Ford Contour

go to autozone.com and look in the online repair manual they have

I did as you suggested for my 2000 Ford Ranger XLT 3.0 liter EFI Flex Fuel. The instructions, identical to the Ford factory manual, are incorrect and unworkable. Due to the threadlocker they use during the factory install and limited work space involved to access the two Phillips head screws, you cannot realistically remove the TPS as described. I read a lot of message boards and blogs and a very nice guy posted the workable solution, albeit for a V8 F-250. The similarities were obvious and close enough.

Time: approximately 1hour

Tools:

Rotary hobby tool w/ cutoff blade (Dremel or equal)

1/4" or 3/8" ratchet w/ 6" extension

10mm socket

8mm socket

locking pliers (Channelock or equal)

Phillips screw driver

Blade screwdriver, wider is better, to be used as a gentle pry bar

Carburetor cleaner or electric contact cleaner

(note: I used the above metric sockets and was successful, you will probably have SAE equivalents. Don't ask me why, they just fit better than the SAE stuff on parts of my truck. I have both as I own Japanese motorcycles and bicycles and just grab those first)

The throttle body MUST be removed. It is a simple and straightforward process. I did not use or need a manual or instructions to remove it in under 5 minutes. I suggest if you are not mechanically inclined or completely unfamiliar with basic mechanics, to purchase a Haynes manual for pictures and other details.

Using the 8mm socket, disconnect ground cable from battery terminal. A mechanic friend told me to short the ground cable to the positive terminal to discharge the capacitors that might hold a charge and retain any programming. Apparently, the main computer "learns" or self programs/regulates technical engine parameters on the fly as it runs. This is a lay description of I am sure a very technical process, but I did it and my project was successful. YMMV.

Using 8mm socket, remove the black plastic cover (accelerator control splash shield) on throttle body. There are two screws, one on the top and another on the firewall side.

Disconnect the electrical connector from the idle air control solenoid.

To remove accelerator cable, manually rotate the throttle clockwise, while holding the cable. As it slackens, you can "unwind" it, guide it through a slot, and pull out the barrel end. It is nearly identical to a bicycle brake cable setup. Their is another cable, the speed control actuator cable, it just pulls out straight up, like a snap fit. I used a screwdriver to gentlypry it loose

Remove the large black air hose by loosening the screw clamp on the intake side of the throttle body with a screwdriver. Mine would not budge at first, so I coaxed it off by gently sliding the blade of my screwdriver between the rubber and the throttle body, prying all around the edge where it meets the throttle body until it worked loose a bit, then finished it off by hand. Be careful so as not to damage the intake hose. I did this to allow for easier access to the lower bolts of the throttle body, as described in the Ford factory manual

Using the 10mm socket, remove the four bolts connecting the throttle body.

Remove throttle body. Mine had an "integral " gasket, so one less issue to deal with.

Use electrical contact cleaner or carb cleaner and clean up any deposits in the throat of the throttle body and butterfly valve.

I have read, and experienced first hand, the difficulty in removing the the two Phillips screws that attach the TPS to the throttle body. I placed the whole throttle body in a vise to make it easy to work on. Use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel to cut away the main part of the TPS from the screw portion. Think cutting a slice of cake. The screws are on little "ears", so it is pretty simple to cut through the TPS body and not damage the throttle body. The whole surgery took 2 minutes without any drama. I cut as close as I dared to the throttle body, then used a pair of pliers to break it the rest of the way off. Take your time so as not to damage the interior part of the throttle body by rocking it up and down little by little, and out like if you were pulling a molar. The TPS housing is a styrene/ABS like black plastic, and kind of melt/ cuts with the Dremel. It looks like a small hacksaw w/ fine teeth or a hacksaw blade broken in half and wrapped with masking tape would work just as well if you don't have a Dremel. It really is simple and very starightforward. After the surgery, you will have to tiny "pillars" with a screw in the middle of each one. Use locking pliers to grip the outside of the screws to break them free. Don't worry if there is a little plastic on the outside of the screws, as you squeeze down on the screw heads, the plastic just shoves down as you get a bite on the screwheads. You will be amazed at how tight they are installed, but the leverage gained by the pliers makes short work of the screws. It was a simple matter of completing removal with a Phillips head screwdriver after they were broken free. Be careful and go easy, as another post I read suggests that the screws can BREAK. If this happens you either go through the drill out/screw extractor experience or start looking for a new or used throttle body. I have heard that heat can be used to help loosen up the screws, but I did not find it necessary. Finally, if you can find real hex head bolts to replace the stock machine screws, the whole TPS replacement job becomes a 5 minute job in the future. Pay it forward and post the fastener size if you decide to go this route.

Install the new TPS and screw it down. I opted to not use any threadlocker. Nothing else near the throttle body assembly has threadlocker on it, so why it was used in this location is a mystery. Other things I read suggested reinstalling with blue threadlocker, but I will keep an eye on it and see if it loosens up. I seriously doubt it will.

Reverse above to reassemble and start engine.