidental spill cleanup, or off-label use. See the safety panel below for full hazard classification, and /disclaimer for the full editorial scope.
From the Safety Data Sheet
Full SDS ↗ (rev. 2023-04-04)GHS hazard codes are quoted from the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet. PPE tiers below translate those codes and the listed ingredient chemistry; they are not CarCareTruth recommendations.
EyesSituationalMfr. SDS §8 · 29 CFR 1910.133(a)(1) · GHS H319SkinSituationalMfr. SDS §8 · 29 CFR 1910.1000 · GHS H361dLungsRequiredMfr. SDS §8 · 29 CFR 1910.134 · GHS H373Ventilation—No PPE in published sourcesShow details for all categories ▾Hide details ▴
From the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet, Section 8
“SDS §2 classifies H319 (Cat 2A serious eye irritation) — not H318. Aerosol spray with high vapor pressure generates mist that can drift toward the face during throttle-body cleaning.”
— Gumout
U.S. regulatory standard
29 CFR 1910.133(a)(1)
“The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to eye or face hazards from… liquid chemicals…”
ANSI Z87.1 (incorporated via §1910.6)
OSHA standards apply to workplaces. Cited here as the U.S. reference threshold for the underlying hazard class.
CarCareTruth publishes the cited sources verbatim and does not advise what action a user should take. Consult the full SDS before use.
From the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet, Section 8
“SDS §2 mixture classification does not include H315; §2 'Other Information' notes mild skin irritation only. SDS §8 lists natural rubber, nitrile, neoprene, or PVC gloves for repeated handling.”
— Gumout
U.S. regulatory standard
29 CFR 1910.1000; 1910.1200
“Each employer shall assure that no employee is exposed [in excess of the PEL]…”
OSHA standards apply to workplaces. Cited here as the U.S. reference threshold for the underlying hazard class.
CarCareTruth publishes the cited sources verbatim and does not advise what action a user should take. Consult the full SDS before use.
From the manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet, Section 8
“SDS §2 lists H335 (respiratory irritation STOT SE Cat 3), H336 (narcosis), H361d (suspected of damaging the unborn child — toluene-driven), and H373 (target-organ toxicity through repeated exposure: CNS, kidney, liver). DANGER signal word is co-driven by these health H-codes. SDS §8 directs a NIOSH-approved organic-vapor cartridge respirator.”
— Gumout
U.S. regulatory standard
29 CFR 1910.134; 1910.138; 1910.1000
“the primary objective shall be to prevent atmospheric contamination…”
OSHA standards apply to workplaces. Cited here as the U.S. reference threshold for the underlying hazard class.
UN GHS hazard statement
H373“May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure”
UN GHS Rev. 9 (2021)
CarCareTruth publishes the cited sources verbatim and does not advise what action a user should take. Consult the full SDS before use.
The published Safety Data Sheet for this product does not specify ventilation protection for consumer use.
Workplace context
29 CFR 1910.134(a); 1910.1000
“the primary objective shall be to prevent atmospheric contamination [via] accepted engineering control measures (for example, enclosure or confinement of the operation, general and local ventilation, and substitution with less toxic materials).”
Triggered by GHS H335 on the SDS.
OSHA standards apply to workplaces. Cited here as the U.S. reference threshold for the underlying hazard class.
PPE tiers translate the manufacturer’s SDS and U.S. regulatory standards. Not professional safety advice. How we report safety.
The Podium · Top 3 in Carburetor Cleaner
See the full ranking →This product ranks #9 of 12 in Carburetor Cleaner.Three above it ↓
CarCareTruth's Analysis
Last reviewed May 26, 2026
TL;DR Clears moderate carbon and oily film from throttle plates reliably — community threads on thirdgen.org and BobIsTheOilGuy confirm single-pass cleaning without coating damage on typical drive-by-wire units. Gumout claims O2-sensor-safe and catalytic-converter-safe, and community evidence supports the claim (no sensor-damage reports in research). The formula's aromatic-solvent content puts it in the DANGER tier: the SDS lists respiratory irritation, narcosis, a reproductive-toxicity classification, and a California Prop 65 warning for toluene. Lung PPE is the chemistry-forced minimum — not optional caution.
What it is and how it performs
Remove the air intake duct, hold the throttle plate open by hand or with the key in the accessory position, and spray in short bursts at the plate and bore. The fast-evaporating solvent system dissolves carbon and oily film and leaves the bore dry within seconds. Community evidence shows the cleaning claim holds up on typical 30k–60k mile throttle bodies with moderate carbon buildup; users report the plate-and-bore clearing is visible after a single pass and a wipe. One caution from thirdgen.org threads: do not spray continuously with the engine off and the plate closed — if solvent pools in the intake and you crank it, you get white smoke and a rough idle until it burns off. Brief, controlled bursts with the plate held open is the correct technique.
Who should buy this — and who should skip it
The right buy for a port-injected engine owner (Camry, Civic, Silverado, F150) who needs to clean a throttle body every 30k–60k miles and wants a product that Gumout explicitly backs with O2-sensor-safe and cat-safe claims. Wide retail availability at Walmart and AutoZone makes it easy to source. Skip it for direct-injection (GDI) engines — TB cleaner sprayed into the intake cannot reach the intake-valve carbon deposits that are the real problem on GDI engines; a dedicated GDI cleaner or walnut-blast service is the correct tool. Also skip it for anyone who cannot achieve adequate ventilation during application — the DANGER signal word and respiratory-irritation classification are not marketing boilerplate.
Safety and environmental impact
The signal word is DANGER. SDS §2 lists H222 (extremely flammable aerosol), H280 (gases under pressure), H319 (serious eye irritation Cat 2A), H335 (respiratory irritation), H336 (narcosis), H361d (suspected of damaging the unborn child — toluene-driven), H373 (target-organ toxicity through repeated exposure: CNS, kidney, liver), and H412 (harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects). The California Prop 65 warning calls out toluene specifically for developmental harm.
SDS §7 directs use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. SDS §8 directs a NIOSH-approved organic-vapor cartridge respirator — the H335 respiratory-irritation classification, the 5–10% toluene fraction, and aerosol form factor make ventilation the operative PPE axis, not an optional precaution. No CARB-compliant label was found on this product, so the high absolute VOC content (estimated >550 g/L from the solvent fractions) carries through without the regulatory-accounting offset present on the sibling Carb/Choke formula.
Frequently asked questions
Gumout markets this as a throttle body cleaner — why is it categorized as a carb cleaner here?▾
The product's SDS §3 discloses toluene at 5–10% — the same aromatic-solvent concentration range found in carb cleaners. Site categorization is formula-based, not marketing-based: a formula with 5% or more aromatic hydrocarbon content carries the same exposure profile as carb cleaner, regardless of what the can says. Dedicated throttle body cleaners (CRC Throttle Body & Air-Intake Cleaner, for example) use lighter solvent blends under the 5% aromatic threshold, which is what actually keeps them gentler on downstream sensors.
Is the O2-sensor-safe and catalytic-converter-safe claim accurate?▾
Gumout confirms both claims on their product page, and the formula's solvent blend is not in the range that typically catalyzes converter damage or poisons an oxygen sensor. However, the toluene content at 5–10% means the aromatic load is meaningfully higher than in purpose-built low-aromatic TB cleaners, which is why independent community verification of the claim matters. No sensor-damage reports have surfaced in the throttle-body cleaning threads reviewed during research. Keep overspray off the MAF sensor wire and do not spray directly at the lambda sensor — the manufacturer's O2-safe claim applies to the throttle-plate workflow, not direct sensor contact.
Why does this product carry DANGER when most throttle body cleaners are WARNING?▾
Two reasons: H335 (respiratory irritation from the solvent system) and H361d (suspected of damaging the unborn child, driven by the toluene fraction). Both are health-driven H-codes that elevate the GHS classification to DANGER regardless of the intended use case. Most throttle body cleaners are formulated below the aromatic threshold that triggers these codes — this one is not.
Is there an H335 deduction and does the aerosol multiplier apply?▾
Yes. SDS §2 explicitly lists H335 (STOT-SE Cat 3 respiratory irritation), which is not present in the sibling Gumout Carb/Choke formula. The aerosol form factor applies a ×1.5 multiplier to H335 deductions and to the lung-PPE tier deduction per the carb-cleaner health rubric.
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