Throttle Position Sensor (TPS)

The throttle position sensor is mounted on the throttle body and connected to the throttle valve shaft. See Figure . The sensor is a variable resistor that provides the ECU with an input voltage that represents throttle valve position. The TPS supplies a varied input voltage signal to the ECU that will range from approximately 1.0 volt at minimum throttle opening (idle position), to 5.0 volts at wide open throttle (WOT). The ECU uses TPS input voltage to determine current engine operating conditions. There are 2 different throttle position sensors used. The TPS used on vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions has 2 integral wire harness connectors (one 4 pin connector and one 3 pin connector). The TPS used on vehicles equipped with manual transmissions use only one integral connector.