I have a multimeter and want to check the voltage on my tps to see if its set properly but i have no idea how to set it or use it to check.

 

There are ALOT of very tech savvy members here which will already have talked about this, but here you are; Take a paper clip, cut it in half and push one straight piece into the back of the top two of the three wire plug on the sensor. Make sure to feel for it hitting the connector pin itself, not just go into the rubber boot. Turn key on, engine off, (you should here your fuel pump kick in for two seconds here...)set your meter to read thousanths (.003, .018, etc) and touch the two pins. If you get some silly read like 002, the pins are not touching the contacts-push them in further-if you get somthing like .475, your in the game, now to adjust...BE CAREFUL loosening up the two bolts as they tend to freeze up and snap-then your a drilling and tapping fool- rotate the sensor up or down depending on your initial reading, and get it to at least .540 It can go as high as .750, but each car likes its own. BEFORE you do this however, you need to check and set base timing, and minimum idle, because if you change the idle after this, the adjustment changes. My 87 350TPI seems to like .600, a base idle of 700rpm and a base timing of 8deg at 750rpm, which translates into 6deg at 600rpm in drive. Oh yeah, and when your setting min idle, pull that IAC OUT AND CLEAN THE PINTLE AND PASSAGE! If not, its gonna act like a vacuum leak and hunt all over the board

 

I actually use two safety pins, one for each wire. Poke the pin in the back of the plug into each wire and place the VOM leads into the coil of each pin, That way you can adjust the TPS sensor with the VOM on the TPS.

 

I cant set timing since i dont know how or have the tools to. But before reading that i did set my tps back to stock since it was to low and when i fired her up the engine idled way smoother and prety steady but as soon an i put it into reverse the enging cut out. Every mechanic ive talked to is telling me bad maf but i just dont want to buy a new one till im sure. I can i test it to see if irs faulty.