TPS report

[thewumpus99]

I was getting a sporadic Check Engine code of 21 (but this info is also applicable to code 22) and did the Throttle Position Sensor diagnostics in the service manual, but the flowchart is pretty crude and don't tell you much.

It turns out the TPS is just a spring-loaded variable resistor. So a more precise way to test it is to unplug it, pop it off the throttle body, and use a multimeter to measure the resistance between the 5V input pin (hooks to the grey reference wire) and the middle output (hooks to the blue wire). When the arm is totally unwound, resistance should read about 1K ohms. When the arm is wound, it should read around 8k ohms. If your TPS sensor is bad, it will probably just read as an open circuit/high impedance like you don't have anything hooked to the ohmeter.

Presumably you could do this while it was still mounted on the throttle body, and the range would just start higher and end lower (so the range might be from 1.7K, unwound, up through 6.4K, WOT, assuming the resistance varies linearly).

Hope this saves somebody some time (or $50 on a new TPS they might not need).

 

[Snoman002]

Re: TPS report

Watch out for dead spots in the middle, especially in the range where you cruise the most. Best to slowly sweep the tps from one extreme to another watching for a smooth change in resistance. Still not fool proof however.

 

[warmpancakes]

Re: TPS report

easiest way is hook a scan tool up and do a tps sweep test

 

[Ty1642]

Re: TPS report

I heard you put the wrong cover sheet on your TPS report.

 

[Logan]

Re: TPS report

I really thought this was gonna be an office space thread.

 

[ziembic]

Re: TPS report

I can't help you with your problem, I have a meeting with the Bob's.

 

[atkonkler]

Re: TPS report

What the **** is pc load letter?

 

[johnboy89]

Re: TPS report

tps report
In software development, a TPS Report is a quality assurance document that stands for "Testing Procedure Specification". This report is part of the IEEE 829 standards.

However, in the modern cubicle culture, TPS is an acronym meaning "Totally Pointless Stuff", which was made famous in the movie Office Space. TPS Reports are meaningless pieces of documentation that must be filled out but that nobody reads.

As an inside joke, many cubicle workers have duped their managers into renaming their routine status reports as "TPS reports" under the guise of other acroyms such as "Time and Productivity Status"

 

[Logan]

Re: TPS report

We have ruined this thread.

 

[ajt86]

Re: TPS report

Watch out for dead spots in the middle, especially in the range where you cruise the most. Best to slowly sweep the tps from one extreme to another watching for a smooth change in resistance. Still not fool proof however.

this works best- especially if you have a MIN/MAX function on your multimeter, sweep it a bunch of times and watch for a steady incline and decline, then check the min and max values to see if the meter picked up a split second open

 

[Don W.]

Re: TPS report

If you have DM you can do all this without disconnecting or connecting anything. Tell DM to graph TPS and nothing else. Key on, engine off start recording. Move throttle all you want and watch voltage. Good test for full throttle as well.

 

[thewumpus99]

Re: TPS report

Meant to add, the bad TPS symptoms were that the truck was running a bit rough like the tune was off, and also, whenever I punched the gas, it would hesitate like it was going to stall before it caught and then accelerated properly. Both things fixed now.

"Eight, Bob. So that means that when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it."