I adjusted mine with a Fluke Multimeter that was accurate to 3 decimal places. I got the closed throttle readings to within +.06V, and the wot to within -.02V. My car idles much better, but the car still runs like crap when it's cold(normal, I guess). A good thing is that it doesn't hunt at 1.1k RPM's with the driving lights off anymore.

Hey guys... I have another post out there regarding all my TPS/idle/boost issues... but I wanted to just add my two cents in.

I brought the car into the shop last month and had my Engine Wire Harness replaced... which was a complete disaster... and that immediately fixed all of my idle problems, and the TPS is spot on!

Not a cheap fix, and not necessarily what you might need to do... but take a look at your wires, some of mine were litterally being held together by ONE STRAND to the connector! Scary....

Good luck!

WELL still no start, TPS is on the money! and I know I have fuel, I know I have spark, and I know I have compression, I didn't do anything to blow a motor I took all percautions, anyway. still have a dead 7, about to give up. thanks for all the help though.

im having a problem setting mine

i put one gnd lead to a good gnd, and the pos lead to the both wires

i really dont get accurate numbers, they fluctuate up and down

ok heres the trip the butterflies are closed right but when i stick the safety pin in there it reads like it was open (4.89-4.90)??

am i doin something wrong here???

please help

thanx
mike

Damian: THANK YOU SO MUCH. Finally my 7 is running like its suppose to. Posts like this makes the forum a better place.
Best Regards
tahmid

glad to hear it helped tahmid :-)

how long did this process take everyone?
i have to give this a try some time...

Its not at all time consuming. Just follow Damian's instructions.The process was fun and i learnt a lot. Remember, if the voltage reading is fine when closed then 99% chances are the volt reading will be okay when open. Just check for the green wire. Coz the numbers for the black wire will be okay if the voltage reading for the green wire (closed) is alright. Just loosen the bolts and tap on the tps and check voltage readings. Its a little difficult to reach though.

Use a safety pin, and a good volt meter. I had the advantage of using my friends crypton so i could see the LIVE idle reading on the screen while tuning, that made things easier.

YES!!!!! finally my car idles worth a damn. :D

It took me about an hour and a half including time to run and get a volt meter. after I finished, I started her up and had a low idle...adjusted the air screw and what do ya know...a nice smooth idle. I took her out for a test run and am now able to hold a steady speed in all gears without ignition bucking and shit. :D :D :D :D

I dont know why I didnt get around to this sooner, I have read it a few times.

Had to chime in here.........it is amazing how a sensor the size of a silver dollar can create so much havoc on the entire car, but it can! I have an automatic and installed a new TPS. It was out of adjustment which caused the wrong signals to the Transmission ECU.....result; it idled ok but the engine would rev to over 3500 rpm before it would shift to second with a head snatching, tire barking slam . (these must be some tough trannys :) ) Then it would have to do the same thing before shifting into 3rd (at about 80mph) and never would hit overdrive.
Anyway, after reading this (and other TPS threads) I took the time to remove the throttlebody and make sure the TPS wasnt in a bind and was moving properly, then reinstalled everything and set my voltage on .87 fully closed and the open throttle voltage was in the range noted here.
I started her up and low and behold.....all is right with the world and I am a much happier man......runs and shifts great, idles great and I am at peace with my FD (however temporary that may be)......
Film at eleven......
Allen

Just stumbled across this thread, and going back to Damian's 1st post, I have just finished the exact same work on my car (viton hose job, eliminate AWS-including wax rod and cam, double throttle, EGR valve, and throttle body coolant) and the car runs like crap, too. Extremely rich, too. I've checked my TPS settings, and they were a touch high, and lowered them using the sensor readout on the PFC. It's still running rich, and like crap. I didn't turn back the air adjustment screws, though, when I checked my values.

Looking at the procedure in the FSM for TPS adjustment, the last 2 steps call for disconnecting the battery, and stepping on the brake pedal to cancel the 'memory of malfunctions'. Should we be doing this step? I have a PFC on my car.

The PFC does not store diagnostic codes like the factory ECU does. I would check your adjustment screws. Is the AWS solenoid disconnected, and is the ISC solenoid still connected?Did you seal the T/B to the IM after you removed it? A leak there could certainly cause your issue. RTV works great.

Thanks for the info on the PFC.

Other than the metal gasket between UIM and TB, I did no further sealing. I'm ordering a new gasket, and will lay on some sealant.

AWS solenoid is disconnected along with all hoses for that system. Block-off plates on UIM where hose and actuator were formerly located. I'm going to go back and place some sealant on those gaskets, too, now that you mention it.

Is the ISC the same as the BAC? If you are referring to the valve on the back of the UIM- I have not removed that, and it is still connected to the harness.


ISC solenoid?

I assume you have already checked your MAP sensor? Did you perhaps accidentally replace the MAP sensor gas filter with a check valve?

The other obvious one - check your plugs/wires, and get a timing light and check for ignition pulse on each lead. I had a big problem with bad leading wires and fouled plugs causing crappy idle/stalling/flooding.

ISC solenoid is the valve on the back of the UIM with the white connector. Supposedly it's ISC = Idle Speed Control but it is also referred to as an IACV = Idle Air Control Valve, etc. These can stick open or closed intermittently and cause fast/slow idle (I currently have this problem). The car will run and idle without it but idle is very sensitive to air and engine temperature and idle without the ISC requires a lot of messing with the screws to get right.

If you are going to seal the T/B to the UIM with RTV, don't use the gasket. Remove the gasket and run a thin unbroken bead of silicone around the sealing surface on the T/B. Reinstall and wait 24 hours for it to cure.

I would carefully check for other vacuum leaks, since everything you touched during the hose job has a potential to leak. If you have a PFC, you should check the sensor check screen and verify that none of the sensors are highlighted that shouldn't be (unless you are running premix, etc, none should be highlighted). Carefully check the TPS voltages as displayed by the PFC against the FSM reference.

You may also want to temporarily disable O2 F/B control and Idle IG Cntrl in the PFC while you troubleshoot. The former will ignore the O2 sensor, and the latter will fix the idle ignition timing to the ignition map value so that it doesn't hunt timing trying to stabilize the idle. With the PFC, the fixed ignition timing will often have the PFC stabilize the modulation of the ISC valve, which makes troubleshooting easier. Get the idle stable with fixed ignition and o2 F/B on a warm engine, and then reenable them and continue from there.

Thanks for taking the time to respond at length- I really appreciate your effort and checklist!

When you do projects like this, no matter how careful you are, you always overlook something. That 'something' for me was the MAP sensor- I neglected to put it back on the UIM when I moved it to access that one last hose on the back of the manifold. When I saw it, I thought I had it, but it's the same....

I did replace the gas filter in the correct orientation (arrow to manifold), so I'm good there.

I was thinking about ignition, too. I have a new set of wires on the car, and when I was installing them (put them in at the same time I was doing all the other work), I had my right arm down inside the engine compartment trying to ensure that the wire was firmly on the plug. Now when I pushed hard, I could have sworn that I got a big shock up my right arm(I had the battery out of the car at this point), and it took my breath away! Now, unless the coil packs have a capacitor in them, there's no way it could deliver a charge- right? So, I just figured that I pulled a muscle, and thus the shock. Weird. Anyway, I am going to try the timing light on each plug wire and see what I get. Is there any way to check a coil on the bench?

Checked the sensor screen, and there were no highlights there. So, I'll assume all sensors are functioning and reporting in.

I just ordered all new gaskets/o-rings, etc. from Malloy- I'll give that a try before doing the RTV route.

Thanks again!

Doing it tomorrow!!! I have the SAME exactly symptoms!! Hope it works!!

I just ordered a new set of Magnecor wires from Jason to eliminate the bad plug wires issue while I've got it all opened-up.
I also took the vac hose diagram file to Kinko's and blew it up to 24" X 36" ($39.00) so that I can make absolutly certain that all hoses are in the right place- I'm sure they are, but just want to be sure.
Keep me posted.

All right, I'm running out of patience here. The damn car is running so rich.

I installed the Magnecor wires today, and checked the MAP sensor per the FSM (didn't start the car up, though, I used a mityvac to pressurized and apply vacuum to the MAP- it checked out). Fired the car up and checked each plug lead with my timing light, and they're all firing. By the time I shut it down, the garage was full of smoke (at idle).

I then replaced the PFC with the stock ECU, and fired it up again to see if I could get an idle without all the fuel. No change, so all's fine with the map in the PFC.

Went back and checked the TPS settings by inserting probes into the harness, and the values were fine and checked with those shown on the PFC. Good there, too.

I've gone back and checked all the vacuum hoses I had installed for leaks and to ensure that they were routed correctly. All good.

I've replaced the ignition coils just to be sure, and I've cleaned the plugs a number of times as they're sooted-up after each time the car runs.

So, where do I go from here? Fuel pressure regulator? An injector(s) stuck open? I removed and blocked the EGR valve- does this have any bearing on it? By the way, mine is a lower mile car with 35,000 miles on it, and it ran fine (except for a boost issue) before I did the vacuum hose job/bypass of AWS, Double Throttle, EGR . What have I done????

^^^^

Are you getting white vapor smoke, as in lots and lots of unburned fuel? You very likely have an injector stuck open or an injector o-ring misseated, pinched, or broken. I had this problem and wrestled with it for weeks before I finally figured out that one of my secondary o-rings was cracked and blowing lots of fuel into my engine.

Try this: remove your ignitor module, so that the chance of accidental spark (fire) is decreased. Jumper the fuel pump on on the diag connector (jumper F/P to GND). Remove the T/B elbow, and have a friend open the throttle completely and turn the key to ON. The fuel pump will come on. Listen closely for a spraying sound coming from the UIM. If you hear a spray, you are blowing fuel into the intake. If all is well, you should only hear the hum of the fuel pump running.

And of course, any time you are working on the fuel system, be sure to have very good ventilation, a fire extinguisher nearby, and leave cellphones, fans, electric motors, and other non-intrinsically-safe stuff elsewhere.

First of all, thanks for your help- I really appreciate it!

The smoke is sooty (black, I guess)- it's clearly rich. Now, as one who grew up with carbs and distributors, it would be an easy one to diagnose- just go throught the logical procedures. But, once you bring electronics into the equation.....well....

I haven't touched the injectors- they were not removed, so the o-rings haven't been moved/displaced, but the stuck injector is reasonable. One of the steps I tried was to pull fuel out across the map, and there was no change. So, this begins to support a fuel supply issue that I cannot control. Along those lines, do you know the symptoms of a bad FPR?...however, if it was bad, when you pulled fuel from the map, there should have been some reaction. Right?

I'm going to give your suggestion a try- probably take the UIM off while I'm at it (I'm getting really good at this, plus without the AWS and TB coolant line, it goes pretty quickly), that way I'll be able to get a good look down the LIM and see if there's fuel pouring in. After that, I'm running out of ideas, as everything else has checked.

Thanks, again!

just to be clear, you have already done the stuff I outlined in the begining of this thread, so the TPS, idle screws, et, et are all calibrated/set/adjusted?

Yep. Checked the settings on the TPS with the PFC, and then just to be sure, I checked them with a voltmeter when I buttoned it back up this time around. Also, backed all the screws all the way out, and then brought them back in until they just made contact with the respective arms.

Further thoughts:
if there was a vacuum leak, it would account for the lopey, hunting idle... but not the excessive fuel. A vacuum leak, with the additional air into the intake stream would make the engine run lean.

I'm inclined to also put the EGR and double throttle solenoids back in and plug them into the harness. I know it should have no bearing on the PFC, but it ran fine before I started this.

Is there a way to shut off each injector via the PFC?, thus helping to identify a possible stuck injector?

If the vac line to your FPR was broken/cracked, you would have a vac leak, as well as slightly higher fuel pressure. In my experience, failure of a regulator (diaphragm, vacuum source, etc) generally has very little effect at idle, however.

Unplug the connector :D

Just an RX-7 newbie here, but is it possible to identify the injector pulse outputs from your PFC and see if the voltages all look the same? If one or more of the injectors is being held open or at a high duty cycle due to a faulty sensor (have no idea what... maybe coolant temperature), that could cause rich running.

---- Bill

Bill-
good question. My guess is that if there's something hanging the injector open, it will not be reflected on the duty cycle of the injector. I'm going to take a look though.....
Bob

needs pics with everything pointed and numbered
 

This is what I did...

TPS Connector Points (4 lined up vertically) and required voltages:
2nd from the top (green wire with red strip), this goes to the 3F ECU connector. Closed throttle +V range is 0.75 to 1.25. Fully open throttle +V range is 4.8 to 5.0.
Bottom (black wire with green strip), this goes to the 3G ECU connector. Closed throttle +V range is 0.1 to 0.7. Fully open throttle +v range is 4.2 to 4.6.

-----------------------------------xxx--------------------------------------xxx---------------------
Procedure:
1. Start and run engine until at normal operating temperature and the fast idle cam is at idle position.
2. Turn off engine.
3. Remove the AWS hose that connects to the long curved inlet pipe and to the AWS solenoid behind the throttle body.
4. Remove the hose from the pressure sensor on the firewall and tuck it down out of the way. Procedures 3 & 4 are to make room to reach the 2 TPS bolts.
5. Using the 7mm socket, 3/8" to 1/4" adapter, and 3/8" rachet, 1oosen the lower TPS bolt.
6. Using the 7mm socket and 1/4" L handle, barely loosen the top TPS bolt.
7. Connect the negative volt meter lead to a good ground point. I used one of the ground points in the diagnostic connector.
8. Insert the safety pin point into the 3F or 3G TPS connector between the wire and rubber weather seal. Using the alligator tip, connect the volt meter positive lead to the latch end of the safety pin.
9. Turn on the ignition without starting the engine. If there isn't a voltage reading, then readjust your ground and TPS connections until you do.
10. Note the voltages at closed and fully opened throttle.
11. Do the same for the other TPS connector point.
12. If all four voltages are not within the specified ranges, loosen the top TPS bolt and rotate the TPS until all four voltages are correct.
13. Tighten the 2 TPS bolts and reassemble everything. Do not over tighten the two TPS bolts. Their listed torque is 14 to 21 inch pounds!
14. Drive the car then readjust the idle air bleed if necessary.

I'm a computer geek and and have no idea what's what... I played around with on screw which is spring loaded on the right side of the TB which to my suprised actually helped my shifting and buckling by alot.
Can somone one take a picture and point out to me where all these screws and bolts are for me...hehe... i'm so lost but at the same time i know this will fix my problem and the girl won't have back problems ridin' with me. ;)

i'm using pfc to read of my vta1 and vta2 readings. They are way off from what is listed on www.fd3s.net... i have searched for few days and busted my finger open... thanks in advanced.

i don't know what step 5,6,12,13 are talking about...
step 14 i think is the screw at the bottom of the tb which u can un screw to set ur idle...

somone plz take a good pic and point this out to us noobs...

tps is here
 

ok, here is a pic i took a second ago, it shows you where the TPS is :-)

https://www.rx7club.com/attachment.p...hmentid=148250

Someone post a pic of the Air adjustment screw...if I am closing that all the way, am I turning clockwise?

Trev

O2 buck and bog and drive like a dog
 

This sounds like it could be a likely cause of my car oscilating and occasionally bogging or bucking; not to mention a new feature of cranking longer prior to cold start, and stalling occasionaly when cold or going downhill.
But is seems like the crack mechanic at the Ma's Duh dealer would have been all over this possibility. He was adjusting the TPS; and even tried a different one.

The car is also showing engine check light o2 sensor codes.

Should I push him hard on the TPS adjustments; or go back to the grounding straps and idle sensor?

Or try a new mechanic?

>>Should I push him hard on the TPS adjustments; or go back to the grounding straps and idle sensor?


There realy is nothing to 'push' him on , the TPS is either in range or not...once it is in range, you leave it and adjust the other things.

Hey Damian, heres a question for you.
I followed the instruction as stated from the link you provided us. But when I was gettin the top bolt lose, gettin it ready to be adjusted. I use a multimeter from RadioShack that reads 15 range of V. I had the black wire (ground - negative) to a good ground. Then I unplugged the tps connector, I used the positive(red lead) from multimeter, plug into the top 2nd slot(green with red stripe wire) and had a reading of .010 - .011 close throttle. I tried adjusting the tps by rotating it, no change or whatsoever? Why? I kept trying different methods by rotating it slowly, fast or even fluctuate it up and down, nothing changes. Because of this, my idle got worst and had more backfire. Please help !!! Thanks in advance.

p.s. car has been warmed up, ignition on, my original idle was around 1-1.1k with very little backfire after adjusting the air-adjusting-screw, but now its around 1.3-1.5 and has many popping/backfireing. Did i do something wrong here?
-Eric

>>Then I unplugged the tps connector

that is your issue, leave it plugged in, that is why I use needles to get in there to make the connections, i though that was in my write up to use needles behind the connector to get the readings.

leave it connected... then check readings, set properly, then tighten screws once in the right range....then post how its goes.

ps.

you need the connector connected to give the TPS power in order to create the voltage readings :-)

Hmmm really? Maybe I somehow skipped it. Let me check it out tonight and see what's up. Thanks

Just tested my TPS...

"Top" wire
.97 @ Idle
5.00 @ WOT

Bottom wire
.5 @ Idle
3.26 @ WOT

The spec for the bottom WOT is 4.2-4.6, my car currently backfires occasionaly on decel, is that the cuplrit? Do you just "play" with the TPS till the numbers are right?

while cruising thru this thread and hearing all the applause for Damian a scrap of a sentence jumped off the page...

"adjust the screw on the top of the throttle body so that it doesn't hold the butterflies open"

BINGO

like most modded FDs i have little remaining on my throttle body but the butterfly adj screw. and my idle refused to run below 1800-1900. having more important things to do i messed w it abit and then just ignored it.

i did adj my VTA1 and VTA2 but w the idle screw advanced so the car would idle.

after backing the screw off and resetting my TPS my car now idles properly.

whoopie and thanks Damian.

howard coleman

:-) glad it helped howard!!! ill probably see ya when ur here for the tuning session

great thread....my TPS just took a dump

do they go bad, or typically just out of adjustment?

is it generally necesary to remove the throttle body to get the little pos phillips head adjustment screws loose?

>>do they go bad, or typically just out of adjustment?

they usually just get tweaked out of adjustment range....but I have herd of some going bad.

>>is it generally necesary to remove the throttle body to get the little pos phillips head adjustment screws loose?

nope, you can get them loose without taking it off, but its not easy, u need a 90 deg screw driver or a real stubby one. ... and the screw heads strip easily so I take mine off and replace them with allen bolts, its a lot easier to get an allen tool in there and get leverage.

my car runs for about 2 minutes and then it just abruptly dies, then starts back up again after turning the key off...it's doing alot of the things you mentioned, so I'm guessing that is the problem

I suppose the voltage check will tell me if it's bad?

do the voltage check...dont assume it is the tps until after you do the voltage check.

how did you test it with the sensor plugged in? did you strip the wires back a little?

sometimes my rpm idles at 2k and then goes down to 1k and idles there untill im stopped for like 4 minutes. then it goes to like 700 i think i cant tell. what is it doing that it needs to do that. and also sometimes the rev bounces from 1-1.5 and then i rev it and it stops.

ok, I checked it with the needle/voltage tester method, and also with the PowerFC Commander (forgot about that :p)

the voltage for both connectors at full open throttle is within range, and the voltage for one of the connectors is within range at closed throttle, the other is quite a bit out of spec (about 2.3 V...and this is after I turned the TPS clockwise all the way, both were way off unless I did this)

I'm thinking the sensor is shot, not that I trsut these voltage tests all that much after my coils passed the test and were shot anyway...the car runs for a few seconds and dies

hi.. my car has the back firing issue similar to what you have stated.. though it doesnt have any of the other issues.. does anyone know if i adust the Tps if it will help my issue? cheers shaun

back firing off the throttle is quite common, esp if you are running rich....likely not TPS related

when the TPS goes, your car will run very erratically, if at all....trust me :)

sup.. yes the car is running rich, quite rich.. makes sense extra fuel burning off.. might have tone it down a bit.. cheers for quick response Improved FD, much appreciated.. shaun

its easy to see if the TPS adjust ment will help or not, just check the voltage readings, if its in spec, then its not causing an issue... if its out of spec... then adjust it to within spec.

but if the sensor is just plain shot, does it give 0 V or erratic readings?

perhaps someone can post on this