Patent ID: 7267101

Claim:
An electronic throttle control for use with an internal combustion engine having an engine control unit, said electronic throttle control operable to receive and respond to an electronic throttle control fault signal received from said engine control unit, said electronic throttle control comprising: a) a throttle body having a main throttle bore extending between a throttle bore inlet end and a throttle bore outlet end; b) a throttle plate pivotally secured in said main throttle bore and movable between fully open and fully closed positions in response to signals received from said engine control unit, wherein said throttle plate defaults to the fully closed position to seal said main throttle bore between said throttle bore inlet end and said throttle bore outlet end to prevent the escape of hydrocarbons through said throttle bore inlet end of said main throttle bore when the engine is off; c) a bypass channel having an inlet end and outlet end extending between and adjacent said main throttle bore inlet end and outlet end, respectively, said bypass channel positioned radially outwardly of said throttle main bore; and d) a removable obstruction positioned in said bypass channel such that said channel is normally closed to prevent air from traveling between said channel inlet end to said outlet end, said obstruction being automatically removed upon receiving said electronic throttle control fault signal from said engine control unit.