Replacing the throttle position sensor on the Astrovan. Any tips?

[bonneyman]

My local shop is so hard up for mechanics they've been shuffling me to other places. Figured I'd do the TPS on the 2004 Astrovan myself. 4.3 liter V-6. It seems that some TPS's need to be mechanically calibrated, but mine supposedly can have the ECM "re-learn" the new sensor. Getting the doghouse off is the time sucker, and the passenger seat and center console have to come out. The switch LOOKS easy. But I'm too old a hand to go by appearances.

Anybody got any tips on replacing the TPS and doing the recalibration?

[goodfellow]

I guess the platform is so old. no one remembers it George -- LOL

I checked YT and there are some good vids on the Safari version of that GM platform. Should not be a big problem to replace the TPS. Getting the dog house off after so many years might be the bigger issue.

Good luck!

[bonneyman]

OK, got the job done. Had to do some blue collar yoga for 5 hours, though. Both front seats, center console, and deluxe doghouse cover all had to come out. Then the regular dog house. Tiny little switch buried in there. Removed the PVC valve and line to get a little extra clearance. Alot of grinding my teeth and singing "sweet songs" as my big old hands couldn't get in there easily, but I got it done. Did the re-learn steps on the computer - seems to be OK. The next day or two of normal driving will tell.

But did get to use some tools I had bought but haven't had the need to break out. My Gearwrench ratcheting driver set with extensions and bits worked nice, and the new SK 1/4" ratchet worked great. And my 5/16" reversible GW ratcheting box wrench made doing the battery terminals a snap. And having the whole cab empty allowed for some overdue cleaning.

[goodfellow]

Excellent George! -- well done. Hoping your re-learn was a success.

[Heiny57]

OK, got the job done. Had to do some blue collar yoga for 5 hours, though. Both front seats, center console, and deluxe doghouse cover all had to come out. Then the regular dog house. Tiny little switch buried in there. Removed the PVC valve and line to get a little extra clearance. Alot of grinding my teeth and singing "sweet songs" as my big old hands couldn't get in there easily, but I got it done. Did the re-learn steps on the computer - seems to be OK. The next day or two of normal driving will tell.

But did get to use some tools I had bought but haven't had the need to break out. My Gearwrench ratcheting driver set with extensions and bits worked nice, and the new SK 1/4" ratchet worked great. And my 5/16" reversible GW ratcheting box wrench made doing the battery terminals a snap. And having the whole cab empty allowed for some overdue cleaning.

“Blue collar yoga”  that’s funny!!! I can relate to that, I had a 78 Dodge that need constant dog house removal. Good job on the fix.

[bonneyman]

“Blue collar yoga”  that’s funny!!! I can relate to that, I had a 78 Dodge that need constant dog house removal. Good job on the fix.

Can't take credit for that. Got it off of a Youtube video of a guy doing the TPS on an Astrovan. At the 55 second mark.

Thinking back I've done alot of that doing repairs and never knew what it was called! lol

[bonneyman]

Well, initial results seem positive. Was told when resetting the computer it might take a few days for everything to reset and the computer to start adjusting to your driving habits. Have seen dash lights come back on that didn't when first running after replacement. I'm optimistic, as it appears some of the issues I "felt" are gone or changed. Shifting is better, and hesitation at one speed has disappeared. Gonna give it a full week but at this point I'm happy.
I'm gonna do a fairly long freeway jaunt later this week at high speed to see if the shifting glitch has been fixed. Plus gotta go thru a tank of gas and see if the MPG has gone back up.

Should have changed the idle air sensor too as it was right next to the TPS but I didn't know about it at the time.