Japanese Mazda TPS Sensor

Description

Here are five important symptoms of a problematic throttle position sensor:

1. Lack Of Power

When the throttle valve position or throttle angle isn’t reported correctly, more air may enter the fuel mixture than the ECU compensates for — which then produces a lack of power for the engine.

The opposite can also happen due to malfunctioning a TPS, where your vehicle surges forward when you don’t plan to.

This leads to overall decreased engine performance and other car issues.

2. Trouble Accelerating The Car

Since a faulty throttle position sensor can cause reduced engine power, your car may face some trouble during acceleration.

The car may experience uneven acceleration, or it won’t accelerate after a certain point. This issue may ultimately affect the engine life and lead to poor fuel economy.

3. Increased Fuel Consumption

A dirty throttle sensor may send false readings to the ECU and cause your engine to consume more fuel than it should, severely decreasing your car’s fuel efficiency.

This is similar to when debris collects around the throttle opening (the throttle plate or the throttle valve), stopping airflow into the engine, and causing issues with unburned fuel passing through the exhaust system.

4. Uneven Idle

When the throttle plate operation isn’t reported effectively by the TPS, one of the tell-tale signs is poor or low idling. This includes the engine stalling and coming to a complete stop, a low idle after starting, or stalling when the accelerator pedal is pressed.

Dirt collected around the throttle can also contribute to a fluctuating idle speed.

5. Illuminated Check Engine Light

The TPS sensor is primarily responsible for monitoring the throttle plate (which controls the amount of air entering the engine).

If your car has a loose TPS connector (wire) or the throttle sensor fails to monitor throttle functioning properly, it will affect the engine performance, and the engine will trigger the check engine light in response.