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Car trouble: Could a falty throttle position sensor contribute to problems starting my car?

The problem is, my car usually will not start the first time. I normally have to try it a second time and give it some gas...could that be a bad throttle position sensor?

I was told a few weeks ago that my engine light was on because of this sensor...and then this problem started happening...do you think it's related?

7 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    not really but it may run poorly and have shift quailty problems if its an automatic

  • 1 decade ago

    Without knowing the year, make, and model of your car, I can say this: A faulty TPS circuit can cause a no-start condition on some vehicles. If the onboard computer sees a higher voltage signal from the TPS than normal, it may shut off the fuel injectors because the computer mistakingly thinks that you are trying to clear a fuel flooded motor. That happens when the computer thinks it sees wide open throttle while you are cranking the engine with the starter motor.

    Your check engine light could be on for many reasons. One of the first things to do is to have a technician access the computer's self-diagnostics and find out what problems have been stored in the diagnostic memory. This however is only a starting point to direct which way the diagnostic procedure will take, and not a conclusion to the actual problem. Even a diagnostic trouble code that says "bad TPS" could just as easily be the wiring to the sensor as it could be the sensor itself. The code for either problem would generally be the same.

    Locate a technician/shop familiar with your type of car and have them look into it further. It's possible that there is more than one problem. The check engine light could be on for either a related or a non-related problem. BTW, 1996 and newer cars have better self-diagnostic systems than prior, but they still do not always have all of the answers. A good tech can use that info to direct his or her repair path.

    Source(s): 25 years experience
  • ?
    Lv 4
    4 years ago

    Car Throttle Problems

  • ?
    Lv 4
    4 years ago

    i'm guessing you have a three.8 engine. i'm additionally going to guess which you put in the spark plug wires incorrectly. on the three.8s, the rotor spins counter clockwise as considered from the suitable. 3.0's spin clockwise. there's a hazard i'm going to have that backwards, so get rid of the cap and watch the rotor spin whilst the engine is cranked. on the three.8's, it relatively is undemanding to bypass 2 plug wires interior the back, and the engine will nevertheless run, and it is often particularly mushy and look helpful, inspite of two cylinders no longer firing. do this trick: whilst the engine is chilly, initiate it and permit it run for approximately 10 seconds, then turn it off and touch each and each exhaust runner. There must be one or 2 that are patently chilly. Run the engine for yet another 10 seconds in case you're undecided. yet another tip: get rid of the oil cap, and function a chum word the rocker arm beginning and shutting down decrease than. i won't be able to submit to in ideas if it relatively is the intake or exhaust valve, besides the shown fact that it's going to assist you set the timing. The preliminary shaking you felt on the expressway might have been from the vehicle desiring an alignment, after which you may have made a mistake on installation the plug wires. After installation the plug wires incorrectly, or no longer thoroughly attaching the plug twine on the rear front plug via the AC dryer, the computing gadget might have thought the engine became into working prosperous, and tried to make amends for it, progressively changing gasoline transport till the priority have been given worse, as against an prompt substitute in engine overall performance.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    a faulty throttle position sensor wouldnt make your car not start,but it will make your light come on.you say you have to try it twice and give it some gas before it will start,check the gas filter and run a test on the fuel pump,sounds like its not holding pressure up to the injectors.

  • 1 decade ago

    yes, I had the same thing happen to me. All you need to do is start it in neutral for the time being.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    sounds like a fuel regulator.

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