Throttle Position (TP) Sensor
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 32 other vehicles, including the 2011 Mercury Milan, 2011 Mercury Mariner, 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis, 2011 Lincoln Town Car, and 2011 Lincoln Navigator L. 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 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, the following operating conditions are determined by the PCM:
- 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