Can't get TB gasket

[Unusual1]

Ok, So had the day off and thought I would change the plugs and clean the throttle body. Off to the local parts store, Autozone, and find the plugs OK but they did not carry throttle body mounting gasket. Make my purchase and go to the next parts store, Advance Auto, and they don't carry it either. Go back out to the car and call NAPA, sorry we don"t have that part he tells me. Now I am at the mercy of going to the Ford dealer I hate with a passion. This is were I shake my head in disbelief, the girl behind the parts counter tells me Ford does not sell this gasket, it only comes with a new throttle body. Ok, so now I go home and can order the gasket from the part stores or even Amazon but can't get one locally. Guess I'm not cleaning any throttle body today.

So I do get the plugs changed, easy job and was amazed to see my combined miles on the odometer keep creeping up. I usually have a combined miles to go and miles driven around 360 miles, after the plug change I drove 40 miles consisting of 30 mph back roads and 45 mph divided highway and now my combined miles is up to 389 miles so I am hoping this trend continues and my mpg jumps a couple overall. 

[Beta Don]

NAPA does sell gasket material in sheets.  Several times when I needed a gasket that wasn't available, I ended up buying a sheet of the correct thickness material and cut my own gasket using an Xacto knife

Don

[Unusual1]

Hey Beta, 

Thanks for the heads up, I have cut my own in the past but I have a feeling that this is a rounded gasket, like a rubber band, that fits in a groove and I want to have a sure fit on hand before disassembly so as not to have my ride out of commission while waiting. Good news is new gasket will be here on Thur so this weekend will be clean the TB and see what happens. 

On another note filled up with gas today for the first time since changing plugs and jumped from 24.5 mpg to 26.9. Funny thing is I get one thing fixed and now I have a noise in the rear, sounded like the muffler was banging around loose at very low speeds when stopping for red lights and stop signs but after careful inspection it is a rear shock that has given up. Just ordered from rock auto at 38.00 each beating my local parts stores by almost 20.00 each so with shipping I am about 30.00 saved.

[Unusual1]

Well, I got the new gasket in and if it is correct you cant just cut one from a sheet of gasket material. The easiest way to describe it is that while it is somewhat circular in shape it is flat, as if you made it with lack of better terms a strip of paper. I plan on installing it Sunday if all goes well. Put new shocks on the rear and the back end came up nearly a full inch. The new shocks felt nearly twice as heavy as the stock ones and while there was still some pressure left in the stock ones you could clearly tell that they were not the quality of the new ones I put in. I have to wonder if Ford used the cheapest thing out there to help reduce weight for the trip to over. I also am still gaining mpg on my spark plug change even though it is only my second tank of gas since changing the plugs, nearly 400 miles when adding the miles driven and miles remaining. I would be curious to hear if anyone else is getting this out of there 1st gen.

 

[Unusual1]

Got the throttle body off this morning and cleaned it out. You can see it was a bit gummed up and how the gasket is shaped. Overall real easy job and from start to finish including resetting the PCM and putting tools away it took less than an hour. Hardest part really was getting the electrical connections off as that the clips that hold them on did not want to release easily. Initial results are a for sure increase in acceleration and no more sticking of throttle when releasing off the gas peddle.