Throttle Position (TP) Sensor
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 31 other vehicles, including the 2008 Mercury Sable, 2008 Mercury Mountaineer, 2008 Mercury Milan, 2008 Mercury Mariner, and 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The TP sensor is a rotary potentiometer sensor that provides a signal to the PCM that is linearly proportional to the throttle plate/shaft position. The sensor housing has a 3-blade electrical connector that may be gold plated. The gold plating increases the corrosion resistance on the terminals and increases the connector durability. The TP sensor is mounted on the throttle body. As the TP sensor is rotated by the throttle shaft, 4 operating conditions are determined by the PCM from the TP. The operating conditions are:
- closed throttle (includes idle or deceleration)
- part throttle (includes cruise or moderate acceleration)
- wide open throttle (includes maximum acceleration or de-choke on crank)
- throttle angle rate