Throttle Position Sensor: Description and Operation

Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) Operating Characteristics:

PURPOSE
To provide the ECM with a voltage signal that corresponds to the opening angle of the throttle.

LOCATION
Mounted to the side of the throttle housing.

OPERATION
The Throttle Position Sensor has both a linear potentiometer (sensor) and Idle/Wide Open Throttle (WOT) switches.

Throttle Sensor:
The sensor receives a 5 VDC reference signal from the ECM. At idle, the sensor will output approx. 0.4 VDC to the ECM and upwards of 4.5 VDC at wide open throttle. The ECM uses this voltage signal to calculate throttle opening angle and the speed at which the throttle was opened.

Throttle Switches:
The Throttle Switches (Idle and WOT) are NOT used by the ECM to manage the ECCS system. The switches are used by ECM for self-diagnostic purposes only.