Bottom of the TP problem
Bottom of the TP problem
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Discussion

TOPTON

Original Poster:

1,514 posts

265 months

Monday 25th April 2005
quotequote all
Has anyone ever got to the bottom of TP "why do they go" problem.
My S2 is now in need of another TP. The last one replaced about 6months ago. The dilema being, which one to go for-cerbi or Ford. The obvious difference is in the price, but the perfermance of them seems to have mixed responses. £20 to gamble or £50 to fix. Sense says go for the fix but pocket says gamble.

GreenV8S

31,014 posts

313 months

Monday 25th April 2005
quotequote all
Sure it really is the TP and not the connector or wiring? I don't think it's normal for them to go *that* frequently.

ChrisGadd

687 posts

259 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
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I've gone through 5 pots in the last 4 months. The last one failed after three days !!
My next idea is to place a rubber washer between the engine housing and the Throttle pot to see if it's the vibration that causes it to fail. Has anyone else tried this ? Am I just barking ?

bugsy

1,371 posts

265 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
quotequote all
I've had this discussion with my ex Ford garage and they say that they have hardly ever replaced TP's.

I can only think that it's a heat thing with TVR, mind you I'm on my second S3, doing 4/5k miles a year and as yet no problems.(I bet I'm going to regret saying that)

tvrgit

8,489 posts

281 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
quotequote all
In a granada, the TP is just behind the radiator fan, getting full belt of fresh air as the fan is always turning (viscous-coupled).

In the TVR, the fan is miles away at the front of the car so the TP is bound to be hotter. This may affect the wiring as much as the TP itself though, and if I was replacing TPs as regularly as some have said, I think I'd be starting to look at something else in the connections and wiring TBH...

TOPTON

Original Poster:

1,514 posts

265 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
quotequote all
CG Ford wanted £75 for TP. Smaller Ford dealer was £44. Big difference. I changed the connector to the gold one last year and the wiring seems to be ok. Ford dealer couldn't shed any light as to why they would go.

Wildfire

9,947 posts

281 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
quotequote all
£75!!! I paid £44 for mine when I had the S, then found out that the connector was gold already, so took that back.

F908 Tim

740 posts

268 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
quotequote all
I'm on a Cerbie pot with no bad effects other than perhaps a slightly flatter pick-up from idle.
They do seem to last better and the performance is just the same when you open her up.

Some effort to 'roof over' the TP with a bit of rubber or plastic to keep them dry certainly pays off,and in my view its the front engine loom wiring thats the fault often diagnosed as 'another duff TP'
Where the loom sits on top of the engine it deteriorates and gets brittle leading to problems with the injectors and ECU sensors, most regularly the TP.
Move the loom up over the top of the coil to get it away from the top of the engine.It keeps a lot cooler and stays in much better shape.

ChrisGadd

687 posts

259 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
quotequote all
All very good suggestions although I have a question about some of the points raised.
Firstly the last TP that failed on my car did so when the engine was cold. The garage also directed air from the cabin intake to the TP to no effect.
There are more sensors on the front loom so why is it only the TP that dies every time ?
If it was a wiring fault why have all the TP's died in the same way ?

F908 Tim

740 posts

268 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
quotequote all
Each case is going to differ or be a combination of ailments rather than perhaps just the TP.
For example,several posts have talked about changing the TP several times because that seemed the fix,only to learn the TP was OK it was the loom that buggered things up each time it was disturbed.Shake the connections about or tug on the front loom and things started playing up.
I think in the case of the TP its water as much as temperature changes that lead to failure.
I found once that the rubber seal around the three TP connections was full of the stuff and cut the bottom out of it so it can drain.A roof over it does help I'm sure,to prevent water getting onto it from the bonnet intake.
Just my experience...someone who knows their stuff will be along!

NicBowman

785 posts

267 months

Tuesday 26th April 2005
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Hi, get the Cerbera one, its a no brainer at that cost. My S3 runs really well with it fitted, and you can get two for the price of a standard one. The cerbera is a standard Ford part, and on my digital Volt meter I measure identical properties to the S standard item.

Nic

TOPTON

Original Poster:

1,514 posts

265 months

Thursday 28th April 2005
quotequote all
Got the TP fitted and everything is running sweet again. Tickover down to 900rpm, no smell of petrol on startup. My local diagnostic center says most likely cause of failure is the heat. Gonna wrap mine in foil to see if that helps. He also said he can remember changing quite a few on Grandas and sarah's. I checked all the wiring before i changed TPs, so I know that's not at fault