Is it OK to clean the inside of the throtle body with carb cleaner? I have read that you should NOT do this in some cars as it will remove the interior's protective coating. I took a peek inside mine, and there is so much black stuff stuck to the sides that I am itching to take a stiff brush and cleaner to it, but don't want to damage anything.

The second reason I want to clean it is that when I turn off the engine it has started to make a WHOOSH sound that it did not make before. Does anyone know if this is normal?

Funny, I never heard of any thing like that. I know on my 88 there isn't any such coating. If in doubt double check your referance material to see if they say what vehicals had such a coating. My guess is that if you have a C4 your good to clean your throttle body. Has anyone else ever heard of anything like this? Please chime in. I'll be interested to see if this is true or not.

Very late model cars, mostly (Ich) Fords. [:-] C4's are no probs. Make sure that when you do clean bore, also clean the back side of the throttle plate by holding it open while scrubbing it, disconnect your battery for a couple of minutes to let your idle motor relearn. [8D]

That IS where I read it. My wife's 97 T-bird has a sticker that warns against cleaning it. I cleaned mine and now works better.