ski

You should be ok if you tighten each TB fastener a little at a time with a small standard wrench in an alternating pattern(upper left, lower right, upper right, lower left). Just don't "ham fist" tighten them.

Blacksmoke

ham fist?
not familiar with the term

BigDinTexas

If you have a Harbor Freight Tools nearby, I think I saw they had a 3/8" drive torque wrench on sale for $20. It isn't as nice or accurate as say a Snap On or Mac wrench, and it is rated at being accurate to only +- 6%, but in this case it may be just what you need... Harbor Freight Tools are hit or miss... Some are jewels in the rough, others aren't worth the plastic they are shipped in... Caveat emptor.

As for "ham fist" tight, I think it can be best described as tight as you can get it, leaning into the wrench with your weight, etc.... If you get it that tight, you probably torqued it more than needed...

Don

moosestang

What is this mysterious coating supposed to be protecting?

Blacksmoke

Not sure why they use the coating.
I just know that both Ford and a couple of shops told me
that this stuff coming off was BAD NEWS.

J2L06GT

Its a thin clear baked on powder coat to fill any porosity in bore casting and blades,
it help in reducing scratching and dirt buildup.
That why you use TB cleaner so it doesn't destroy it like some chemicals melt
powder coats.

adj86

I cleaned mine about two months ago. I had to rub pretty hard to get all the carbon buildup off, but no harm done. I didn't use a torque wrench to tighten it up and its doing just fine, so I wouldn't worry. Just as an aside these tbs get pretty dirty pretty quick. I had to replace mine in March 09 (allegedly according to the dealership) and when I took it off there was a fair amount of buildup behind the butterflys. Also the cleaning helped for a while I think (or it could have been because I unhooked the battery) but it came back a month later and I had to replace the tps in the dark after work.

S197winstang

Just one thing to add for FI applications-- you may need to take of the passenger side sender to reach the lower bolt due to the cooler hoses. BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE TORQUE SCREWS THEY BREAK IF YOU ARE NOT GENTLE. I BROKE BOTH BUT SAVED THE THREADS ON THE TB. IT WAS NOT FUN...

S197steve

Resurrecting this thread...

For those of you cleaned your TB, did you do it while it was still on the car or did you remove it entirely? I need to clean my this weekend and see if I can't figure out the 'pulsing' idle I'm experiencing right now.

luvmygt

I removed mine completely, sprayed with cnc and wiped with a cloth on both sides. Used alternating pattern when reinstalling the screws. My pulsing idle and almost stalling upon startup went away immediately. Took maybe 30 minutes.