crholliday
Frisbeetarianist
First let me say that removing the throttle body was the first automotive mechanical task I have done in 18 years and it feels like a journey of discovery. I find myself daydreaming about the things that I've read on this board. Thank you all for posting. Without all your wisdom I would never have had the confidence to get myself into the friggin mess I am now in! 
Quick update for newbie data: the second time you take your TB off it takes approximately 1/5 the time of the first time you did it with no instructions.
It seems that removing the TPS was not necessary after all. Those convenient electrical plugs really do come apart quickly. I think I have it adjusted properly (bought a vacum, ohmmeter and feeler gauge). It seems like the baseline reading from the ohmmeter were never what my Haynes book said they should be, but in the end I got the friggin thing within the operating spec.
It also seems like you dont need to unscrew all the nuts on all the cables that are attached to the throttle body. An in fact it would appear that properly adjusting those cables is more than just a passing standard for standards sake.
So all this long windedness leads to the actual question: I think my throttle valve cable is maladjusted. I am having some funky tranny sensations that I dont remember from before the TB cleaning. When I slow down to turn a corner, it seems like their is some pause while downshifting between gears. The engine revs like it is going into neutral, then finally catches and kind of lurches forward. This appears consistent with other folks problems with their throttle valve cable. The Haynes manual has 4 steps that dont really guide me to an actual adjustement... more of an observational type of process. In other posts CDan says I need to punch the accelerator pedal to the floor and make sure that the throttle plate is fully open. Is the throttle plate the butterfly valve inside the throttle body? Any other adjustment metrics to go on?
Thanks,
Chris

Quick update for newbie data: the second time you take your TB off it takes approximately 1/5 the time of the first time you did it with no instructions.
It seems that removing the TPS was not necessary after all. Those convenient electrical plugs really do come apart quickly. I think I have it adjusted properly (bought a vacum, ohmmeter and feeler gauge). It seems like the baseline reading from the ohmmeter were never what my Haynes book said they should be, but in the end I got the friggin thing within the operating spec.
It also seems like you dont need to unscrew all the nuts on all the cables that are attached to the throttle body. An in fact it would appear that properly adjusting those cables is more than just a passing standard for standards sake.
So all this long windedness leads to the actual question: I think my throttle valve cable is maladjusted. I am having some funky tranny sensations that I dont remember from before the TB cleaning. When I slow down to turn a corner, it seems like their is some pause while downshifting between gears. The engine revs like it is going into neutral, then finally catches and kind of lurches forward. This appears consistent with other folks problems with their throttle valve cable. The Haynes manual has 4 steps that dont really guide me to an actual adjustement... more of an observational type of process. In other posts CDan says I need to punch the accelerator pedal to the floor and make sure that the throttle plate is fully open. Is the throttle plate the butterfly valve inside the throttle body? Any other adjustment metrics to go on?
Thanks,
Chris