March 1, 200620 yr 88 FWD Sub. DL 1.8L w/TBFI Symptoms: Car occasionally stalled on a cold start, often initially lacked power when accelerating from stop. CEL ON when started and at stop, CEL goes away when accelerating and normal driving conditions (i.e. increased RPMs)..... checked codes and Throttle Position Sensor code came up. tried to adjust sensor on throttle body by rotating sensor unit. assuming sensor was not recognizing when throttle was closed....not much luck....... My fix: increase idle RPMs slightly from 700 to 850. No more CEL. car doesn't stall, still slight hesitation when initially accelerating, but better. ....am i setting myself up for problems w/ Cat conv. in future? any ideas? anyone ever have to adjust/replace a TPS sensor?
March 1, 200620 yr Adjusting the idle will only help for a while, then the hesitation problem will come back
March 1, 200620 yr Author :-\ Soooo should I adjust/replace my TPS? Have you done this before?, any advice would be much appreciated. Adjusting the idle will only help for a while, then the hesitation problem will come back
March 2, 200620 yr I agree, I futzed around with mine for a long time and problems kept coming back until I gave up and replaced it. You could try spraying some cleaner into the TPS to see if it helps, but I doubt it will work. It sounds like you have a worn spot on yours, if so, it really can't be fixed. Fairly easy to replace, but don't buy a new one, they are really expensive. Instead get one from a junkyard or from someone here on the board. There are (at least)two types - one has three wires coming in and the other has 4. The one with four has the idle switch in there with the TPS unit. Make sure you get the right one.
March 2, 200620 yr Author Thanks for the tips, they are really expensive I've looked....for now I'll try the WD40 trick, and if not I'll replace. Oh, I have the 4 pronger type. I agree, I futzed around with mine for a long time and problems kept coming back until I gave up and replaced it. You could try spraying some cleaner into the TPS to see if it helps, but I doubt it will work. It sounds like you have a worn spot on yours, if so, it really can't be fixed. Fairly easy to replace, but don't buy a new one, they are really expensive. Instead get one from a junkyard or from someone here on the board. There are (at least)two types - one has three wires coming in and the other has 4. The one with four has the idle switch in there with the TPS unit. Make sure you get the right one.
August 8, 200619 yr Author Belated update on TPS. Adusting idle worked for a while, but as predicted by another above, it came back....although it is still working, and I'll stick with this mickey mouse fix until I can't drive it. Those TPS units are expensive! Next order of business? Body work. fun, fun. Ahhh I love the smell of bondo in the morning! WC
August 8, 200619 yr I'm sure I have one laying around in my spare parts. Let me know if I can help Mike
August 8, 200619 yr A new coolant temp sensor (cts) might solve the problem. CTS almost never needs to be replaced. Its usually just the wiring going up to it gets corroded. Check the wiring on the two wire Coolant Thermosensor for corrosion.
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now