Ford TPS: Are they all insanely cheap or did I get a bad one

[Alex3000 48]

Trying to find a TPS that fits my rx7 and it seems the Ford type with the slot fits the best.  So I ordered this one from Amazon.

 

...Now when I say this is cheap, I mean I literally couldn't wrap my head around it. Whatever it's made of is fascinating because it has no weight to it.  There is just no substance. And the dial section in the middle doesn't even seem to be attached to anything?  It just rattles around and I can kind of pull it half way out.  It also doesn't turn well, it gets hung up and kinda clicks around.  This might be fine but it doesn't even seem to be turning any sort of mechanism?  Did I get scammed?  I am seriously perplexed.  It's insane.

 

I haven't tested it since I have to make a custom bracket and didn't want to bother with this insane garbage sensor.

 

So, is this just a cheap 3rd party TPS? If I spend $50 on the same sensor will it be a solid unit that spins well, or is this just what a Ford TPS is like?

 

[Huggy 1,780]

Not saying the one you have isnt junk, but thats very similar to a BMW TPS.  They are very light, but don't have much resistance to turning.

 

You should be able to hook a volt meter up to it and get some resistance readings to see if its working.

[Ron_e 4,648]

I have two or three kicking around and can check tonight but I only remember smooth action and no loose parts.  I could have sent one to you if you are looking for an 86-95.  

[Alex3000 48]

33 minutes ago, Ron_e said:

I have two or three kicking around and can check tonight but I only remember smooth action and no loose parts.  I could have sent one to you if you are looking for an 86-95.  

 

Wow, Thanks for the offer.  I am not really looking for a specific year as long as it has the rectangular slit type shaft input.

 

I wouldn't necessarily mind paying for a $50 version if I thought it would be a nice sensor.

 

If it seems they are all pretty flimsy maybe I'll just try it out and see what I get.

[Ron_e 4,648]

This is the 86-95, I don't know if the 4.6 engine ones are different.  First pic is mounted, second and third pic shows the vane and TPS.  The one hole to mount the TPS is larger to allow it to be shifted to set the resistance at idle.  I checked the operation and it is smooth, the only movement is rotational and nothing can be pulled out.  This sensor is from Ford and sells for $60 US.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2018 by Ron_e

[Alex3000 48]

Thanks for posting the pics.  Interesting that the tps has just the two tabs and the shaft drive is flat spade type.

 

guess I'll just suck it up and cobble something together with the tps I have.

[Team Infiniti 13,703]

On 9/11/2018 at 10:59 AM, Alex3000 said:

it gets hung up and kinda clicks around.  This might be fine but it doesn't even seem to be turning any sort of mechanism

Might be a dud

You will not feel the wiper  fingers against the resistor but it should be quiet and smooth and shouldn't pull apart or be loose.

[mhr650 1,193]

I used a GM style sensor on my car, machined a little ring to mount it to the throttle body. One thing to think about is that a 13B will run perfectly fine without a throttle position sensor, the amount of acceleration enrichment needed is very small and it runs fine without it. When I was doing runs for tuning I always turned off acceleration enrichment and fuel cut on decell so it was just the base tables that I was working on.

 

I kept the throttle position sensor mainly for the fuel cut on decell, figured that it may help a little with fuel range, and also maybe reduce some of the thermal loading, give up the traditional rotary flame on decell for some more durability on the exhaust system…

 

The downside came at the VIR 24hr, early on we cracked a header and the mighty rotary heat started destroying everything. One of the casualties was the TPS, it failed to the open position and the ECU interpreted full throttle during cranking as a flood clear condition and shut off the fuel. I didn’t figure this out while we were still running and simply resorted to spraying brake cleaner down the intake to get it started after a pit stop.

 

[wvumtnbkr 4,327]

23 minutes ago, mhr650 said:

I used a GM style sensor on my car, machined a little ring to mount it to the throttle body. One thing to think about is that a 13B will run perfectly fine without a throttle position sensor, the amount of acceleration enrichment needed is very small and it runs fine without it. When I was doing runs for tuning I always turned off acceleration enrichment and fuel cut on decell so it was just the base tables that I was working on.

 

I kept the throttle position sensor mainly for the fuel cut on decell, figured that it may help a little with fuel range, and also maybe reduce some of the thermal loading, give up the traditional rotary flame on decell for some more durability on the exhaust system…

 

The downside came at the VIR 24hr, early on we cracked a header and the mighty rotary heat started destroying everything. One of the casualties was the TPS, it failed to the open position and the ECU interpreted full throttle during cranking as a flood clear condition and shut off the fuel. I didn’t figure this out while we were still running and simply resorted to spraying brake cleaner down the intake to get it started after a pit stop.

 

Sweet injectors!  We just did this on one of our cars.  BEST MOD EVA!

 

That's right, 30 year newer tech that literally bolts in.

 

Also, could that GM TPS work with the stock ECU?  Do you remember what the ouput is?

 

 

What fuel rail is that?

[Alex3000 48]

6 minutes ago, mhr650 said:

I kept the throttle position sensor mainly for the fuel cut on decell, figured that it may help a little with fuel range, and also maybe reduce some of the thermal loading, give up the traditional rotary flame on decell for some more durability on the exhaust system…

 

This is the main reason right here. I ponied up to buy the racing beat pre-silencer with the rationale that since it's made for the job it will survive right behind the header.  So, while I reaaaaally like the idea of flames on decel ultimately I just want my exhaust to last since it is mainly just a daisy chain of mufflers welded together. 

 

 

6 minutes ago, mhr650 said:

The downside came at the VIR 24hr, early on we cracked a header and the mighty rotary heat started destroying everything. One of the casualties was the TPS, it failed to the open position and the ECU interpreted full throttle during cranking as a flood clear condition and shut off the fuel. I didn’t figure this out while we were still running and simply resorted to spraying brake cleaner down the intake to get it started after a pit stop.

 

Ugh, I can't even imagine how frustrating that must have been.  I have been waffling as to whether or not I feel like cutting a vent in my hood. This may have sealed it for me though. Any way to get heat out of there.

 

Nice mounting BTW.  I also have a GM sensor but it spins the wrong direction so I have to mount it on the throttle cable side, which is crazy annoying.  Also the drive type is just those two little triangle nubs, which is also crazy annoying. This is why I bought the ford one, because it is a slot type and more or less fits in the end of the stock rx-7 throttle shaft.

 

I just can't keep fabbing up random bric-a-brac every single time I need to do anything.  I work in a single garage with no bench space, no room, no place to sit... I'm not complaining but from a simple time standpoint it's just not efficient to sit cross-legged on a carpet remnant  trying to dremel out some sort of adapter all day. Sigh.

 

 

[Alex3000 48]

6 minutes ago, wvumtnbkr said:

Sweet injectors!  We just did this on one of our cars.  BEST MOD EVA!

 

Yeah looking at MHR's engine bay pics is straight 13b pornography.  

[mhr650 1,193]

That fuel rail is a stock S5 fuel rail that I cut the ends off and TIG welded some ends that I had machined onto. It was a complete disaster, whether it was the steel that Mazda used or sitting around for 20 years it leaked terribly around the welds, and as you tried to weld up the cracks it just propagated in a different place. I ended up racing with an S4 cast aluminum fuel rail machined for the fittings I wanted to use and some clamps to hold it to the S5 mounting bosses. I have some blank fuel rail extrusion material and will be making a custom rail for the new engine. My fuel rail system with a Y block dividing the main fuel line to feed each fuel rail, plus a crossover balance line between the 2 rails, and some Hyundai pressure snubbers on the end of each rail worked perfect, the fuel pressure logs were perfectly flat in any conditions.

 

As far as engine bay porn I am sure you have been at this point yourself, it only gets better…..

 

[JBgotM 1,144]

Those sensors are what I have done for the last 10 years. Small magnet turning over a small PCB. There isn't much too them. At $15, you still paid 3x what Ford paid.