Throttle Position Sensor Enhancer?

Hey everybody,

I'm looking for some fairly inexpensive mods for my 95 Grand Prix GTP
and I stumbled upon some forums talking about throttle position sensor
enhancers to increase the sensor voltage at WOT. Would one of these be
a good idea for a car like mine? Also, does anyone know where I would
be able to find one that would work on my car? casperelectronics.com
has a bunch of them but they don't say which vehicle they're designed
for, so I'm kind of lost. Can anybody help?

407

Snake oil- The TPS tells the cars computer what position the throttle is at
so the car can adjust the Injector pulse appropriately. It generally reads a
1-5 volt reference signal-- 5 being wot. Increasing the voltage in or out of
it will set a Code; and possibly burn out the computer.
Don't mess with it.



--
Stephen W. Hansen
ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
ASE Automobile Advanced Engine Performance
ASE Undercar Specialist

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troub...l_obd_main.htm
http://www.troublecodes.net/technical/



"Aaron407" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hey everybody,
>
> I'm looking for some fairly inexpensive mods for my 95 Grand Prix GTP
> and I stumbled upon some forums talking about throttle position sensor
> enhancers to increase the sensor voltage at WOT. Would one of these be
> a good idea for a car like mine? Also, does anyone know where I would
> be able to find one that would work on my car? casperelectronics.com
> has a bunch of them but they don't say which vehicle they're designed
> for, so I'm kind of lost. Can anybody help?
>
> 407
>

I had read on a grand prix forum that (on newer GTP's, I can't speak
for the older generation like mine) the maximum voltage that the TPS
will put out is 3.2 to 3.4 volts, and that the WOT should actually be
at 4V to use the full engine potential. Are they wrong in saying this?
It seemed plausible but I had my doubts too. Anybody else have any
opinions? If the consensus is that these are a waste of time, are there
any other inexpensive mods worth looking into?

Thanks.
407

I'd have to get into the manual to verify the exact numbers for the tps, but
it takes the cpu 5v voltage and converts it into a percentage for the CPU to
do its calculations; changing the upper end voltage wouldn't do much unless
the car could only read a percentage of 85% due to the original TPS being
bad. I can see no real effect for a performance TPS.
I'll check the books at work tomorrow.


--
Stephen W. Hansen
ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician
ASE Automobile Advanced Engine Performance
ASE Undercar Specialist

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/troub...l_obd_main.htm
http://www.troublecodes.net/technical/




"Aaron407" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I had read on a grand prix forum that (on newer GTP's, I can't speak
> for the older generation like mine) the maximum voltage that the TPS
> will put out is 3.2 to 3.4 volts, and that the WOT should actually be
> at 4V to use the full engine potential. Are they wrong in saying this?
> It seemed plausible but I had my doubts too. Anybody else have any
> opinions? If the consensus is that these are a waste of time, are there
> any other inexpensive mods worth looking into?
>
> Thanks.
> 407
>

Aaron407 wrote:
> I had read on a grand prix forum that (on newer GTP's, I can't speak
> for the older generation like mine) the maximum voltage that the TPS
> will put out is 3.2 to 3.4 volts, and that the WOT should actually be
> at 4V to use the full engine potential. Are they wrong in saying this?
> It seemed plausible but I had my doubts too. Anybody else have any
> opinions? If the consensus is that these are a waste of time, are there
> any other inexpensive mods worth looking into?
>
> Thanks.
> 407
>

Measure your TPS at full throttle. Check to make sure the throttle
blade(s) are wide open. If they aren't and you're not at 5V, you might
be able to grind the throttle stop for a bit more power at full throttle.

Ray

I'm basically at the idea that it's not a good idea and is generally a
waste of money. Can anyone suggest anything else for a performance mod
that is fairly cheap and doesn't require much or any physical
modifications to the car? I'm a little strapped for cash and just a
beginner in the mod game, but I'd love to learn. Thanks in advance.

407

Aaron407 wrote:
>
> I'm basically at the idea that it's not a good idea and is generally a
> waste of money. Can anyone suggest anything else for a performance mod
> that is fairly cheap and doesn't require much or any physical
> modifications to the car? I'm a little strapped for cash and just a
> beginner in the mod game, but I'd love to learn. Thanks in advance.
>
> 407

It's good you gave up on the tps thing for your 95 GP. Voltage above 4.8 would
set a problem code and likely burn out the ecu.

IMO, the best thing you can do is save up about $500 and then take it to a
"tuner".
Have them install and program a new chip. Keep the old one to put back in for
yearly safety / smog inspections.

Forget the cold air intake - you won't notice any difference unless you race at
wot.
Keep the throttle body clean instead.

I don't think I want to put NOS in my car, it's getting up there in age
and mileage. Anyway, I definitely need something though. It's supposed
to have 210HP but right now I have a hard time even breaking the tires
loose. I don't really have any mods yet other than removing the MAF
screen (don't want to get int a debate about that though), and the only
real maintenance I have done is a change of all fluids and all of the
filters (including fuel) as well as the plugs, and new mufflers are
coming. What should be the next step to get it back to at least its
original glory? I've used some 'Restore' engine restorer to try to
regain some compression and I have some BG 44K on the way to clean the
fuel system in case I have badly clogged injectors. Anyone know what
would be the next most common cause(s) of lost power and how to fix? I
absolutely love the car but I'm almost embarrased that it can barely
hold its own against a Cobalt LS that's supposed to have 65HP less.

407

Also, I should say that it has been checked and is not putting out any
error codes.

One more thing, does anyone know how much horsepower and torque could
be gained by having dual Magnaflow mufflers installed vs. OEM-like
replacements?

407