TPS needs more fixing.

louieb

Member
Jul 13, 2012
70
0
6
hi all, im having a problem setting tps.

you guys had posted how to do this in the past. .96 vdc and 4.6 vdc at wot.

this is what i had done, i set meter to 20 vdc tested on battery and had 12.4 v, ok fine meter works

i used a pin, i inserted it in the green wire. i ground meter on a bolt of some sort, that is clean and attached to the body of car, no paint.

i get a reading of .01 vdc with key in on position. i said to myself this is odd. not even 1 volt.
so i keep everything as is to test wot. pin in green wire positive lead. black lead to ground bolt.
i open the throttle by hand to wot, and nothing. the meter doesn't move at all from .01.

I think i have a broken connection somehow? somewhere? do i have a bad fuse?
or am i just doing it completely wrong.

thanks.
ps, it may have something to do with open secondary fuel pump circuit?
originally i had it on a scanner, the scanner came back with tps out of range, and fuel pump open secondary circuit. both of these problems still are unfixed. could they be related to a broken wire?

any suggestion appreciated.
 
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after fooling with tps next morning it would not start.
I was like this is odd, i turned the key, and nothing happened. fuel pump kicked on as normal. starter did not turn.
fooled with solenoid, and it started. i used a screw driver and jumped it there and starter did crank. i turned off car and it was dead again.
its a new solenoid. after that i started fooling with tps and i got it to start after a few adjustments.
any ideas?

could tps cause the car not to give juice to starter?
it didn't even try to kick over.
 
It sounds like you are measuring the TPS wrong. OOPS. If I have been doing it right, you are supposed to measure across wires to the signal ground, not to an engine ground. Check out Jrichker's threads on the many how to lists he has helpfully posted for us. (A side note - adjusting TPS should not affect if it cranks, should it? WIERD!)

I would set the TPS right first, check my codes, then go into "what else did I break?" mode. Here is one of Jrichker's posts on setting the TPS.
http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/threads/throttle-response.862244/#post-8669328

"Setting the TPS at .98 or .99 volt is a Bozo Internet Myth. When the computer powers up and initializes the TPS sensor, whatever it reads is the zero starting point for it. In other words your .98 volt becomes 0 volts and the computer watches for increases in voltage from that point upward.
Setting the TPS: you'll need a good Digital Voltmeter (DVM) to do the job. Set the TPS voltage at .5- 1.1 range. Because of the variables involved with the tolerances of both computer and DVM, I would shoot for somewhere between .6 and 1.0 volts. Unless you have a Fluke or other high grade DVM, the second digit past the decimal point on cheap DVM’s is probably fantasy. Since the computer zeros out the TPS voltage every time it powers up, playing with the settings isn't an effective aid to performance or drivability. The main purpose of checking the TPS is to make sure it isn't way out of range and causing problems.


Wire colors & functions:
Orange/white = 5 volt VREF from the computer
Dark Green/lt green = TPS output to computer
Black/white = Signal ground from computer

TPS troubleshooting steps:
1.) Use the Orange/white & Black white wires to verify the TPS has the correct 5 volts source from the computer.
2.) Use the Dark Green/lt green & Black/white wires to set the TPS base voltage. Try this... All you need is less than 1.0 volt at idle and more than 4.25 at Wide Open Throttle (WOT). You'll need a voltmeter with a 1 or 3 volt low scale to do the job.

The Orange/White wire is the VREF 5 volts from the computer. You use the Dark Green/Lt green wire (TPS signal) and the Black/White wire (TPS ground) to set the TPS. Use a pair of safety pins to probe the TPS connector from the rear of the connector. You may find it a little difficult to make a good connection, but keep trying. Put the safety pins in the Dark Green/Lt green wire and Black/White wire. Make sure the ignition switch is in the Run position but the engine isn't running. Set the voltmeter on the 2 volt range if it doesn’t auto range.

Here’s a TPS tip I got from NoGo50

When you installed the sensor make sure you place it on the peg right and then tighten it down properly. Loosen the back screw a tiny bit so the sensor can pivot and loosen the front screw enough so you can move it just a little in very small increments. I wouldn’t try to adjust it using marks.

(copied from MustangMax, Glendale AZ)

A.) Always adjust the TPS and Idle with the engine at operating temp. Dive it around for a bit if you can and get it nice and warm.

B.) When you probe the leads of the TPS, do not use an engine ground, put the ground probe into the lead of the TPS. You should be connecting both meter probes to the TPS and not one to the TPS and the other to ground.

C.) Always reset the computer whenever you adjust the TPS or clean/change any sensors. I just pull the battery lead for 10 minutes.

D.) The key is to adjust the TPS voltage and reset the computer whenever the idle screw is changed.

The TPS is a variable resistor, must like the volume control knob on a cheap radio. We have all heard them crackle and pop when the volume is adjusted. The TPS sensor has the same problem: wear on the resistor element makes places that create electrical noise. This electrical noise confuses the computer, because it expects to see a smooth increase or decrease as the throttle is opened or closed.

TPS testing: most of the time a failed TPS will set code 23 or 63, but not always. Use either an analog meter or a DVM with an analog bar graph and connect the leads as instructed above. Turn the ignition switch to the Run position, but do not start the engine. Note the voltage with the throttle closed. Slowly open the throttle and watch the voltage increase smoothly, slowly close the throttle and watch the voltage decrease smoothly. If the voltage jumps around and isn’t smooth, the TPS has some worn places in the resistor element. When the throttle is closed, make sure that the voltage is the same as what it was when you started. If it varies more than 10%, the TPS is suspect of being worn in the idle range of its travel."

If this does not work, check out the "cranks but does not start" or "does not crank" type steps he has posted many times. It should be easy to find if he does not repost it with specific suggestions after you dump and post your codes.
 
thanks for reply. im still confused cause im a bone head on this sort of thing.

in laymen, on the tps there is 3 wires 1 green one black, and the third im unsure cause im on my cpu. orange wire?

your suggestion is use green wire for positive lead, and black wire as ground wire, am i correct? disconnect battery 10 min .

then reconnect battery turn key to on, but don't start. probe black, and green wire to find the correct voltage? between .6 and 1 v correct?

after i turn the throttle position to wot and then voltage should read 4.6 volts is this correct?

can i preform this operation as described or will i also need to probe orange wire, and black wire?

thanks again.