TB throttle spring, kind of complicated

I never knew replacing the throttle body gasket could be such a PITA. After taking everything else off, I couldn't slip the throttle cable out of the metal goody it attaches to the TB with. I figured the next best thing would be to take take the nut off the end of it and slip off the whole assembly. I didn't know the springs would fly off :loser:

After wiping the blood from my face, I'm wondering how to rebuild the spring assembly. Here's what I have so far. The small green spring rests inside the white cap, with the brownish spring on the outside. Both springs have one rounded end, with the other end more angular. I figured the rounded ends slips around the top left metal post on the TB (direction given by looking into the engine bay from the front of the car). The angular ends must slip over the shiny metal piece that holds the throttle cable, but I'm not sure where, and I'm not sure how many times over the springs are supposed to be coiled. Neither Haynes nor Chiltons have a diagram or instructions. If anyone could help, that would be great.

damm that sux. you would probably be better off just buying a 1g throttle body thats bigger anyway. its gonna be a royal bitch to put that spring back in.

just for kicks and so we can photochop it post some pics of the parts

ITs easy to get the spring back in. I think you have to wind it up twice. If its not enough, you will easily be able to tell that its too easy to turn, or the pedal is too soft. If its soft, go one more turn. Its not rocket science, you'll be able to get it back together in short order. :)

I agree with kevin.
When I did my TB shaft seals I had to remove the springs but I also counted the number of winds that each had.... it was a while ago but I believe it was 2 or 3 like kevin said.
gsxhooptie... your description sounds right as for the ends of the springs...
here's a pic from my seal job....

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/412000-412999/412186_53_full.jpg

If this doesn't help I don't know what will!!!! lmao... good luck bro.

Thanks guys. That picture is the money shot :)

Very glad to be of some help.

Following up with this thread to let ya'll know of my progress. Originally, I just wanted to take the TB off so I could replace the seal that was between it and the intake manifold. It was crumbly and nasty. Then, rather than slipping the cable off of the connector thingy on the TB, I slipped the nut of the spring assembly it was attached to. That was dumb :)

Since I had it out anyway, I decided I'd replace the shaft seals on the inside. It went well. There are two great vfaq's on this, found here:
http://www.plymouthlaser.com/tbor.htm
http://www.ca.dsm.org/faq/tb-shaftseals.html
I'm a big fan of the plymouthlaser page, but the guy is a bit short on words. I think the second page I listed is a little easier to follow. The following were the things I needed to do the job:
Duct tape 3$
Carb cleaner (nail polish remover is a can, ask my gf, hehe) 2.50$
Silicone based lubricant (stuff is nasty, but doesn't prematurely harden the rubber like petroleum would) 2.50$
Tite-N for Bolts 3$ (for the throttle plate screws)
Two different colored Sharpies 3$
General tools; quarter inch drive with 8 and 10 mm sockets (deepwells or an extension would be handy), and a phillips screwdriver, and maybe something I forgot
Allow four hours, but should take two or less for the mechanically inclined

A few general notes:
1) Packaging tape, badass as it is, failed me, and the carb cleaner got into the two holes it wasn't supposed to. Fuck. This has to do with cleaning the TB.
2) Mark things religiously, it'll make reassembly easier. There are lots of things to fuck up, so it pays to pay attention and help yourself out by making several markings. I drew a rough diagram of the TB on a piece of scratch paper and placed the removed pieces over the diagram as I went along so that I knew how to reattach them.
3) It sounds dumb, but use the right piece for the right job. Screws are attached pretty well, it would be good to not strip them. For example, the TPS screws are best taken off with a quarter inch drive, 8mm socket, not a phillips screwdriver.
4) Clean things as you go along, assuming they aren't marked by your Sharpie for reference.
5) White-out sucks. The stuff scratches off. The Sharpie is good times. Using two means being able to differentiate between lefthand and righthand parts, when appropriate, which is handy. It also comes off afterward with carb cleaner.
6)
ITs easy to get the spring back in ... Its not rocket science, you'll be able to get it back together in short order. :)

Kevin is right, as always, but my mechanical skills aren't up to par for this board. And I failed the IQ test with these springs the first time ;) The trick is that they wind backwards, not forwards. Otherwise, there's nothing to connect them to. The springs are best wound with needle nose pliars, used perpendicular to the force of the spring. People agree that the inner spring (green) is wound twice, but disagree on how many times the outer (dull metallic) spring is wound. I've read two, three, and four times. Two works. I think three will be more fun. Also note that there's a bit of force here, and you don't want to slip, that could get you a pretty nasty cut. Don't accidentally slip the spring assembly off the shaft before you attach the nut, either. That was bad.
7) The action of the throttle doesn't have full range of motion right away. Open and close it a few times and it'll eventually get full capture, probably once the grease and seals seat themselves.
8) The TPS would be bad to mess up, so make special note of it with your Sharpie. It's pretty cool, you can actually test if you have it right with a multimeter. The site for that is found here:
http://www.plymouthlaser.com/tps.htm

Anyway, good times. It's satisfying to get something put back together, after having so many jobs with the car going on at once. I'll be testing my TPS when my gf gets back with the batteries for my multimeter. I'll post back here to let you know how it goes.

Again, thanks for the help guys.

BTW, anyone know if I killed my TB by getting a few drops of carb cleaner in the bottom two slits of the TB?

Edit>> I got the multimeter thing to work after 30 minutes, and the TPS looks good. The connectors on the TPS were giving me funky readings until I gave them a nice cleaning. About 5K on 1 and 4, a little high; then with open throttle about 0.7. I can't get my readings steady enough to justify changes, though. Good times, I guess.

sweet

BTW, anyone know if I killed my TB by getting a few drops of carb cleaner in the bottom two slits of the TB?

I had some get in there.... it goes down to the idle speed control motor if they are the ones I think you are talking about... I just made sure that it was all cleaned and evaporated before reinstallation...
I didn't have any problems after I put it back together... I think the TPS was a little off but not by very much....

Side note... if you are going to use carb cleaner don't use a sharpie pen because it will wash right off!!! use a knife to score marks on the side of the TPS before you take it off... makes for quick and easy install...

Another thing... I didn't have any loc-tite to use on the throttle plate screws but reflared the existing ones and they stayed tight... I don't recommend this but can be done if needed to...

Good write up gsx_hooptie!!! :sunglasse

Thanks for the heads-up on the ISC 96spyderman. Hate to do that work and have it be for naught.

As for the Sharpie, it's best for use after you've cleaned, like the man says. I liked it because carb cleaner did get it off after I was done. The no-marks-left-over thing appeals to the ricer in me. I'm still a recovering ricer, afterall.

Rice free since January 1st, 2005. I know, not that long ago... and I still have the leftover parts :uhoh: :