Simple throttle plate mod for newer vans to remove the restrictor plate. Performance gains are subjective, and will be unique to each van. I found an extra throttle plate from junkyard for few dollars to work on in case I screwed something up. I went at it from the interior side, so I removed the doghouse, not sure if you could do it from under the hood, didn't look like it to me. To remove the throttle plate you need to remove front air filter intake, then remove doghouse, then pop off the portion of the air intake mounted on top of the throttle body, and move it out of the way. Now remove the 2 torx screws, mine were size T15, you have to use a stubby driver because there won't be enough room for a normal size driver, be careful not to drop the screws down the throttle throat. I kept a telescoping magnet handy to snag the screws. After you remove the screws, use the linkage on the throttle body side to completely open the throttle, grab the restrictor plate and gently wiggle it until it breaks loose and slides out of the retaining rib. The more carbon build up you have, the harder it will be to wiggle out of the rib. Sorry no pics of the removal procedure, but it sounds worse than it is, once you have the air intake and doghouse off, it literally takes a couple of minutes to remove the plate.
This is a generic pic to show placement of the torx screws on the retaining rib
Once the plate is removed this is what you start with
Tools I used, Dremel and a hand file. The restrictor is made of soft aluminum and you could probably use your wifes gardening snips to cut it off
I fastened it in a vice to hold it while cutting
Then started cutting
Plate removed
Here is the material removed
I then proceeded to clean it up and bevel the aluminum edge with the hand file
I'm really trying to thin it out as much as possible
Finished product
Now all you have to do is re-insert it back into the throttle body, screw it in, put everything back together and your done.
