How to Reset a Throttle Position Sensor

Summary

Modern automobiles come with sophisticated sensors like a throttle position sensor. These sensors operate at their best, but they can also malfunction and cause issues.

A throttle position sensor monitors the level at which the throttle valve or bade is open, which can be determined by level at which the accelerator pedal is pressed. This system controls the amount of air that flows into the engine’s intake manifold, that is, when it’s opened wide more air flows in, and when nearly closed little air flows in.

It’s crucial that you can reset the throttle body sensor if that becomes necessary. It might be challenging to identify the source of engine problems in your car. The throttle body system is just one of many parts that cooperate to provide the engine with smooth acceleration. So, how do you reset the throttle position sensor?

To reset a throttle position sensor, you need to detach the battery, reattach the battery, set the ignition to electric, push the throttle pedal down, and then turn the key to the off position. Learn about carburetor here!

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Now, let’s go deep to explain what a throttle position sensor is and how to reset it!

How to Reset a Throttle Position Sensor

Contents

What is a Throttle Position Sensor?

A throttle position sensor (TPS) monitors the level at which the throttle valve or bade is open, which can be determined by level at which the accelerator pedal is pressed. This system controls the amount of air that flows into the engine’s intake manifold, that is, when it’s opened wide more air flows in, and when nearly closed little air flows in.

Information obtained from the throttle position, and how quickly is open and closes is send to engine control module. This information is use to decide how much fuel is injected into the engine and the spark timing.

The throttle position sensor is usually located on the body of throttle and when its malfunction the check engine warning light is trigered. The driver will also notice symptoms such as surge, rough idle, hesi or stall. This is because the engine contorl module will not understand what the throttle position is and won’t be able to correctly set the fuel mixture or ignition timing.

diagram of throttle position sensor

How to reset a throttle position sensor

Follow the step below to reset your car throttle position sensor: 

Detach the battery

Be sure to disconnect the battery for at least five minutes before moving on to the next procedure.

Reattach the battery

When the five minutes are up, reattach the battery but don’t try to do anything else.

Set the ignition to “electric.”

Put the key in the ignition now and switch to electric so that your car’s entire dashboard illuminates.

Push the gas pedal all the way down

You should perform the subsequent procedure three times. First, slowly depress the gas pedal all the way to the floor. It should only take around four seconds, and after the pedal touches the floor, you should leave it there for additional three seconds or more. Similarly, if you depress the accelerator pedal, you should release it gradually, taking four seconds again. Repeat this process three times.

Turn the key to the off position

After completing the fourth procedure, you should turn the ignition switch to the “off” position and remove the key for approximately 10 seconds. The operation is successful if your idleness is still there. If it isn’t, you might have to go through the third & fourth procedures again to get it to stay stable.

Alternatively, you can try disconnecting your battery’s negative cable for around five minutes in order to reprogram your throttle position sensor. In addition, you can take the fuse out of your engine control module. Learn about knock sensor here!

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That is all for this article, where I explained what a throttle position sensor is, and how to reset it. I hope it was helpful, if so, kindly share with others. Thanks for reading, see you around!

 

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