Did Ford squirrel me again?

[bigredrangero]

Trying to remove the TPS on a 96 ranger 3.0. Every other sensor uses hex head machine screws but the TPS has soft Phillips head screws. It's not easy for me to get to the bottom screw, and both are getting stripped to the point that I had to cut the lower one out and replace with Hex heads. Does Ford want me to replace the 30 year old TPS or not.....

 

[Snoranger]

Ford hasn’t cared about that truck since the warranty expired 27 years ago.

They are steel screws into aluminum, you’re going to get corrosion from dissimilar metals. Your best bet would be to cut the heads off, heat what’s left, and use vice grips to remove it.

 

[lowspeedpursuit]

IIRC manual impact screwdrivers were the "right tool" for the TPS. If they're already stripped, maybe not.

 

[19Walt93]

Please don't heat anything near the intake unless you use a soldering gun or something like that, gas burns. A quick tap on the head of the screw with a small hammer and a punch would loosen the corrosion enough to let you remove it. A fastener that worked for 29 years isn't defective.

 

[Snoranger]

Please don't heat anything near the intake unless you use a soldering gun or something like that, gas burns. A quick tap on the head of the screw with a small hammer and a punch would loosen the corrosion enough to let you remove it. A fastener that worked for 29 years isn't defective.

I use my induction heater for almost everything, unless I need it to be a liquid.

 

[bigredrangero]

They are not Phillips. They are posidriv. A Phillips bit will destroy the head of the screw, leaving you to cut them off.
M5 0.8 x 30mm. There is no loctite, that's antisieze compound. They are very very tight to keep the TPS where Ford put it. That's the reason the posidriv screw was developed. Plan on replacing the bolts after chasing the threads with a bottom tap to clean out the old antisieze. Use antisieze when installing new screws.

Go the extra mile and properly adjust the new TPS and idle screw.