i need to test my tps?

Question

i got a 97 mitsubishi eclipse spider and i got digital vortmeter but i dont now what cables should i test there is four .. and more or less what are the reading i should be getting

its a 1997 eclipse spider 2.4L

how would i be able to tell if is bad??

Answer 1

You need to first identify the wires that relay the position of the throttle and the sensor too to the computer. An analog meter ( a meter with an actual D'arsonval meter movement in other words a needle) should be set to read resisitance or Ohms. with the harness removed and the meter leads on the plug points of the sensor that are "reference" and "position sensing" (color coding from a tech manual will determine this) move the TPS sensor slowly while watching the ohmeter. You want to see a smooth and even increase or decrease in the meter movement that follows your movement of the sensor and then back the other way on the meter as you return it to its start position. In most cases if you observe a needle spike or fall out during this observation then chances are you have a partially open or failed TPS. Be sure to mark the position the TPS is mounted in on the throttle body initially before removal so you can return it to as close to that placement as possible should you put it back on the car and chances are if a new TPS is in order it will probably perform well in that same postiton on the throttle body too. Good luck

Answer 2

You didn't tell us which engine---but it should be the brown/red wire to one test lead, and the other to ground. You should see a steady rise in voltage as you go from idle to wide open. A drop out in voltage at the same location is a sign of a bad TPS. A DVOM is not the best way to test this. But if you don't have a lab scope, this can work.

The problem is that a DVOM averages the readings. So if you have a really small drop in voltage, you might not see it quickly enough.

Hope this helps.

Rick

I'm a retired ASE Master/L-1 Technician. I still keep current with the latest automotive technology. Visit my blog for cool articles and TSB's: http://free-auto-repair-advice.blogspot.com

Answer 3

given the fact that the car is a 97, this means that it is an obd2 vehicle, assume that if there is no check engine light then, the tps is still operating in range. but if you want to see how the tps is working, you have one of two choices. you can use a scanner and pull up the tps signal, or you can determine which wire of the three (i believe ) is the signal wire. tap into the wire and, measure the voltage, by steadily moving the gas pedal and comparing the rate that the voltage changes. as long as you have a steady sweep with the gas pedal, you should have an equaly steady change in the signal volage.

Answer 4

You CAN test this with a Multimeter, but your best bet is a Lab Scope, because you will actualy be able to watch the rise in the pattern and look for any dead spots or drop outs.

I don't know what engine you have and I don't have access to Michels here right now, but I can tell you that it will likely be a 5v referance voltage and it will likely varry from about 1v at idle all the way up to 4.6 or 4.8v at full open. Just guessing, but you need a wiring diagram before you test this.

Answer 5

the vehicle specific haynes/chiltons manuals have this info in them.. auto parts stores that are friendly and willing to help often times have this info in their computer systems if they know where to look for it