P0120 code?

[Martinjmpr]

Driving home last night my CEL went on. I was headed to the gas station anyway so when I got there I used my new Ultra Gauge to read the code. Came up as a P0120, which (if I understand from Google searching) is the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and is a fairly easy fix, right?

Question, though: I used the UG to reset the CEL and it immediately went off. Drove to work this morning and the CEL has not come back on. Is it safe to assume that if the CEL doesn't come back on, my TPS is OK?

Thanks for any help! I'll look up the TPS replacement process in my Chilton manual when I get home to see how easy/difficult it will be.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Nelsonmd]

Driving home last night my CEL went on. I was headed to the gas station anyway so when I got there I used my new Ultra Gauge to read the code. Came up as a P0120, which (if I understand from Google searching) is the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and is a fairly easy fix, right?

Question, though: I used the UG to reset the CEL and it immediately went off. Drove to work this morning and the CEL has not come back on. Is it safe to assume that if the CEL doesn't come back on, my TPS is OK?

Thanks for any help! I'll look up the TPS replacement process in my Chilton manual when I get home to see how easy/difficult it will be.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hehe, I just dealt with this code. I floored it once, and the code immediately threw, and I lost throttle control, then it came back, but wouldn't rev above above 3k, or upshift. I turned the car off and back on, then unplugged the TPS and plugged it back in, and that worked. For a while. P0120 came back several times maybe once a week or so. Sometimes I would clear the code with my SGII, and sometimes that would be it, but other times it would come right back several times with seemingly no effect on throttle control.

I ended up just getting a new TPS (about $40), install took 10 minutes flat, and I havn't seen the code since (it has been about a week).

It doesn't seem like that severe a code, but I was a bit wary of losing throttle control again like the first time (though I never did), so I just ponied up the $40.

FWIW, my pastor has been driving his '96 with a P0120 for quite a while and he hasn't noticed a difference. Not sure how long it has been there, but he is still driving it like that.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Dumb question, perhaps, but would there be any downside to buying a used TPS from a wrecking yard? I know there's a Toyota-specific junkyard here in downtown Denver. Assuming they could give me a short warranty (say 30 days) on the part, if the discount was enough I'd be happy to do that vs. buying a new one.

 

[Nelsonmd]

Dumb question, perhaps, but would there be any downside to buying a used TPS from a wrecking yard? I know there's a Toyota-specific junkyard here in downtown Denver. Assuming they could give me a short warranty (say 30 days) on the part, if the discount was enough I'd be happy to do that vs. buying a new one.

I imagine it is the same as buying any used electronic device, it is more likely to break, etc, etc. I imagine it will be quite a bit more than $40 at a dealership, so maybe you should wait until you have a list of parts you want from toyotapartsales.com and pool shipping. You should be fine waiting til then with the code unless you are noticing throttle control problems.

You could probably get a pretty big discount used, so that might be worth it. It is a pretty simple device, so I don't think there is any specific concern about a used one.

 

[4runner freak]

Dumb question, perhaps, but would there be any downside to buying a used TPS from a wrecking yard? I know there's a Toyota-specific junkyard here in downtown Denver. Assuming they could give me a short warranty (say 30 days) on the part, if the discount was enough I'd be happy to do that vs. buying a new one.

If you are referring to YotaYard(Jim's witchy ex), forget about it. They suck.
I bought an igniter from them and it was blown and they wouldn't even exchange it(2 days later)

YotaJim on the other hand is awesome.
He has awesome customer service and can find anything for you.

I'm having issues with the TPS(P120 code) on my '00 and have replaced the TPS 3 times. It is definitely a short somewhere.

Just my $.02

 

[Dawnpatrol450]

Still battling P0120 - kind of urgent

Hey all, I apologize in advance for digging up this old thread but apparently I can't post a new one yet. I have a '99 4Runner Limited v6 with 152k in good shape overall. My kid drives it to college (about 5-6 hours each way) and has to leave late next week.

I got the P01020 code about 6 months ago and had my trusted local independent Yota shop replace the TPS and they cleaned the throttle body. They know I only like to use OEM parts but for some reason they put an NTK TPS on it and I did not notice at the time. Driving it a couple of days ago and the CEL comes on and sure enough it's good old P0120 again. I'm hoping it just a faulty NTK part....but....

I will be taking it back to the indy Yota shop early next week. I have already ordered an OEM TPS and also an OEM MAF (figured I'd just have them replace the MAF rather than clean it since time is of the essence with the trip coming up). I know the MAF is not technically related to this code but might as well replace.

I know shorts/ electrical issues can also trigger P0120. I've read about 20 threads on various forums over the last couple of days about this code, and I'll be asking the shop to check all of the items below. What else should they be looking for? I'll be asking for a senior technician to work on my truck as well (I think last time they had a junior guy just put in the TPS). From what I understand the '99 and up TPS does not require calibration....but may require some adjustments (ECM?) using ScanGauge/ etc?. Thanks in advance for any advice on what else to check!

-Replace TPS with OEM Toyota part
-Check ECTS fuse
-Check wiring harness/ connections/ electrical stuff
-Check throttle control motor and sensor
-Check ECM

 

[gamefreakgc]

Hey all, I apologize in advance for digging up this old thread but apparently I can't post a new one yet. I have a '99 4Runner Limited v6 with 152k in good shape overall. My kid drives it to college (about 5-6 hours each way) and has to leave late next week.

I got the P01020 code about 6 months ago and had my trusted local independent Yota shop replace the TPS and they cleaned the throttle body. They know I only like to use OEM parts but for some reason they put an NTK TPS on it and I did not notice at the time. Driving it a couple of days ago and the CEL comes on and sure enough it's good old P0120 again. I'm hoping it just a faulty NTK part....but....

I will be taking it back to the indy Yota shop early next week. I have already ordered an OEM TPS and also an OEM MAF (figured I'd just have them replace the MAF rather than clean it since time is of the essence with the trip coming up). I know the MAF is not technically related to this code but might as well replace.

I know shorts/ electrical issues can also trigger P0120. I've read about 20 threads on various forums over the last couple of days about this code, and I'll be asking the shop to check all of the items below. What else should they be looking for? I'll be asking for a senior technician to work on my truck as well (I think last time they had a junior guy just put in the TPS). From what I understand the '99 and up TPS does not require calibration....but may require some adjustments (ECM?) using ScanGauge/ etc?. Thanks in advance for any advice on what else to check!

-Replace TPS with OEM Toyota part
-Check ECTS fuse
-Check wiring harness/ connections/ electrical stuff
-Check throttle control motor and sensor
-Check ECM

No adjustments are needed, just either pulling the EFI fuse (not relay) or the negative battery cable. However neither of this will help the P0120 code as that means there's a problem with the circuit itself. I would check the wiring before throwing another part at it. Your '99 doesn't have a throttle motor as it is cable driven so you can take that off the list. It's really just either the wires or the sensor.

 

[Dawnpatrol450]

Thanks for the reply! I found out the shop I used last (typically a trusted independent Toyota shop) put an NTK TPS in the 4Runner. :-( I had a different service writer that time, the regular guys/ owner all know that I only like to use OEM Toyota parts (we also have an '02 Land Cruiser and a '05 Sequoia, our driveway looks like a used Toyota dealer).

Got an OEM part put in this morning and the shop had the ECM "relearn" the new TPS and did a long test drive and checked other diagnostics and wiring, etc.....hoping all will be fine going forward!!