# TPS removal, what a pain.......



## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

People,

TPS went bad- code ID'd it, I confirmed it with my V meter. Ordered a new one, and geez- I canty get a tiny 1/4" rachet with torx bit to fit in there! 

I have to remove one Fuel line, and PCV line going along side the TBI. OR, remove the TBI , prying it up a bit, to get space for the rachet/torx bit. Maybe fuel lines do not have to come off this way? 

Is this typical for TPS replacement, people? 

1987 Sunbird GT.

Thanks, People


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I can't comment on your particular car but the more stuff they cram into every decreasing space means the harder some stuff is to work on. My wife recently bought a Maxima - you have to remove the splash guard under the engine to drain the oil and remove the fender well to change the filter.


Have you already changed the TPS out or looking for tips on doing so?


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

Not a lot of room in cars. OP, don't know if it will work in your tight space, but when there is a not a lot of room for a torx on a ratchet, I will put the torx bit in a ratcheting wrench. That usually gives you enough clearance. You can use a regular box wrench but repositioning the wrench all the time is a pain.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

They make those bits in extra long variety, just for this kind of situation. 

Please define TPS, I thought that it was a Tire Pressure Sensor. 

ED


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## w0j0 (Dec 29, 2017)

de-nagorg said:


> They make those bits in extra long variety, just for this kind of situation.
> 
> Please define TPS, I thought that it was a Tire Pressure Sensor.
> 
> ED


You're thinking "TPMS" or tire pressure monitoring system.
TPS refers to throttle position sensor


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Search for it on youtube.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Guap0_ said:


> Search for it on youtube.


Or get a 57 Chevy... remember the good old days when we could climb right in next to the engine....:smile::wink2:


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

mark sr said:


> I can't comment on your particular car but the more stuff they cram into every decreasing space means the harder some stuff is to work on. My wife recently bought a Maxima - you have to remove the splash guard under the engine to drain the oil and remove the fender well to change the filter.
> 
> 
> Have you already changed the TPS out or looking for tips on doing so?


Yeah, I changed it back in 2007. Sheesh- cant remember how I did it!!


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

ZTMAN said:


> Not a lot of room in cars. OP, don't know if it will work in your tight space, but when there is a not a lot of room for a torx on a ratchet, I will put the torx bit in a ratcheting wrench. That usually gives you enough clearance. You can use a regular box wrench but repositioning the wrench all the time is a pain.


Thanks, but believe it or not, on one torx bolt there isnt even the space to insert the torx in with your fingers by itself. The bit itself wont even fit in. Man, why cant I remember what I did in 2007 when Bush was president.......


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

de-nagorg said:


> They make those bits in extra long variety, just for this kind of situation.
> 
> Please define TPS, I thought that it was a Tire Pressure Sensor.
> 
> ED


Thanks, De- but I need it extra SHORT, not extra LONG.

Yes, as a fellow member stated it is Throttle Posit sensor.


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

Guap0_ said:


> Search for it on youtube.


Too Much, Guap!! Found it here:






I never would have guessed it was available on youtube!! 

Anyway, seems the trick is to get an L shaped torx "tool". OK, have to buy one now, but no big deal. I didnt even know they existed.

Thanks, people.


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

Could you possibly use a U-joint with extension, to get to the fastener?

Use the bit in a socket, add u-joint, then extension, to change your angle of approach. 

I have had to resort to 2 u-joints, and 2 extensions to twist into some of those cramped places. 

Specifically the ignition module on one of those Bronco ii. 

Mitsubishi Montero, in disguise. 

There are ways to do this, with enough thinking, and doing.


ED


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## Guap0_ (Dec 2, 2017)

Papereater, I'm glad that it was there. Let us know if it worked.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

I have a Dodge truck, and they like those little Torx, in fact my IAC is held on with four security Torx. Over the years I have collected all kinds of Torx gadgets and tiny 1/4" socket sets to use them with. You can also get Torxes in L-shapes, like hex wrenches and of course in things that look like screwdrivers.


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## papereater (Sep 16, 2016)

Thanks, people. Yeah, I agree that one has to use ingenuity here. I ground down a bit to fit in there. But still, could not insert the tiny 1/4" rachet. I gripped the bit with a pliers, believe it or not. I unscrewed with not too much force, making one wonder- do the nuts even need so much turn torque when I install the new one(?). 

We shall see, once the mailman delivers it in my mailbox, sometimes inhabited by a lizard, sometimes a cockroach, but they wont damage the new TPS.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Glad you solved the problem, but don't feel alone. At one time we could replace a needle valve in a briggs carburetor in about 10 minutes. Now on some, the complete intake manifold has to be removed with the carb and even after that a elect. solenoid that sometimes causes problems can't be removed without grinding an open end wrench down to about an 1/8th inch thick.


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

I found a little 1/4" ratchet set at Lowes that takes standard 1/4" hex bits, and the bits go right into the head, not the usual -into a socket that then goes onto the head. It's good for tight clearances.


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