I had my Throttle Position Sensor on my 99 Outback replaced about a month ago. Everything was fine till last Friday. I readjusted the TPS and it made it about 40 miles before acting up again. I'm wondering if it's just getting out of adjustment or something is causing it to go bad. Anyone ever dealt with this before?

The TPS should not need any adjustment. What exactly did you do to "adjust" it?

and what symptons do you have

 

nipper

I hooked the TPS up to a multimeter. It was sitting at .40. I set it to .51 (within the .45 to .55 range required) by unscrewing the 2 screws on the housing and rotating the TPS till the multimeter read .51. This was done with the key on, throttle closed....all under the direction of qualified techs.

 

I checked it again after it acted up the second time and it was still at .51.

 

Symptoms. Intermittent power loss, tranny going into to a default mode in which all the shift ratios are wrong, TPS code from the AT oil temp light. All symptoms of a TPS problem. It seems to happen after the car is warm and has been driven for a substantial distance.

 

I'm now wondering if the dropping resistor is bad or the ECM. I am not sure exactly what role the dropping resistor plays. I was told that the ECM regulates the voltage to the TPS but Nipper mentioned the dropping resistor when I was having problems with my tranny back in Sept. It turned out to be the TPS so I replaced it. A month later the problem seems to be coming back.

The dropping resistor is in-line with the line pressure solenoid. The TCU will feed power through it to help reduce line pressure during shifts and other type of stuff.

 

Were you having problems with CEL's or what not before you adjusted your TPS to be in spec?

Can we have the symptons please

 

nipper

What is CEL's? I have no idea what the line pressure solenoid is or where it's located....if that even matters.

 

Symptoms. Intermittent power loss, tranny going into to a default mode in which all the shift ratios are wrong, TPS code from the AT oil temp light. It seems to happen after the car is warm and has been driven for a substantial distance.

 

It's all the same symptoms I had when I took my car to the shop before, found out the TPS was bad and had it replaced.

no no no no no.

Tranny temp light gives out tranny trouble codes.Check Engine Light gives out engine codes. One doe not give out the others codes. What you have is NOT a tranny issue, its a drivability issue where something is way out of wack and the goes to limp mode. the TPS is not one of those thatwill do that. WHat code are you getting from the trannt light. I have a feeling what your doin g has no root in reality when it comes into your probelm.

 

Lest start over

MOdesl

Engine

Year

Milleage

 

ANy major work done of latee

Any idiot lights on

Whats your gas mileage.

 

WHat is THE CODE you are getting in raw blinks, and let us interperit it.

 

nipper

Assuming it's a new TPS and not defective, I would look at the wiring to the TPS and the connector between the TPS and the ECM. The one connector that often gives trouble is the one at the engine harness and the main harness from the firewall. It should be a gray connector

SEA#3

According to the shop I had the TPS replaced at, a bad signal from the TPS will throw the tranny out of whack. And the AT Oil Temp light does give a TPS code.

 

Lest start over

Model Outback Wagon Limited

Engine 2.5

Year 1999

Milleage 126000

 

Any major work done of late: Replaced tranny with one from a wrecking yard. Same with TCM. TPS replaced. Replaced vent valve for gas Evap system.

 

Any idiot lights on: Check Engine light is on. Last time it was scanned it gave an Evap System code. The gas tank got overfilled once and we belive it damaged the charcoal filter. I have had a MAF sensor code come up before too.

 

Whats your gas mileage: 22-27

 

WHat is THE CODE you are getting in raw blinks, and let us interperit it: 31