1997 Pontiac Grand Prix vacuum leak

I do believe you're going to have to clear up my confusion. The throttle valve is a simple mechanical shaft with little pressure on it so it's not likely to break. I assume you're working it by hand under the hood. What do you mean by "drawing excessive air"? They DO sound like a lot of air is going in, but are you trying to watch it with the engine running? You can't run the engine with the fresh air tube disconnected between the throttle body and mass air flow sensor. All the air going into the engine has to be measured by the MAF sensor so the Engine Computer can calculate the amount of fuel to squirt in through the injectors. Only Chrysler has been able to make an engine run right with no mass air flow sensor. All other engine brands need it, otherwise the computer will go into a backup strategy to try to make the engine run well enough to get to a repair shop, but that's about it.