I have a 2006 ford crown victoria police interceptor and I had a guy to test it on the hand held code reader and he told me to replace the tps so I did that and having the same problems I also cleaned my throttle body and it ran fine for about 10 minutes then it loses its power and starts jerking it never cuts off but has a rough idle n I turn it off n crank it back up it seem fine till I put it in gear and pull off fine then suddenly back to power dropping jerking and rough idling

 

 

Got this done today. You guys are great, this DIY saved me some serious labor charge from dealer!!!

 

Hi I got my APP Sensor yesterday and installed it today. I will observe for a couple of days and report back. So far its been running great!

I got the part from Delray Acura (https://www.acuraoemparts.com), saw the link from an earlier post ($145.67).

The only challenge I had was taking out the APP with the bracket from in between the strut bar. I ended up releasing the cable connection and then wiggle around to take the sensor with the bracket.

Thanks for the DIY post and more power to you all!

 

By the looks of this, it seems like a straight forward install... Only issues are working in between the firewall and strut tower bar. Haven't pooped the hood yet but has anyone tried removing the strut bar?

My check engine light came on the last two days. When it come on three lights came on VSA light, the triangle with ! in the middle and the check engine. Code read P2138 car was jerky until I turned the car off and back on. At that time, the VSA lights went off and just the check engine remained.

When I went to the dealer, they were claiming that there was some programming needed. Full of crap or is there programing?

 

I think I actually have the brain of a pigeon because I actually couldn't figure this out. Not sure if it's different with an '08, but that space is just so insanely tight I can't get my ogre hands in there with the socket/wrench to undo the nuts and bolts to get the freakin sensor out.

It's probably because I have the brain of a pigeon. I'm actually disappointed with myself that I couldn't get the damn thing out (let alone the black cover off). Not sure if I'm missing something here, but I have little patience with myself.

~ to my mechanic she goes tomorrow

 

Ahh, don't beat yourself up.....Working on cars is not for everyone, that's why there are so many shops. It takes more courage to swallow your pride and say you can't do it, then it does to keep trying and really mess it up. Good on ya.

 

On the bright side, this car drives AMAZING now! Since owning this car it's never driven like this. Always had that hesitation and jerk.

 

I found that it was easier to swap out by simply removing the strut bar after loosing the cable nut.

Car does drive a lot better. Don't feel the hesitation when cruising at 70-80.

For those who haven't replaced and are going to replace your soon. Delray Acura or AcuraOEMparts is the cheapest to get the part. I ended up putting the part in the shopping cart printing it out and took to my local dealership and they price matched it for me.

 

2006 TL MT 179. I've noticed the sluggish idle for a while. Went through the intake during valve cover gasket replacement about 2 months ago. Replaced plugs and ran sea foam through it for the first time. I was also chasing an occasional surging/bogged down idle. Cleaned up the TB and the flap inside the intake manifold. It wasn't very dirty but nevertheless it's clean now. Surge seemed to clear up but still sluggish in the lower end of most gears. I've been researching ignition coils or injector issues with these cars but (fortunately) haven't found a ton of people replacing those.

Reading this may have saved me $400-$800 in coils and injectors. To be honest I never realized this was (partially)cable controlled. Never bothered to look inside the plastic cover and see the APP. Tightened the cable up just about the same 1/4"-3/8" shown in the pictures above and WOW; noticing a big difference. Some of you are saying tightening the cable is only a temp fix, but we'll keep an eye on it and order the APP from delay if necessary.

THANKS EVERYONE! This should really be a headline in the 3G Garage.

 

A couple days later, MPG is up to around 25 from 23. A lot more responsive, low rpm lag is gone.

 

 

Thanks AcuraZine! My car just went into limp mode and has all the same symptoms (unable to accelerate, fluctuating rpms at cruise, check engine light and vsa light) Going to buy it tomorrow as soon as the dealership opens. *Fingers crossed that it fixes it*

 

Follow up: The issue is fixed now after replacing the app sensor! Total DIY project took less than 20 minutes. Took longer to get the part cause I had to go shop around for the best prices. Found the cheapest at autozone for 199.99 but decided on buying OEM because it was only 5 bucks more.

Check engine light remained on after the install so I had to disconnect the battery cable and discharge by connecting positive lead to negative lead via a screwdriver. Reconnected the battery and started the car up and now all lights are off ��

Next step was to get rid of the codes that were stuck in the navi. For the throttle error code I was able to go into the regular systems menu and delete it. The other VSA codes I had to go into the diagnostic mode of the navi to delete. Instructions on how to do that was found on here (AcuraZine) also. Thanks Acurazine!! Saved me a bunch of money!!

 

Has anyone experienced P0108 after replacing APP? Two years ago I replaced the APP and everything was fine until last week. Now a have shaking when car is idling and P0108 and P0172.


I am just wondering if the two issues are connected somehow.

 

Hey guys my local Acura dealer usually charges an arm and a leg for any parts I need. Can I get the equivalent part at a Honda dealer since I can't wait to order online?

 

I got my part from orielys for a lot cheaper.

 

You can give the Honda dealers the part number and see if they have the part and pricing.
Just don't expect them to be a lot cheaper here in the LA area, unless they price-match internet prices from OEM dealers.

 

I paid $138 shipped, it literally take 15 mins.

 

Like many others here, I had this same problem. My issue started with one episode where I was driving in cruise control, and the car suddenly lurched and revved higher than normal, and the VSA and /!\ lights came on, as well as the malfunction indicator lamp, which threw the code P2138 for the throttle position sensor. I pulled over, turned the car off and back on, and had no issues (aside from the malfunction indicator lamp until it reset itself). It happened a couple more times a few weeks later, and then I was getting the "limp mode" everyone talks about; I was rolling up to a stop sign when it happened once, and when I tried to take off from a stop nothing happened when I pressed the gas at first. Again, turning the car off and back on fixed it (well, temporarily). With these episodes, I would also notice erratic response to pressing the accelerator, as if I was having fluctuating power as others have described. I decided enough was enough, I was going to fix this.

I read a lot (including this thread) and watched a video ( ) on how to replace the APP sensor, and decided to do this myself. I ordered it on Amazon ( ), cost $128. It took me a little bit longer to replace, but that also had to do with me being an idiot and dropping one of the bolts into the engine bay, which took some time to locate/fish out.

There are a lot of good instructions/pictures on past posts to serve as guides, so I won't give a full step-by-step, but I will add a couple things I discovered that will make your life easier if you're doing this. After you separate the sensor/base apparatus from the mounts its attached to, there will be two components to the black metal base. It is easier to separate one of these first before trying to maneuver it past the strut (I couldn't figure out how to get it past otherwise). Turn it over and you will see three 10mm bolts to remove this. Then, once you have it out, you can remove the other piece of the base to install the new sensor. I also made an adjustment to tighten the cable like others have described. The way you want to do this is to first tighten the nut closest to the end of the cable (should move to the left if you are facing the car from the front). This will put more tension on the cable, and should make the accelerator more responsive.

I did this swap 5 days ago, and so far so good! No more limp mode, no more engine lights, just smooth driving. The accelerator actually feels more responsive, and I've noticed that I have lower revs at cruising speeds overall. I've gotten slightly better mileage, though I haven't driven a full tank yet. One of the major differences I noticed, that I hadn't even realized was a problem until it was gone, is how jerky accelerations and gear changes had become. Anytime I would press the accelerator or let off the accelerator, there had been a noticeable jerk or lurch each time, no matter how smoothly I tried to do it. Now, its so smooth, even if I'm driving hard. I'll post back in a month or so if I remember to update, but I'm very pleased with this so far!

 

Hey guys, well to start off I also had the limp mode. I changed the part as I read on this thread. But it's still doing the same thing. Any ideas? It is an Acura sensor. And I changed it properly and carfully. Does the throttle line have to tighten at a certain pressure?

 

Well, after 220K miles, I'm now getting the hesitation. No codes or MIL. It seems there are mixed reviews on whether adjusting/tightening the cable will make a difference. I tightened the cable and it did make a noticeable difference, but I still have hesitation. APP sensor is on order....

 

Basically the same exact symptoms as many of you above with the APP sensor on my 04 Acura TL. My question is if there is anyway to clean the sensor before replacing it. I've seen on a few thread that cleaning it helped, but thought once a sensor is bad it doesn't get better. Just wanted to check and see since maybe some contacts, etc can affect the sensors readings, etc. Thanks for any help!

 

Any codes?

Not sure what you mean about threads that mention "cleaning". Got a link?

 

No actual threads, just comments that state they had success "cleaning" the sensor. It gives the P2138 code for the APP sensor when it happens. Owned the car for a little over a year and even noticed after purchasing it that the accelerator wasn't as smooth starting out and at lower speeds than my previous vehicle. The first episode going into "limp mode" was about 2-3 months ago and has slowly gotten worse.

 

Hmmm, hard for me to believe that cleaning would work. How would one go about doing this?

I still have no codes nor limp mode, just the hesitation on acceleration. I'm somewhat surprised that tightening the cable helped a little. I sure hope that this is an APP sensor issue. I'll know soon enough...

 

Hard for me to believe as well, unless in some way the contacts can be cleaned. When you say you tightened the cable, how many turn(s) would you say? Any certain way to tell based on slack/tension in the cable as to what would be correct?

 

Driving home from work the other week, I got the VSA83 audio message on my 2008 NBP Type S with 83k miles. I followed the instructions and restarted the car. The VSA alert went away but the check engine light stayed on. The next morning it was still on, so I drove to Autozone and got them to read the code, which was P2138 (no additional codes thankfully). Not wanting to have the car possibly go into limp mode at an inopportune time, I decided to get the APP sensor replaced at the stealership. Wound up costing $417.83 ($208.27 for sensor assembly, $255.99 labor, -$46.43 for 10% off after getting jerked around on the bill and delays in car being ready).

 

glad you got it fixed. can't believe how much stealership are charging for such a straight forward sensor assembly replacement

 

This thread was very helpful in fixing some of the same symptoms I was experiencing. These were my symptoms that were immediately fixed when changing the APP Sensor.
I had these symptoms for about a year.
-surging when traveling around 40mph, but when using cruise control no surge.
-hesitation when accelerating from a stopped position.
The symptoms escalated to the following.
- ! in the triangle.
-VSA alert.
-check engine icon.
-"limp home" mode.
Purchased #37971-RBB-003 APP Sensor from Delray Acura and was delivered to my house for $153.00. Using the DIY instructions, very easy repair.

After 2000 miles no issues or old symptoms.

Thank you to all that posted on this thread. VERY helpful!!

2006 TL, auto with NAV.

 

I spent over 2 hours on 3 occasions trying to loosen the outer bolt! That thing is like rock solid. I was using pliers though, but it wasn't moving at all. I'm gonna try again once I find my wrench. Could I spray some wd-40 to help, as the bolts were all rusted.

 

Finally got this out and tightened it. At first I tightened it too much and the drive was sluggish on every shift. I loosened it up a little and now it's fine. I might just order the part and have it available for a potential swap in the future. Any thoughts on aftermarket for this part?

More Information for STANDARD MOTOR PRODUCTS APS147

oem will cost me double up here in Canada.

 

I'd stick with OEM

 

From what I understand, OEM is made by the same company. That's the one I ordered and both parts were identical down to the markings. You may not think you need a replacement but after swapping you'll notice a difference. I was having a little hesitation off the line and at slow speeds but they were only noticeable if you were really paying attention. However, after the swap the acceleration is much more smooth. The bolt that mounts the bracket to the body might give you some trouble. Mine was seized on pretty tight.

 

This is a little late, but I had a similar(or placebo effect) improvement with the APP adjustment/replacement. I suggest everyone change the PCV on the front valve cover. This takes all of 5 minutes, a quarter, and an Allen wrench. Much bigger improvement than tha APP sensor. Perhaps not properly venting the crank case may have provided resistance to the cylinder movement, and that air(and oil) has to go somewhere. In my case past the oil pump and pan seals and into the spark plug holes. Before you do anything else relpace the $35 valve. My PCV had 195k miles on it, D'oh.

 

Oh, I guess I never followed up on my hesitation issue. It was due to counterfeit spark plugs I bought off of Ebay. The APP sensor had nothing to do with the hesitation.

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...s-ebay-944154/

 

I started reading this earlier this week. I have a 2008 TL with about 211K miles on it. I'm starting to have what I think are surging issues at about 70 mph. I'm driving along with my foot on the peddle at that speed and feel like I am lightly tapping the accelerator even though I am not. It does not seem to be an issue below 60 mph or above 80 mph. I opened up the plastic case around the APP yesterday and did have a little slack on my cable so I tightened it a bit but I'm not sure how tight it is suppose to be. It's not as tight as a guitar string which I am assuming it should not be. I can pull it and move it about 1/8 of an inch.

I have NO codes at all. Honestly, other than this and the Gas Cap issue the car is running great. I'm looking at getting the purge sensor to correct this as well.

Is this surging issue indicative of a faulty APP sensor?

 

Bump. Anyone?

 

I bought that same OE from Amazon , , keihin makes both of them...it's the same part manufacture just not in acura packaging.

I needed the part ASAP can't be driving to work with worries car would go back to limp mode.

 

Pulled a sensor out of a local junk yard today for $30. Installed and all is well!