1986 model / throttle body & throttle positon sensor

[zoonie]

I am not a auto mechanic! I am trying to solve a problem that has surfaced at the garage I take my prelude to. This is how I understand the situation, my TPS is bad, Honda never sold the patent on this throttle body and TPS so therefore there are no aftermarket products. The garage found a used one for my car in Ohio and attempted to install it but the TPS did not work. So they thought they found another in my home state of Georgia, but later found it was a later year model and would not work. One was also located in Vegas, but not purchased. So presently, it appears that these are very hard to come by and then they may not work. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS IS CORRECT? Presently, a mechanic that works for this garage, (I say garage, it is a national chain, and they have always done good work for me) has a machine shop in his basement and is trying to machine an adapter so that they can use what is believed to be a good TPS on my existing throttle body. Can anyone give any input on this matter. Has anyone ever had this problem before?

thanks, the zooner

[spiffyguido]

I used to have a 1986 Prelude so I know for sure that the TPS sensors can be a real pain in the butt because they're rivoted to the throttle body. I'm not sure whether or not Honda released the patent, so I don't know about the availability of aftermarket parts.

One way to get a TPS is to get on from an autowrecker. Although scarce, there are still 2nd generation Preludes around with parts to spare.

Besides all this, how have you determined that the TPS is to blame for your problems. What symptoms are you encountering that have caused you to conclude that the TPS is the issue. They're typically not as prone to failure as other components in my experience.