Engine Light troubleshooting help?

[DriverSideImpact]

I got a CEL on my 2.3 1996 Ranger (195K mi) the other day. I scanned it and it showed a P1120 - Throttle Position Sensor out of range.
I ran a self-test and it gave a P1124 - Throttle Position Sensor out of Self-Test Range. These seem as if they would go along with my truck's inconsistent idling problem. So it kinda made sense.

I also got a P1116 - Coolant Temperature Sensor out of Self-Test Range. (Thats just cuz the truck had been turned off for 2 hours in 30* temps when i ran the scan).

So my questions are:

What are some good ways of testing the TPS (I have a multimeter) to make sure it is just the sensor worn out? Or should I just buy a new TPS?

Are there common issues to look for with the Ranger TPS?

 

[steve63]

there are no common problems with the TPS on the 2.3 that ive heard of,dont know the specs on testing the TPS off hand,but i do beleive if you poke a couple of saftey pins into the wires of the TPS,you will be able to get you're multimeter in contact with them,then you can check what range the TPS is working at.

 

[Tedybear]

TPS is just a pot. or variable resistor. 3 leads, the center being the "wiper arm". You can unplug it and test with a multimeter just as you would something like a volume control. one wire of the test lead to pin 1 or 3. The other on pin 2. Move the TPS through its entire range of motion. Most likely you'll find a dead spot where the reading goes really wacky. (as the wiper arm moves, it rubs against a strip of a carbon like material. Over time it wears out)

S-

edit: use the ohm setting for measuring resistance.

 

[DriverSideImpact]

Right. Thats how i figured you test it. Just making sure. I'm sure its wore out...it's probably the original TPS with 195k on it. I'll need to do that and put in a new thermostat soon.
Speaking of which...Is there anyway to get the little 2.3 to run a little warmer/warm up quicker? It barely gets to the "C" on the temp gauge regardless of ambient temp and takes a while to warm up. And with it dipping into the teens here already (and me not wanting to waste the gas to let it idle for 10+ minutes to get it almost warm).
Isnt the stock thermostat 195*F? And the only other one i've seen is 180*F (which seems very cool for this engine unless you're in Southern AZ or running it very highly modified). Any ideas?