Erratic idling, stalling on occasion, does this vehicle have a TPS?

Tiny
CHRIS SELLE
  • MEMBER
  • 2015 HONDA FIT
  • 1.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 123,000 MILES
I’m having issues with erratic idling, stalling on occasion, accretion issues, car jerks when leaving a stop light. All the symptoms of a TPS that is going bad. I unhooked the battery and reset the TPS which helped for a little bit. The odd thing is I can’t find anybody that carries a TPS for this make and year. Does this vehicle have a TPS? I’m going to try and clean my throttle plate, but I was hoping to change the TPS as well.
Tuesday, July 30th, 2024 AT 8:52 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
AL514
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,795 POSTS
Hello, this vehicle has an APP sensor on the gas pedal and a TPS sensor on the throttle body which tells the engine computer (ECM) the position of the throttle plates. This is a drive by wire system, so the ECM controls the throttle plate movement. Has your check engine light come on at any point lately? With an issue like this there should be a code stored in one of the vehicles modules. The TPS is built into the electronic throttle body. I'll post some diagrams showing how the throttle body works, but if you take the vehicle to an AutoZone or local auto parts store they will scan the vehicle for free to see if any trouble codes are stored. Write them all down, then list them here for us and we can give you some direction through service info according to what code might be stored, there can be input sensors to either the ECM or another module causing problems like this, you can take a look at the throttle plates and see if there is any carbon build up around the edge of the throttle plate itself causing it to stick, since the idle is controlled by the ECM moving the throttle plates open and closed as needed. But there should be a code stored even if the check engine light came on and went back off temporarily, when you disconnect the battery all you are doing is erasing the memory and any potential codes, so try not to do that. We need for it to set a code, so we have some diagnostic direction to go.
If you find heavy carbon build on the plates, just try to clean around the edge of the plate. Some of these throttle body plates have a special coating on them which is supposed to help with carbon build up, but obviously it's not as great as they had hoped.

We should check the wiring to the throttle body as well, with the key Off, you can unplug the throttle body connector and just take a look inside the connector for any corrosion or pins inside the connector that might be spread apart, and on the throttle body look for any bent pins on its connector. I will grab some service info on it for you here in a minute.
Take a look around the engine as well for any broken or cracked vacuum hoses or any other lines that look cracked or loose around any fittings. Do you happen to have your own scan tool?

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/throttle-actuator-service
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Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 10:26 AM
Tiny
AL514
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One other thing, this is a GDI fuel system, so it is a very high pressure fuel system, do not under any circumstances unbolt any of the steel fuel lines in the engine compartment, these systems can run up to 2000psi, and can cause serious harm or worse if you have not dealt with a GDI system before. The steel fuel lines are usually onetime use, and the vehicle maintains high pressure even after the engine is turned off.
And a major setback to a GDI system is the amount of serious carbon build up on the back of the intake valves. This occurs because there is no fuel injector spraying fuel from the intake manifold anymore, it sprays the fuel directly into the cylinder, and without the help of injectors spraying from the intake manifold, (which helps to clean the intake valves), the valves get very heavy carbon build up and require a valve cleaning service. It's just the downfall of this design, this may or may not be part of the current issue, but I just wanted to warn you about messing with the fuel system.
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Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 10:46 AM
Tiny
AL514
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Okay, Honda wants the throttle body actually removed to do a cleaning, and not to spray any kinds of cleaning into the throttle body (TB) because it might damage the throttle body motor and not to clean near where the throttle plate's shaft goes into the sides of the body where the bearings are located, they want only a Honda type throttle cleaner used of course.
But the gasket would need to be replaced if the TB is removed.
There are a few technical service bulletins, the first is on carbon build up on the valves (diagram 2), the 2nd is for the fuel injectors possibly being installed incorrectly (diagram3) this might have been done already since the vehicles age. The 3rd is a safety recall on the ignition coils (diagrams 4,5) and picture 6 is what the intake valves end up looking like if the valves don't get cleaned with regular service. It can cause idle issues, stalling, acceleration issues, etc.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing
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Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 11:14 AM
Tiny
CHRIS SELLE
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
Thank you all for your responses. I will be getting a meter from a friend to check for any codes first. I will keep you posted.
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Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 5:07 PM
Tiny
AL514
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Okay, let us know what you find.
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Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 7:59 PM
Tiny
CHRIS SELLE
  • MEMBER
  • 3 POSTS
After using a scanner, it showed there was a low idle issue P0506. I bought some mass air flow cleaner and throttle body cleaner to clean each of these parts. After cleaning both parts it’s resolved my idle issue, and the car is running normally. Thank you all for your help!
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Saturday, August 3rd, 2024 AT 10:56 AM
Tiny
AL514
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Awesome thats really great to hear, good call on the MAF cleaner, if there was carbon on the throttle plates you may want to replace the PCV valve, its a highly over looked part, and when it starts to stick open or closed, crank case seals such as the front and rear main seals will start to leak due to the pressure pushing out on them, and then also you will get oil and blow by gases in places where it shouldnt be causing carbon build up, Ill post a diagram of where it is, theyre not super difficult to replace but will prevent future oil leaks.
Heres the service info on the PCV valve and its location.

Check around on prices for getting the intake valves cleaned, the best method is walnut blasting, theres a machine they use that will clean all the carbon off the tops of the valves. With these direct injection fuel systems they all require this service eventually. Just FYI.
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Saturday, August 3rd, 2024 AT 11:30 AM

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