Throttle position sensor malfunction

Most throttle position sensors are simple and easy to troubleshoot. If a TPS is suspect a professional repair facility will perform electrical testing on the sensor.

The throttle position sensor can gradually fail or all at once.

Throttle position sensor malfunction. The easiest way to reset your throttle position sensor is to unhook the negative cable from your battery for up to five minutes or to remove the fuse for your engine control module. Dont attempt this if youre uncomfortable working with electricity as removing the wrong fuse or cable from your battery could be dangerous. A faulty throttle position sensor sends incorrect information to the ECM resulting in various issues in the engine its performance and fuel economy.

Below are common symptoms of a faulty TPS. In most of the cases all of these symptoms will show together making it easier to detect the faulty component. Because the throttle position sensor is such an important part of the engines performance it could result in many different symptoms.

The most common symptoms of a bad throttle position sensor are check engine light bad engine performance rough idle and gear shifting problems. Here is a more detailed list of the 5 most common symptoms of a bad throttle position sensor. The throttle position sensor can gradually fail or all at once.

It can be faulty due to many causes. In most situations when there is an issue with the throttle position sensor the Check Engine Light will turn on. Additionally most carmakers supply a limp home mode of operation with decreased power if there is a failure in your engine.

Throttle Position Sensor TPS Problems from the throttle position sensor TPS often trigger a diagnostic fault code. Before replacing the sensor the sensors wiring should be inspected for damage or loose connections. The sensor may also become loose causing the readings to be inaccurate.

The average lifespan of a throttle position sensor is just over 80000 miles though some will last for the lifetime of the car. If a TPS is suspect a professional repair facility will perform electrical testing on the sensor. A scan tool can also display live data showing how the sensor is performing and sometimes determine if its faulty.

The throttle position sensor usually relies on a potentiometer sometimes accompanied by a switch that sends signals of varying voltage to indicate relative throttle position. Throttle position sensors can fail or wear out just like any other engine component. Sometimes improper service causes the sensor to malfunction.

A sensor problem will usually activate a check-engine light but the car may send out its own cry for help in the form of performance problems. Throttle Pedal Position SensorSwitch TPS A Circuit Malfunction What the P0120 code means P0120 is the generic OBD-II code which indicates that the Engine Control Module ECM has seen the TPS sensor circuit A output voltage going below or above the sensors expected range or is chattering when compared to TPS sensor circuit B. P0120 TPS A Circuit Malfunction OBD-II Trouble Code Technical Description.

Throttle Position SensorSwitch TPS A Circuit Malfunction. What does that mean. This diagnostic trouble code DTC is a generic powertrain code which means that it applies to OBD-II equipped vehicles.

Although generic the specific repair steps may vary depending on makemodel. This diagnostic trouble code DTC is a generic powertrain code which means that it applies to OBD-II equipped vehicles. Although generic the specific repair steps may vary depending on makemodel.

The TPS Throttle Position Sensor is a potentiometer that is mounted to the throttle body. It detects the throttle blade angle. Aside from that the sensor also detects throttle valves opening and closing speed and feeds the needed voltage signal to the PCM.

Error Code P0120 is detected when the circuit A malfunctions or there is an excessively high or low voltage from the sensor sent by the TPS to the PCM. This sensors primary job is to monitor the position of the throttle pedal and send an electronic signal to open the throttle body as you depress the gas pedal. Although this device often lasts the entire lifespan of your vehicle there are occasions when it will fail wear out and need to be replaced.

What usually happens is that at high speeds the butterfly valve inside the throttle may close up and if the driver pushes on the pedal harder the valve pops open suddenly giving the car an unintentional burst of speed. All of this happens if the sensor is unable to detect the closed position of the throttle. When the throttle is closed the signal is near 45 volts.

At WOT Wide Open Throttle the TPS signal voltage will approach a full 5 volts. When the PCM sees a voltage that is outside of normal operating range P0120 Nissan will set. The PCM knows that any large change in throttle position means a cooresponding change in manifold pressure MAP.

The TPS sends the throttle position information back to the PCM on this signal wire. When the throttle is closed the signal is near 45 volts. At WOT Wide Open Throttle the TPS signal voltage will approach a full 5 volts.

When the PCM sees a voltage that is outside of normal operating range P0120 Volkswagen will set. The TP sensor has two sensor circuits which each transmits a signal VTA1 and VTA2. VTA1 is used to detect the throttle valve angle and VTA2 is used to detect malfunctions in VTA1.

The sensor signal voltages vary between 0 V and 5 V in proportion to the throttle valve opening angle and are transmitted to the VTA terminals of the ECM. Most throttle position sensors are simple and easy to troubleshoot. There are three wires attached to the TPS.

Power ground and signal. Power or reference voltage goes into the TPS. The sensor then sends a return signal voltage to the PCM.

OBD II fault code is defined as ThrottlePedal Position SensorSwitch C Circuit Malfunction and set when the PCM Powertrain Control Module detects a signal voltage from the TPS Throttle Position Sensor that does not correlate with the current engine speed. What usually happens is that at high speeds the butterfly valve inside the throttle may close up and if the driver pushes on the pedal harder the valve pops open suddenly giving the car an unintentional burst of speed. All of this happens if the sensor is unable to detect the closed position of the throttle.