My 2005 Ford Ranger 4.0 XLT has been running a little odd all winter - high idle in park and a little rough, possibly some slightly off-timed shifting, but nothing crazy. The other day I could feel it stutter just a little and the CEL came on with a P1120 (Throttle Position Sensor Out Of Range) code. No other codes. No problem, I replaced it and it drove as well as it did all winter, for a few days. Now the symptoms are back and worse -- I can feel it stutter on short drives, the idle is more erratic in park, CEL comes right back, and it seems like it doesn't know the right time to shift. However, when I run the WOT test on the OBD reader, all the numbers are correct for the TPS (~18% to ~85%, I forget the exact numbers).

I'm going to try to take it out and reinstall it in case I screwed up an angle. However, the screws are tight, the wiring harness looks totally normal and not damaged anywhere, and obviously something made it throw originally. Shop can't get me in for two weeks. Does anyone else have anything I should explore as an alternate cause?

 

Did you replace it with a Motorcraft example?
I have read here that it is important.

Instructions say to install it as CCW (Counter Clockwise) as possible to assure a fully closed position.

Has the accelerator cable stretched over time?

Check the idle air control valve for function....also Motorcraft or Hitachi only.

 

Great tips. The new TPS is NOT Motorcraft, interesting. I might even pop the old one back in just to see what runs differently. Then I'll get to the rest. Thank you so much for the advice.