tps sensor acting funny

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tps sensor acting funny

By jedrick
- Tue Jan 20, 2015 2:58 pm #351172 Because my car was idleing funny and when i took of a stop it would sound like it was choking or was misfiring.I recently changed my tps sensor /and cleaned the throttle body with carb cleaner and sprayed with air to dry it up,when i floor it (step on the gas hard)the engine light comes on when i turn the car off and turn it on again the engine light goes away but if i step on the gas again it happens again. I noticed an improvement on acceleration and idle is ok but it could be better and sound smoother (how do i adjust the idle?) Also now i have to push my shifter button a few times or wait about 30 sec. Before i can change gears, i think this may be due to me undoing the metal cables that go to the throttle body (how do i fix that?) , is also still doin the chocking/misfiring sound on take off sometimes. Ok that sounds like thats enough for now im sure most people didntt make it this far.If you do have 30 sec and know how to help me or can point me in the right direction i appreciate all the help
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By EconoBox
- Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:40 pm #351177 A lot of the time people mess up installing the TPS, it has to be installed and calibrated correctly which is why Honda does not sell a replacement TPS only a complete throttle body with it preset.

Make sure the TPS is installed correctly before continuing with this process. You want to make sure the small tab on the TPS sensor is installed between the notch on the throttle body itself so that it moves with the throttle plate. Once you have checked this continue to the calibration process. (Tip: sometimes it is easier to remove the throttle from the motor to install the TPS, the throttle gasket is only a couple dollars and you'll lose a tiny bit of coolant removing the fast idle lines)

Now the important part.
The throttle position sensor has three wire. A 5 volt signal from the ECU, a ground, and a signal wire. We are concerned with the signal wire in this case. The signal wire will be the middle wire in the 3 pin connector.You will need a voltmeter and a back tap probe (A very thin attachment to stick into the back of the wiring with the sensor connected http://www.olct.co/electronic-specialties/flexible-back-probe-pins-1 <I haven't ordered from this site this is just to show what the tool is.)
If you don't have the tool you can always strip back a small section of wire and measure from there just be sure to heatshrink or tape over the exposed section when you're done.

First you want to turn the key to on without starting the car then look at your voltage measurement with the throttle shut it should be around 0.49 volts. If not slightly loosen the TPS and move it until you get as close as possible to 0.49 volts.

Second once you have the 0.49 volts closed reading tighten the TPS and then measure the voltage with the throttle wide open. It should read 4.5volts or higher. The factory ECU recognized 4.5volts as 90% throttle. If it does not come out correct usually its a faulty TPS.

Also you need to reinstall the two throttle cables back to the throttle body if you have that second one uninstalled that goes to your automatic transmission it will not function properly.

Hope this helps.
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By jedrick
- Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:06 pm #351184 Thank you very much, this helps a ton , i will do this when i get home, i guess with the shifter cable it needs tighening
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By jedrick
- Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:58 pm #351277 Just bought a multi meter today, going outside in a few to work on it, will update soon.
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By jedrick
- Sat Jan 24, 2015 1:21 am #351278 Ok so i did what you said and is doing the same thing it was doing before, it revs up and down like a vaccum line is lose or the tps is bad , my readings were 0.49 key on, and 4.68v with the throttle open, any idea on what to do now?
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By EconoBox
- Sun Jan 25, 2015 11:49 am #351303 The voltage readings are spot on so thats a good start.

Do you have a vacuum gauge?

I would check to see where vacuum is at on the car at idle. Surging idle can be a few issues but typically it is the fast idle valve (on the bottom of the throttle) or the idle air control valve (on the back of the intake manifold). Its also possible to have something as simple as a vacuum leak whether its a bad throttle body gasket or a dry rotted vacuum line. If you take a spray bottle with some water and spray it over the manifold in any place where a vacuum leak could occur you will notice that when you spray the water where the vacuum leak is it will idle normal until the water dries.
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By jedrick
- Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:47 am #352173 Ok so after replacing the tps and map sensor it was still acting funny, sprayed the water over the intake manifold and what do you know it idled normal, took me a while to find the crack on the manifold is like a hairline crack super thin so i slapped some jb weld and waited till it dried and guess what it was still doing it FML the 2 days later it stopped after i put the jb weld on it cracked the jb weld on the same place the crack was underneath but like i said after two days it must have sealed it self purrs like a baby again , now untill i figure out what i want to put in it im gonna keep it like that
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By jedrick
- Mon May 04, 2015 5:12 am #353540 Ok so a while after i put the jb weld on, it started doing the up and down idle again been riding it like that for a while, today i finally changed the manifold and was I in for a load of fun, first time doing and intake manifold, who knew there was so much shit hooked up to the intake manifold lol, for a min thought i bit more than i could chew, but i got it all hooked up and it started to squirt gas all over the place, i lost a spacer under the fuel rail thought that was the problem but it rurned out to be bad orings on the fuel injectors mind you it was 8:45 pm by now started at around 1:00pm lol (in my defense i had to sand the surface that sits against the head and throttle body which took a few hours) so i rushed to the auto store and it was closed but thanks to autozone they stay open till 9 and they didnt have the shit i needed i did get washers to fill the space under the fuel rail for the spacer i lost, got home and my neighbor saved me , now i got Mitsubishi orings on my car, gas leak stopped and i started and what do u know, reving up and down up and down. Grrrrr i called up a friend and he told me to put my finger inside the throttle body and plug the bottom hole close to the firewall and its perfect runs super smooth, so im gonna look into what is making do that because both the tps and the iacv are new, unless they r bad? Gotta see how i can test em individually and solve my problem, or put jb weld in the hole like my friend said which i dont wanna do. Ghetto ass puertoricans lol, im puertorican btw . Oh is also overheating im gonna go put water in it now and see if that solves that, its 1:04 am now.

By broken
- Mon Jun 08, 2015 8:52 pm #354099 I had the same problem. that hole goes to the IAC on the back of the throttle body. Replace that and your problem should go away. There are sometimes where the fast idle valve could cause the issue. but in my car i removed that cause i live in florida and dont need to heat my throttle body. Check both those parts. there is a sticky on cleaning the fast idle valve.
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By jedrick
- Mon Jun 08, 2015 10:54 pm #354101 Actually a while ago i changed the fast idle valve and it stopped, but i have a small leak between the throttle body and intake, the guy sold me the wrong gasket, but ill be making a new one out of some rubberry material i bought. Ty for the input, hey i live in florida too, highlands county
Last edited by jedrick on Fri Jun 12, 2015 12:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.

By broken
- Thu Jun 11, 2015 4:26 pm #354123 Highlands? just south of vero?
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By jedrick
- Fri Jun 12, 2015 12:55 pm #354140 Where the house is at is Avon park, the briefcase is at is Sebring where I work and the pin is Lake Placid all part of Highlands county, so I guess I'm to your left.
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