Throttle position sensor, how to?

[isramirez21]

Hi
How do I change/clean the TPS sensor? Where is it located? I'm new to this car and need to learn a lot.:)
I tried the other day to see if I could find it but there are some black hoses that didn't even let me removed the Throttle body, can I remove those hoses, or what's the tri ck to remove the Throttle body?

Thanks in advance for any help and sorry for the noob question.<(:

[Nebone]

Should look like this on the 2.8 V6 motor and will be located on the throttle body.


You need to verify with diagnostic softwae if it is really faulty. There is a procedure to align it usig diagnostic sofware or by just turning the key into ignition position fo 30 or so seconds. Use the search feature to find throttle body adaptation infomtion.

[isramirez21]

Thank for the reply.
I tried the Throttle body adaptation today, but it didnt work. The check engine light came on right after a few seconds.
How do I remove those black hoses that are attached to the Throttle body?

Thanks

[Poopie]

it would be less of a headache to pick up a used throttle body. Cleaning a TPS has a low success rate.

[bint2k]

how long does it take to change the TPS sensor?

[DJ_Snowman]

i know this thread is a bit old but hopefully some one can still help. my a4 is giving CEL code p1505.. every where ive read is people saying its this sensor the tps.
but could it also be a short in a wire? or a bad wire?? or something else completely like the entire throttle body? im asking because i dont want to buy the 170 dollar sensor (not from a dealer!!!! dealer price is like 250 here) and then turns out it was simply a bad wire not transmitting signal right.. any help from some one with the same problem/code is greatly appreciated!

either way i will be inspecting the entire area tomorrow after work maybe ill see a loose wire or the sensor loosened or something.

[Cristisor]

For sure that a bad wire can cause this code because the code get's thrown whenever the behavior of the sensor is not as the ECU expects it to be.

[weaselciuy]

or it is blown :p

[DJ_Snowman]

For sure that a bad wire can cause this code because the code get's thrown whenever the behavior of the sensor is not as the ECU expects it to be.

ok thanks for the help!! i was inspecting the area today morning, and i noticed an oil hose wasnt connected right, it was extra loose... its the right hose coming from the engine to the plastic intake housing, the plastic part of the intake that connects directly to the throttle body with 2 hex bolts, this hose was leaking oil also so i fixed the plastic connector and reinstalled it..

i dont know if that could have caused the code?? also, yes a noob question here maybe i didnt look hard enough. but i cant find where the tps is!! i removed my entire intake piping up to the throttle body, i see the throttle body inlet... but no sensor around it. its in a tight spot and im very tall hehe so its kinda hard to get in and find it from above. where exactly on the throttle body is it?

im new to audis or European cars for that matter, so any help is greatly appreciated!

[DJ_Snowman]

ok so bit of an update from earlier.. that loose hose i was talking about did nothing. i guess it lubricates the intake housing that connects to the throttle body because theres a bit of oil running through both hoses but fixing the broken clip because it would keep falling out didnt fix the code but it did fix the slight oil leak i had...... also i found where the tps is with a little more reading up.. directly below the throttle body, is a wire popping out that leads to it....

now one last problem. i have no way of removing the sensor.. seeing how its upside down and i have fairly large hands i cant get any screw driver down there to remove both screws while doing it.. i will try tomorrow morning (going to church in a bit) jackin up the car and going around the transmission and hopefully i can reach the sensor from down there..

now heres my question... does any one know of a way to test out a sensor?? do local car shops have some type of tester to tell me if the sensor is working by taking it to them? the sensor is quiet expensive and i still dont want to go into buying one before i know thats exactly whats wrong............. oh and i checked all the wires.. from the sensor leading up to the little ecu box and all the wires look ok. none are broken or splitting. i cleaned all the intake housings and piping and cleaned the throttle body while i have the thing apart maybe that will help the airflow also.

[Cristisor]

That oil hose drives the oil vapors to the intake but I don't know it's exact purpose.
I don't know if there is a specific test for the tpa but I know that there is a field in VAG-COM that says how much the gas pedal is being pushed. At idle it should show "Idle" I think and when you start pushing it should easy go all the way up to around 85%. So try checking if the value increases as you push the pedal, if it doesn't change when you keep your foot still, the maximum value.

[USAF Long]

I don't know about the TPS for the 2.8 but when I worked at Auto Zone we could test most TPS sensors. You just hook a volt meter to it and turn the sensor with a screwdriver and watch the values increase. It tells you what the acceptable ranges are.

[Cristisor]

He needs a correct acceptable range first and then he can measure his TPS and compare the values with the correct ones.

[DJ_Snowman]

He needs a correct acceptable range first and then he can measure his TPS and compare the values with the correct ones.

so what do you recommend i do? should i just take it to auto zone and see if they can test the sensor? and i have the VAG-COM program, but no cable a friend lost it in his jetta and never found it again..

can i just take it to autozone and let them see if at least it transmits a signal?

I don't know about the TPS for the 2.8 but when I worked at Auto Zone we could test most TPS sensors. You just hook a volt meter to it and turn the sensor with a screwdriver and watch the values increase. It tells you what the acceptable ranges are.

how exactly do i test the sensor if i were to do it my self. i have a volt meter but never tested a sensor before, which pins would i touch each wire of the tester to??

thanks for the help guys i really do appreciate it, never really FULLY worked on a car, i normally let professional tunning shops handle my cars, but dont want to waste money on fixing basic parts on my daily driver.

[Cristisor]

DJ_Snowman you can't test the sensor using the voltmeter like USAF Long said because, as I was saying in the previous post, you don't have a correct acceptable range so that you can compare the values from your sensor with the correct ones. Without knowing the correct values you can't say if your values are correct or no. Try getting a cable and make the test that I said in another previous post:

At idle it should show "Idle" I think and when you start pushing it should easy go all the way up to around 85%. So try checking if the value increases as you push the pedal, if it doesn't change when you keep your foot still, the maximum value.

If you can't get a cable and you don't know the value range for the correct sensor then there is nothing else that you can do except going to a dealer.

[DJ_Snowman]

well my friend that works at a tuning shop came over to my house today and i happened to tell him the problem i had. he got his little tester out checked the sensors harness and said the wiring harness is good its giving a signal and power.. checked the sensors positive and ground but there was 0 signal,, he tapped the sensor a few times and theres a slight clink in the sensor.. so he says,, i think it might be busted, your car does have 160k miles on it and its the original sensor so it might be bad.. so hes like turn the ignition and press the accelerator. so i did and he says yeah when the throttle opens you can clearly hear and actually feel the sensor ticking.. he actually removed and opened my throttle body said the plates and everything is perfect just a bit dirty so cleaned it up. so hes like im 99% sure its your sensor.. but told me to do the test you are telling me about to be 100% sure..

again i have no cable so no way of checking the values. but, even if i dont have the correct ranges the sensor doesnt even transmit a signal, could i conclude already that since absolutely no signal from the sensor that its bad??

[Cristisor]

Absolutely, if there is no signal when the engine is turned on then your sensor is busted so it's time to get a new one. By the way, I hope that your friend did the measurements with the engine on and both at idle and while you are pushing the pedal, I don't know if the sensor responds when the engine is not started.

[DJ_Snowman]

yes we did it with the ignition on and changing the amount of throttle opening... and it always read at 0.L on his sensor which is absolutely no signal

[Cristisor]

If it always read 0 then purchase a new one.