Error 41 on an NA

[Homer]

Yesterday I was happily driving along at a steady 70 mph for about 100 miles (just cruising within national speed limits ahead of a long trip, no hard use at all), when the engine check light came on and the engine started cutting out. It was intermittent but every second or so. There was no warning at all so I pulled it into a hard shoulder.

 

This is on an NA 5spd. Symptoms:

- Rev counter was flipping between zero and actual rpm very quickly

- Every time the accelerator was pressed there was an engine cut

- Gear change made no difference

- RPM made no difference, even when I brought it down to 2k

- Engine temp and everything else is fine

- Weird to say, but there was an odd smell, not electrical but possibly exhaust fumes

- Oil and waters levels are all fine and no sign of actual engine problems

 

What I've learned since:

- Error code 41

- Engine starts and runs but it's idling at 1600rpm all the time (Which I understand is limp mode)

 

The error points to TPS which looks like an absolute nightmare to diagnose. Has anyone else experienced this on an NA? I'm leaning towards a wring issue to the ECU since the RPM gauge is feed only. Any advice?

[Dave]

i had something similar with the revs and cuttingout it was the earth on the igniter and coil .

[Homer]

Thanks Dave, I'll have a look at that first. The service manual troubleshooting guide is a bit beyond my understanding of automotive electronics, so this helps