P0120 and P0122
 

My car lately had been running with kind of a bouncy idle at start up but after a few revs would even out. Today though I was driving and suddenly the car wouldn't rev at all and i have a bouncy rough idle. Will not rev at all even after i clear the codes.



both codes say its the TPS. and i'm ok to replace that... But I would like to know if anyone else has seen this problem and it was something other then the TPS?

P0120 OBD2 specifically refers to the camshaft (cam) timing.

P0120 Mini Auto Trouble Code

Parts or components should not be replaced with reference to only a P0120 Mini DTC. The vehicle service manual should be consulted for more information on possible causes of the fault, along with required testing.

When you fill your car with gas, the vapors in the tank get forced into a canister filled with activated charcoal. Also, on a hot day as the gas heats up and vaporizes, those same vapors push into the canister where they're stored. But the charcoal can only hold so much vapor. At some point it has to be emptied. The emptying process is called canister purge.

P0122 Mini Auto Trouble Code

P0122 Mini OBD2 may also be triggered by faults earlier down the line. For example, a dirty MAF sensor might be causing the car to overcompensate in its fuel-trim adjustments. As a result, oxygen sensors are likely to report fuel mixture problems.

That said, given the up-and-down of the idle with no change to the TPS, I would check for unmetered air (vacuum leak) getting into the system. I had that issue when I took my Mini to a dealer for an oil change and they broke the pipe leading off to something else from the inlet pipe. Easy part to replace and it solved my bouncy idle/no power issue.

Where can i find these definitions? I couldn't find anything like this when I searched.

that said... I ended up replacing my TPS since its all the info i had at the time and i haven't had the codes come up since.