How To Test The TPS (1992-1996 3.0L V6 Toyota Camry)

TEST 2: Making Sure The TPS Is Getting 5 Volts

At this stage, you've confirmed that the throttle position sensor's signal isn't increasing or decreasing as the throttle plate is opened or closed.

Now, we'll check that the sensor is receiving 5 Volts. These 5 Volts are supplied by your Camry's fuel injection computer.

The voltage is delivered to the TPS through the:

• 1992-1993: Red (RED) wire of the 4-wire connector.
• 1992-1993: Blue wire with a red stripe (BLU/RED) wire of the 4-wire connector.

To check for the presence of these 5 Volts, we'll perform a multimeter voltage test on the female terminal corresponding to the BLU/RED wire.

Let's get started:

1. 1

   Disconnect the TP sensor from its 4-wire connector.

2. 2

   Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode.

3. 3

   Connect the black multimeter test lead to the battery negative (-) terminal.

4. 4

   With the red multimeter test lead, probe the female terminal labeled with the number 4 of the connector
   
   Female terminal number 4 should connect to the RED (1992-1993) or the BLU/RED (1994-1996) wire of the 4-wire connector.

5. 5

   Your multimeter should read 4.5 to 5 Volts DC.

Let's take a look at what your test results mean:

CASE 1: 4.5 to 5 Volts are present. This is the correct and expected test result.

Your next step is to make sure the TPS is getting Ground. Go to: TEST 3: Making Sure The TPS Is Getting Ground.

CASE 2: 4.5 to 5 Volts ARE NOT present. Double check your connections and make sure that you're testing the correct terminal.

If your multimeter still doesn't register 4.5 to 5 Volts, there's probably an open-circuit issue in the wiring between the TPS harness connector and the PCM's harness connector. In rare cases, the PCM itself could have an internal fault (although this is uncommon).

While diagnosing these wiring or PCM issues is beyond the scope of this guide, you can now confidently rule out the throttle position sensor (TPS) as the cause of the problem or the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) triggering the check engine light (CEL).

TEST 3: Making Sure The TPS Is Getting Ground

So far, your tests have confirmed the following:

• The TPS voltage signal does not increase or decrease when the throttle plate is opened or closed (TEST 1).
• The TPS is receiving power (TEST 2).

In this section, we'll verify that the sensor is receiving Ground, which is supplied internally by the fuel injection computer.

The Ground is delivered to the TPS through the brown (BRN) wire on the 4-wire connector.

To check this, we'll perform a simple multimeter voltage test on the female terminal that corresponds to the BRN wire.

IMPORTANT: The PCM is the one that feeds this Ground to the throttle position sensor (TPS). Be careful and don't short this wire to battery voltage or you'll fry the PCM. You'll need to use a back-probe on the connector or a wire-piercing probe on the wire. You can see an example of this tool (and where to buy it) here: Wire Piercing Probe.

These are the test steps:

1. 1

   Disconnect the TP sensor from its 4-wire connector.

2. 2

   Place your multimeter in Volts DC mode.

3. 3

   Connect the red multimeter test lead to the battery positive (+) terminal.

4. 4

   With the black multimeter test lead, probe the female terminal labeled with the number 1 of the connector.
   
   Female terminal number 1 should connect to the BRN wire of the 4-wire connector.

5. 5

   Your multimeter should read 10 to 12 Volts DC.

Let's take a look at what your test results mean:

CASE 1: The multimeter registered 10 to 12 Volts. This is the correct and expected test result.

You can confirm that the TPS on your 3.0L V6 Toyota Camry is faulty if the following is true:

• The TPS does not produce a varying voltage signal when the throttle plate is manually opened and closed (TEST 1).
• The TPS is receiving 5 Volts DC (TEST 2).
• The TPS is receiving Ground (this test section).

You'll need to adjust the TPS assembly if you replace it. The following Toyota Camry tutorial explains the adjustment procedure: Adjusting The Throttle Position Sensor Assembly (this heading is found in the tutorial: How To Test The TPS Idle Switch (1992-1996 3.0L V6 Toyota Camry)).

CASE 2: The multimeter register DID NOT 10 to 12 Volts. Double check your connections and make sure that you're testing the correct wires.

If your multimeter shows no Ground, there's probably an open-circuit issue in the wiring between the TPS harness connector and the PCM's harness connector. In rare cases, the PCM itself could have an internal fault (although this is uncommon).

While diagnosing these wiring or PCM issues is beyond the scope of this guide, you can now confidently rule out the throttle position sensor (TPS) as the cause of the problem or the diagnostic trouble code (DTC) triggering the check engine light (CEL).

More 3.0L Toyota Camry Tutorials

You can find a complete list of 3.0L Toyota Camry tutorials in this index:

• 3.0L Toyota Camry Index of Articles.

Here's a sample of the tutorials you'll find there:

• How To Test Engine Compression (1992-2006 3.0L V6 Toyota Camry).
• How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (1992-2006 3.0L V6 Toyota Camry).
• How To Test The TPS (1997-2001 3.0L V6 Toyota Camry).
• How To Test The Alternator (1997-2001 3.0L V6 Toyota Camry).