Tore into the TPS (fipl) today and I have to say, If I'd had any 1990s era Ford powertrain engineer on hand this afternoon I'd have whacked him right up side the head with a hammer. One simple little sensor that according to Ford should be replaced every 50K or so, and they make it so you can't service the dang thing unless you've got arms like an octopus, and just as many to boot. AND they mount the thing with one of the most useless fasteners every devised by man. I hate torx or whatever they call those stupid things.
Dog house has to come off. Ok, but it also means I have to stuff that stupid farqin switch panel up on the dash and hope it stays there instead of falling and bashing me on the head periodically.
Plastic ram air intake thingy needs to come out. Air filter and the housing has to come out. Should be able to get a torx bit on there now. Nope, not a chance with the fuel filter in the way. Ok, should be able to spin the filter off. Nope, not a chance. Get a filter wrench on there? Not any filter wrench I've ever owned. Strap wrench? Sure, I can get it on there but no room to turn it. Maybe if I unbolt the fuel filter mounting bracket I can wiggle it out of the way? Fat chance. Unbolt it and take a wrench to the two hard lines attached and try to stuff it up in a corner some place because the electrical connections don't look too interested in coming off.
Finally. I can actually touch the stupid thing with a chance to get a socket on there to get the sensor loose. Hah. HAH! No way those torx screws are coming out. They'd rather just strip out. Last option is to undo the whole stupid bracket with the sensor attached, and THEN take a torch to the screws. I actually managed to get them out, but torched the sensor in the process.
I put a new sensor on and got it bolted back up and went through the electrical gymnastics necessary to get the voltage readings you're supposed to have. Or as close as I'm going to get them. Once this goes back together there is no way in H E Double Hockey Sticks I'm pulling it back apart to "tweak" those readings like all the internet experts say you should do.
It might be easy enough on a truck to loosen and get at that sensor to adjust it, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pull the fuel filter each time I need to "tweak" this thing. Unless the tranny is just wayyy out in left field this is it.
I haven't been so PO'd in a longgg time working on a vehicle, just to do something so simple.
Automotive engineers should be forced to adhere to aerospace principles when designing their crap. When I was in the service and worked on fighters those things were an absolute marvel of stuffing 50 lbs of crap in a 10 lb bucket, and there was NOTHING I ever needed to service that required me to jump through such ridiculous hoops. You could R&R an entire freakin engine in less than 2 hours.
Anyway, rant pretty much over. I will button it up enough tomorrow to take it for a test spin, and hopefully my shifting funkiness is history. If it isn't I at least have the satisfaction of knowing that of the sensors involved in its operation, this one was the most pain in the ******** (I hope!) and out of the way.
I suppose I could take a pic or two while I'm at it. Not much to see except the top of the engine tore apart, but hey, we likes us some pictures 'round here.
Dog house has to come off. Ok, but it also means I have to stuff that stupid farqin switch panel up on the dash and hope it stays there instead of falling and bashing me on the head periodically.
Plastic ram air intake thingy needs to come out. Air filter and the housing has to come out. Should be able to get a torx bit on there now. Nope, not a chance with the fuel filter in the way. Ok, should be able to spin the filter off. Nope, not a chance. Get a filter wrench on there? Not any filter wrench I've ever owned. Strap wrench? Sure, I can get it on there but no room to turn it. Maybe if I unbolt the fuel filter mounting bracket I can wiggle it out of the way? Fat chance. Unbolt it and take a wrench to the two hard lines attached and try to stuff it up in a corner some place because the electrical connections don't look too interested in coming off.
Finally. I can actually touch the stupid thing with a chance to get a socket on there to get the sensor loose. Hah. HAH! No way those torx screws are coming out. They'd rather just strip out. Last option is to undo the whole stupid bracket with the sensor attached, and THEN take a torch to the screws. I actually managed to get them out, but torched the sensor in the process.
I put a new sensor on and got it bolted back up and went through the electrical gymnastics necessary to get the voltage readings you're supposed to have. Or as close as I'm going to get them. Once this goes back together there is no way in H E Double Hockey Sticks I'm pulling it back apart to "tweak" those readings like all the internet experts say you should do.
It might be easy enough on a truck to loosen and get at that sensor to adjust it, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pull the fuel filter each time I need to "tweak" this thing. Unless the tranny is just wayyy out in left field this is it.
I haven't been so PO'd in a longgg time working on a vehicle, just to do something so simple.
Automotive engineers should be forced to adhere to aerospace principles when designing their crap. When I was in the service and worked on fighters those things were an absolute marvel of stuffing 50 lbs of crap in a 10 lb bucket, and there was NOTHING I ever needed to service that required me to jump through such ridiculous hoops. You could R&R an entire freakin engine in less than 2 hours.
Anyway, rant pretty much over. I will button it up enough tomorrow to take it for a test spin, and hopefully my shifting funkiness is history. If it isn't I at least have the satisfaction of knowing that of the sensors involved in its operation, this one was the most pain in the ******** (I hope!) and out of the way.
I suppose I could take a pic or two while I'm at it. Not much to see except the top of the engine tore apart, but hey, we likes us some pictures 'round here.
