The Altima TPS Sensor in your 2.4 liter Nissan is directly connected to your throttle body shaft. As you depress the gas pedal in your Altima, this swings the KA24DE throttle open. The throttle position sensor reads the angle of the throttle blade and transmits this data to your Nissan engine computer.
When the Altima TPS Sensor starts to go bad in your KA24, there’s going to be a few warning signs. Some of the early warning signs happens to be a literal one, meaning the check engine light in your instrument cluster.
This check engine trouble code can be analyzed using a OBDII scan tool. If your Nissan code comes back related to your throttle position sensor, this guide is for you. Today I’ll be showing you how to troubleshoot your Altima TPS Sensor in a 1997 Nissan. This vehicle has a 2.4 liter KA24DE engine in it, and this tutorial can also be used for any of the KA engines from this generation.
Today’s test Nissan happens to be an automatic and depending on the transmission in your Altima this sensor will look very different. This sensor is connected to the throttle body shaft and as you open the throttle it moves in conjunction. It’s basically a powered potentiometer that works on a power, ground and signal configuration.
Symptoms of a bad Altima TPS Sensor
When this sensor goes bad there’s going to be several issues with your Nissan. One of the most obvious problems is that your check engine light will be on. This trouble light will tell you that your Nissan ECU is detecting an issue with one of your engine sensors. In this case it’s the Altima TPS sensor that we will be testing.
- Bad gas mileage
- Inconsistent throttle response
- Hesitation under acceleration
- Poor performance
If you have found this guide and need to learn how to test your TPS, you’ll need to use a digital multimeter. These devices can help determine what the value or voltage is present at the wire terminals of your KA24DE throttle sensor.
Testing the Altima TPS Sensor for Power
As previously stated there’s two versions of this TPS, depending on what kind of transmission is in your car. The differences are shown below in the TPS wiring diagram shown.
First locate your throttle body and depending on the type of transmission you have, unplug the TPS connector. You will be measuring on the ENGINE side of the harness, not the SENSOR side. This means you will be testing the FEMALE prongs of your Altima TPS Sensor wiring.
When testing, never force the multimeter leads into your wiring connector. Doing so could lead to permanent damage or inconsistent contact. Turn your ignition to the “ON” position and now you can begin testing your throttle position sensor.
The power wire for your KA24DE throttle position sensor is PIN C. This should be a RED wire with a YELLOW stripe in it. If your Nissan Altima wiring is working correctly, you should have around 5 volts of DC power here. When you’ve confirmed that voltage at this wire, now test PIN A which is a BLACK wire for ground.
If both of these wires check out, that means that your Altima TPS Sensor is getting power and ground signals and should be working. Now it’s time to measure the voltage being sent by the Altima TPS Sensor.
Plug your throttle sensor back in, and using your multimeter lead pierce the wire at PIN B. Once you have a reading here you are ready to test the signal range of your Altima TPS Sensor. With your ignition key turned to the “ON” position this wire should emit a base signal between .3 and 1.0 volts of DC power. Remember that this is with the throttle plate completely closed.
Now have a friend hop into your Altima and press down on the accelerator all the way. Alternately you can also push down on the throttle butterfly to open the throttle fully. This is known as Wide Open Throttle, and at this position the TPS sensor should read between 3.9 and 4.8 volts.
If your factory Nissan throttle position sensor does not return values within these parameters, you need a replacement unit. Once you replace your throttle sensor, you’ll need to use your multimeter to calibrate the voltage being sent. After you replace your throttle position sensor, use one of our handy OBDII scan tools to erase your check engine light.
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