beeza

Aim:

To calibrate the voltage on the TPS Sensor,a sensor on the throttle body that tells the ECU where the throttle is positioned.Over time the Tps goes out of calibration and your car's performance suffers greatly for it.

I was VERY impressed with the difference this made to my car.It increased throttle response,smoothly revving across the whole rev range and makes for a far enjoyable car to drive.

If your car is around the 8 year old mark,you should DEFINATELY do this if you want better performance from your car and offcoarse,who dosen't?!

Again,I can't emphasize how effective this is,a must do!

Combined with modifying ya stock TB,your car won't be the same and you'll NEVER wanna go back to stock again!

So do em' both eh!

Modifying the stock TB for more airflow

EK1 Civic has just done this,this is what he said after it:

THE TPS IS OVERLOOKED OR SHOULD I SAY NOT UNDERSTOOD BUT THE TPS HOLDS GREAT BENEFITS WHEN CALIBRATED.

Required:

Hacksaw
Suburu Upper Engine Cleaner/Super Engine Conditioner
Screwdrivers
2 screws 16mm x 5mm Metric thread with a dome head
2 pins
Multimeter
Allen Key (maybe needed for the Throttle stop screw)
Small socket and ratchet


This can be performed by yourself,without help,no problem.

This is being done on a d16y4.

The screws you need are 16mm long and 5mm wide,metric thread,with a dome head.Definately both d and b series engines use this screw.

16x5 Metric thread with a dome head:



Steps:

Remove the Throttle body -

4 bolts
3 sensors that just unplug (TPS,Map and IACV)
2 coolant hoses on the bottom,unclip the metal clamp and pull the hose off.A little coolant will run out,perfectly fine.If you don't want to loose the coolant,plug the hoses up.
Accelerator cable (and gearbox cable if an automatic)

Give it a clean:



If your tps is riveted on,U can hacksaw them off,dont need a grinder:



Use a screwdriver to tap the thread left in there out:





There She blows!



The Tps gasket is torn but it wont matter at all,so I will re-use it:



Now,clean the whole Throttle body up,I only use Suburu Upper engine cleaner to clean with now OR another product which I reckon is subi upper engine cleaner in another bottle is 'Engine conditioner',it's a Japanese product,i.e Japanese writing on the bottle and it's brilliant.Carby cleaner is crap.







Map Sensor:



Intake Air Control Valve (IACV),Clean that up real good!





Let it all dry out:



Time to get them screws!



IMPORTANT: When U put it back together,make sure that little plastic doova on the tps goes between those 2 metal bits.





Put it all back together:



Next,is to adjust the throttle cable..This is done by undoing these 2 nuts and tensioning the cable:





At Closed Throttle (CT) the cable needs to be firm but not tight.At Wide Open Throttle (WOT) when the pedal hits the floor should be the same time as the Throttle body Wide Open Throttle stop (WOT) is contacted,therefore there is no significant load on the cable nor the WOT stop:



The WOT stop varies in design but the exact same principle.I know on the b18c it's on the bottom.

The easiest way to achieve this is to put your foot to the floor (WOT) and check the above.If there is a gap,the cable needs to be tensioned to close the gap.If the TB WOT stop is contacted before the pedal hits the floor,you need to loosen the cable off a bit.

Here's a VIDEO of the end result.A nice firm cable.When the accelerator pedal makes contact with the floor,is the same time the TB WOT stop is contacted,Beautiful!:



OK.Now the fun part.On the TPS sensor,there are 3 wires - Yellow,red and green (all with a black stripe)

Red is Positive and Green is Negative.

I inserted the pin through the wire but I have learnt that the better way to save damaging the wire is to stick the pin up into the plug where the wire connects to the plug,as so:



Now,turn the car keys turned to the second click,so the lights on the dash come on.Then perform these tasks -

Set your multi meter to volts.We are looking for a range of 0-5 Volts,so the 20V setting is best:



Positive probe to positive wire and negative probe to negative wire:



Note: You can wedge the probes under something to stay on the pins,without the need to hold them.This will allow you to do this by your self.


[B]THESE VOLTAGES ARE THE SAME FOR ALL HONDA'S

0.48V @ CT (Closed Throttle)

4.5V @ WOT (Wide Open Throttle)

Now,hold the Throttle plate at WOT:



And turn the TPS until you get 4.5V on the multi meter:



Then tighten it back down:



Re-check the setting haven't changed after tightening the TPS.

After you have done that,check the voltage at CT (Closed Throttle).This is where the TS screw (Throttle stop) will need to be adjusted to set the CT Voltage.

If you have a value greater than 0.48V,you will need to wind the TS screw out to open/increase the voltage range.If it's less,wind it in/up to close the gap/range.

Throttle Stop screw on the d16y4,from behind:







Adjust it like this with an Allen key:



Under here:



Firstly you will need to undo the nut on there to be able to turn the screw.Make sure the nut is tightened up when you set the values.



Undo/tighten the TS screw until you get a 0.48V Value for CT.

TIP: When you tighten the nut up with the ratchet,the voltage will increase slightly by 0.01V-0.02V.So,adjust the TS screw with the allen key to 0.46V-0.47V value and tighten the nut up good with your ratchet.This way you will get the required 0.48V and a tight nut on the TS screw!

Now,re-check the WOT value.I bet it has moved? It maybe at 4.52 for example.So CT is at 0.48 and WOT at 4.52,so the range is 0.02 too much.So we need to close the range in by 0.02.Do this via the TS screw.Turn it up to 0.50.Then set WOT again at 4.5V by turning the TPS until you see this value,tighten it back down.CT should now be 0.48V and WOT at 4.5V.


VIDEO:

This is the final result,a perfectly set up accelerator pedal and Throttle body,performing at it's best!

You can hear CT and WOT stop's being contacted.The pedal feels perfect.At the same time the pedal is contacting with the floor,the WOT stop is being contacted on the Throttle body.At CT there is no significant 'load' on the pedal but there is tension in the cable,keeping the pedal firm with no free play.Perfect.



Between the TS screw,moving the TPS and the tensioning the accelerator cable and a bit of patience,this can be achieved.

Note: If your car is an automatic and you cant get both value's,your gearbox cable maybe too tight and restricting movement,like mine was.I could get 0.48V but Wide Open Throttle was 4.33V.I loosened off the gearbox cable and I could get 0.48V and 4.5V easily.The cable was restricting movement.

You will need to loosen off the cable to free up some movement,it's the same set up as the accelerator cable:



If your automatic 'kicks' into gear,like too much then your gearbox cable is too tight,Loosen it off.

Also,be wary your carpet under the accelerator pedal may be restricting the pedal and may need to be removed like mine did to get a better pedal.

If U get WOT,4.5V and can only get say 0.52V for CT.This means U need to increase the range at which the throttle plate moves by 0.04V.To do this U can simply file a small amount off the throttle rotor,like this:





Then set the WOT again first,then the CT,done!

After your done,set the idle via the idle air adjust screw.



Make sure the car is fully warmed up and simply turn the screw until the idle is where you want it.For a manual car,set the idle when the car is in neutral and for a automatic car,set the idle with the car in 'D'.It's 'D' that you will be sitting in at lights,so that's where you want to set it,not Park,'P'.

When you reset the ECU it will even the idle out.

Now we need to check that the values are the same at the ECU end.This will ensure the wires are fine and the ECU is seeing the same readings.

Remove the kick panel at the passengers feet to expose the ECU and wiring,1 clip and a bolt (How cool is the big march fly in the shot!):





Don't stab and ruin the wires like I did,stick the pins up into the connector,like this:





Closed Throttle:



Wide Open Throttle (WOT):



Also:

* Probe the Yellow and green wires to verify that you have 5v going to the TPS.

* Check the reading starts at 0.48V and smoothly increase to 4.5V,showing you have nice smooth throttle increase/decrease coming from the TPS to the ECU.This will verify the wiring between the TPS and ECU is fine.

VIDEO:



After you have completed that Reset the ECU and bleed the air from your coolant lines.This can be done by parking your car on a hill so that the engine is the high point,this will allow the air to escape easier.Start the car up,pop the hood and undo the radiator cap,take it right off so you can watch the air escaping.Just let it idle for a few minutes (at least the fan comes on twice).Give the coolant hoses a squeeze to help the air escape.

Your car will run better with no air in the coolant system.

NOTE: If U experience a high idle that goes up to 2,000rpm and then drops off and keeps repeating this (as discussed on page 8),chances are the Throttle plate is a bit open and needs closing.First try screwing in the idle/air screw on the top,if that dosen't do the job,probably won't,you will need to screw the TS screw out to close the throttle plate.The CT voltage will read 0.44V or so when the idle stabilizes but don't worry it shouldn't affect the performance of the car as I am learning).

IF the idle persists to be erratic,i.e. quite bad then look to fix the problem via the FITV - You-Have-Cleaned-the-IACV-BUT-Your-Idle-Is-Still-High-Erratic-Adjust-The-FITV.

Here is another GREAT DIY U can do aswell! Modifying-the-stock-Throttle-body-for-more-air-flow

Enjoyz!

Still doubt how effective this is?

This is quoted from JohnL Ozhonda's very own resident Suspension Expert! (Taken from this thread):

And....wait for it....

I set CT to 0.51V and WOT at 4.53V for a week then put it back to 0.48 - BIG DIFFERENCE!

For Everything that I have ever learnt about Cars/honda's,this is by far the most important and effective.I wish everyone had this done already.Our Honda's would be tearing up the planet!

So skip the Hot chicks thread tonight for a change,read this a few times,get confident with it and....DO IT! :thumbsup:

:honda:

sleepers91hb

I had a question... I know you post is old on the TPS calibrating which is a great write up I must add!

I cant seem to get my WOT to reach 4.5 the best I can get is about 4.3 and it is maxed out...

I there something I can do to increase the WOT??

I purchased a new Blox tps and have a used one as well and both seem to max out at 4.3.

Any ideas would help...

I PM you as well thanks

BryanM.

iTrader: (1)

Great write up.

I can't believe how few posts there are in here.

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

excellent write up!

94EG8

I know

TerrenceDinesen

love how detailed your report was, on the subject of carb cleaner being crap, are there other alternatives instead of the formentioned upper engine cleaner? what about plain old varsol ? or is this just a stupid question. i only ask because i have not seen the cleaner used when looking around at the hardware store or local autoshop parts store
thanks

bigpunn421

will cailbrating the tps like dr charles with ohms still be within spec with the honda required volts?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukPoe...ayer_embedded#!

Coupe-R

Great pictures etc. But what I will say is thats a lot of unecessary or incorrect steps in there. Read helms for setting idle

Correct way for OBD1/2A with 2 wire IACV is to warm car, then turn off, unplug IACV then turn on and get to idle with aroun 550rpm with no IACV attached. Once set turn off and plug IACV back in and your car should idle correctly.

All these steps about opening the throttle plate to get your idle voltage. NO! Make sure the throttle plate is closed (don't touch the throttle stop it will be set for a closed throttle plate)

JUST adjust the TPS voltage to ensure ECU sees its fully closed at idle. There should be no reason why its NOT closed unless your cable is tensioned too much.

Even easier get some logging on there to view throttle %, as long as ECU sees throttle closed (there is a voltage range) then your injectors will hit fuel cut as they should on decel.

Good points about making sure the throttle wheel hits the throttle stop on full throttle. This ensures you are getting 100% throttle PORVIDED you are at the correct voltage range at idle.

Only time you want to mess with that throttle stop is if you WANT the throttle open at idle if you aren't running a IACV and don't have an idle screw.

I'd say the process is this

step 1: Check throttle hits the throttle stop on idle (cable not tensioned too much)

step 2: Check the throttle hits the throttle stop of full throttle (cable tensioned enough?)

step3: Check TPS voltage on idle, is it in the ball park? (It will be unless it's damaged, REALLY worn or been messed with) Or better yet plug in a logger, is the TPS at 0% on idle? and 100% full throttle?

step 4: If voltage not in range undo the screws (Don't cut off!) Use the torx screws to undo. Adjust TPS for 0% at idle (0.45 ish volts)

DONE: You WILL have correct voltage on full throttle if your tps is adjusted correctly for idle. If you are too far out of range then you won't reach 100% on full throttle. Simple as that.

beeza

^^ Thanks mate,but I had to touch the throttle stop screw the get the voltage range,U dont need to move it much,just enough to get the correct voltages and then U can adjust the idle screw to get the idle where ya want it.

It's just how/what I did...

Thanks heaps mate and I'm waaaaay late on the post too....

Did U get it sorted?

Is the throttle plate definately opening and closing 100%?

Suburu upper engine cleaner or the likes.In Oz here there's a product called Super engine conditioner by three bond.


Thanks for all the nice comments guys,I'm proud to see 8000 views.

There's lots of steps and pics to make it easier for a noob say..

There's more DIY's in my sig

Take care all!

1991integrada9

Bump

Veggie Man

iTrader: (2)

This write up makes me incredibly excited and so sad its 20 degrees out. But that wont stop me.
I think this has been the cause of so many random issues with my car.
Thanks, I know what ill be doing this week.

n1delsol

very nice info. if you haved hondata you can do it all with the software

HondaGSR

Awesome Post Thanks for all your time.

trucku

Thank you for a great thread

I followed all the steps for adjusting the TPS, my engine COLD and the ignition turned to run position. I used a paper clip to back probe the connector on the TPS.

I set the WOT voltage using a piece of wood to brace the accelerator pedal down. That was the easy part. I then let the throttle close and observed .54 volts. I had to back off the idle screw almost all the way to barely achieve .48 volts. I rechecked everything another two times, throttle open and then close. Everything checked out fine, so I disconnected the negative cable to reset everything. After 15 minutes I reconnected the battery, started the car and let it idle until it started cycling the cooling fan.

I drove on 35mph, 45mph, 65mph roads, a 36 mile round trip, with no issues. The transmission never shifted so perfectly!

What I had done so far to the car before solving the shift issue was:
Cleaned the FITV, Throttle body , AB & Linear solenoid (all in a ultrasonic cleaner). I also replaced my TPS (adjusted it with engine HOT. I replaced the transmission fluid (in pan). I replaced my thermostat (170) and coolant. Lastly I added 12 ounces of Lucas Oil transmission fix. I only observed slight improvements, but once warmed up, the transmission shifted incorrectly again.

I decided to revisit this page one more time and it was worth it! I think taking it slow, and doing all of my adjustment on a cold engine (not started yet for the day), was the key to my success.

Thanks again for a most informative thread!!!!!

I next need to tackle what I think is poorly flowing injectors at low throttle. The RPMs bounce up and down, surging and subsiding engine at a very slight throttle when trying to drive very slowly.

david1227

thanks for the advice!

beeza

Thanks Trucku and David.

I appreciate it guys

holmesnmanny

Under no circumstances are you supposed to mess with the throttle stop screw. It's set from the factory to allow the throttle to close as much as possible without actually touching.

All the adjusting you do is tps-side. You don't touch the throttle stop screw.

R-Spec Ferio

nice write up.

M1K3Subs

I would love to do this... I live in Cali and have strict smog laws. Will this effect the OBD2 and i also saw the post of filing down the throttle body. will that also have an effect on the smog?

beeza

Not at all mate,it's just taking it back to how it was when it left the factory,cause the calibration goes out after time.

filing out the tb just promotes more air flow,it wont affect any smog laws.

marcelosm

I know that it's been a while since this thread was posted in but I am seriously stumped. I have tried calibrating the TPS a few times already but I can never get it to exactly .48 and 4.5v. I set WOT to 4.5 but at closed throttle I am barely getting .2v. I had to adjust my TS a bunch to get it to the right value but when I do that it leaves the throttle plate open and I can hear the whistle of air passing the plate. I had left it at .48v and 4.7v yesterday and it was running okay but I would really like to get it perfect. Any ideas?

holmesnmanny

dont worry about WOT just set closed throttle correct

however u should never ever have touched the throttle set screw...it sucks that the OP tells people to mess with it since nobody should.

try turning the screw in until thd throttle plate moves then turn it back a half a turn

marcelosm

I think I got it closed again after some fiddling. Yeah I wish someone would have said something about it. I figured since everyone was sending me here and all the views it has that it was reliable.

motoxxxman

^spot on correct in every way^

WOT setting is really not of much importance. only closed throttle needs to be set accurately to the 0.45v-0.48v.
the 4.5v at wot is just an approximate. as long as it is within 4.1v-4.8v at wot when closed throttle is at 0.45v-0.48v, everything is fine. its really just to let you know the sensor is installed properly and working properly. if closed throttle is 0.45v-0.48v and wot is below 4.0v or 4.9v-5.0v, then there is probably an issue with the sensor, the wiring, or the sensor is simply installed wrong where it is not on the tab in the TB correctly.

the main purposes of the tps is to know when the throttle is closed so it knows when it's idling (zero user input of engine operation) and for fuel cut on decel, and to measure throttle movements for tip-in fuel enrichment and ignition retard. the actual position really doesn't matter much if it's over 0%, it's just the difference in positions (amount the pedal is pressed or depressed quickly) that is important. like going from 1/8-1/4 throttle vs going 0-3/4 throttle and such.

burningrice4cyl

Hey guys I got a 95 ls motor from the junk yard to run in my 95 hatch I had a gsr but spun a bearing so now I'm in the process of fully building that up. The tps on the ls took a s*** on me so I pulled the tps from the gsr and as I am calibrating it on the ls I set it to 4.5v at wide open throttle but when I check it at close throttle its reading .77v. So I checked all wires to make sure they are reading what they should and everything's correct. Any body have this problem or no how to fix it? Thanks