so i decided to pick up a throttle position sensor and change it out myself, my car now has over 216k miles on it and i was doing a few other things such as oil change (went with k&n hp2009, thanks lexmex), transmission/transfer case drain and fill, pcv replacement, k&n air filter cleaning, so i thought hey ill replace that sensor and clean out my iacv while im in there, couldnt really get the screws out since they screw in toward the front of the car and the area in front of the screw heads is rather small. Anybody got any better ideas than a stubby screwdriver or ratchet with phillips head for getting these screws out?

 

like what i tried doing was pulling off the hoses to the throttle body to get to it easier but wasnt able to get the screws out, let me know if theres an easier way to get to this.

 

its the one in the red circle

 

Take a screwdriver bit and stick it in the slots. Use a hammer to tap the screwdriver. Too light a blow will not do any good and a too sharp a blow may damage the screw. The idea is to break the seize and also to get the screw driver to seat better. If you have already damaged the head, the above action may reform the slots. You may have to use a pliers to get additional torque. [grab the head from the sides]. Also try to loosen the screws evenly, with the difficult screw first. [As you loosen one, the others get harder to remove]. If the screw head is damaged, remember to buy new ones when you reinstall. It will be impossible to get them out next time.

Salim

edit ... oops .. I used the above to get the IACV (green). If the red is held with phillips head, it should apply.

 

You're right, two philips head screw on the side of the TPS.

What I'd do there is get an angled screwdriver (has a 90 degree angle) or key with a phillips head on the end similar to an allen wrench key. I remember seeing them at my uncle's place back in Mexico and I think we used it on one occasion in a narrow area we couldn't quite get a regular screwdriver, no matter how small in the area. The other reason being is that you need a fulcrum to be able to get those screws open. The only other thing that might remotely be strong enough is a vise wrench, but it would be hard to get it in there.

 

yea thats a good idea, ill have to see if i can get something like that back there to tap it in, im gonna get my gf to help me out this weekend since she has smaller hands

 

The right angle chapman set (proper name) has a ratchet and will move in that space. Sears makes a replica of the Chapman set...

 

this set has the capability of working at right angles. It is called a chapman set, Sears has a look alike far cheaper...
http://www.wilsoncombat.com/a_tools_...crewdriver.asp

 

Nothing like the real thing, but a cheap alternative is available from Harborfreight.

Salim

 

right on guys thanks a lot for all the great ideas, hopefully ill be able to knock this thing out this weekend

 

I recently replaced both these sensor, I gave up on the inplace replacement, I took off the entire throttle assy, (you will need a box end 12 mm wrench for qty 3 nuts & 1 bolt in back) once the throttle body is off you can really torque on the screws after tapping with hammer, I replaced them with socket head allen wrench type screws. good luck.

 

got a pic that shows the spot youre talkin about?

 

One suggestion about weekend/holiday projects ... try to do one thing at a time. If you run into a problem afterward, it is much easier to diagnose and fix.

Salim

 

lol yea that would be ideal