Chrysler Repair: 99 LHS: Throttle opening doesnt change idle, upper intake manifold, coolant temp

Question
QUESTION: After messing with some wires that were jacked up from the previous owner. I started getting codes p0118 & p0123. I left the upper  throttle cover up while the engine was started & it started idling extremely high. After putting the cover back on the car doesn't want to respond to when I push on the gas. I believe the wires I was messing with was the ground wires  to the TPS sensor & to the Cam Sensor. What can I do to get it back to normal? When may have happened to why the engine won't respond to the gas pedal as it should?

ANSWER: Hi Marvin,
I don't visualize what you mean by the 'upper throttle cover' so I can't conjecture about what has changed from having left it 'up'. And I am not sure exactly what 'does not respond' means. Is it like no change in the engine rpm when you move the throttle, or slows when it should go faster or? The tps sensor has violet/white, orange/dark blue, and black/light blue wires while the cam sensor has tan/yellow, orange, and black/light blue. The black/light blue is a common sensor ground wire that is supposed to be attached to pin 43 of the pcm plug. The violet/white goes to pin 61,the orange/dark blue goes to pin 35, tan/yellow to pin 33, and orange to pin 44.
So check those continuities and check out any mechanical issues that may be involved. Let me know about the other quetion. The 0118 is about a problem with the coolant temp sensor, while the 0123 is indeed about the tps. Just in case, tell me which L engine size you have.
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What I mean by upper throttle cover is the upper intake manifold. Yes when I push on the gas pedal the engine rpm doesn't change or it changes very slowly increasing rpm. I also go under the hood and move the throttle around & its the same response. I was only messing with the black/light blue wires going to both sensors. I have the 3.5L HO engine. Those codes didn't show up until I started messing with the wires. I understand why the TPS Sensor, but the ECT sensor?

Answer
Hi Marvin,
It could be that you have a leak in the intake manifold gasket somewhere around the circumference of the upper intake manifold such that the additional air admitted through the throttle makes little or no difference in comparison to the leaked air. The engine computer can self-adjust for such leaks to some extent which explains why it will still run and the throttle makes no difference.
So that gasket interface would be the first thing to check. If it isn't obvious where the leak is you can spray a very small burst of starting fluid at closely spaced point around the gasket while the engine is idling. Then if the idle changes after a short burst that would be a leak point. Be careful to not us more that a short burst because of the fire hazard. Taking it off and using a new gasket would also be a way to approach the problem.
The two sensors that are 'coded' share one thing in common... the black/light blue wires that are the sensor ground reference connections. There is a 14-pin black disconnect located just behind the alternator on the left front of the engine where you will find the black/light blue wire on its way from the connector to the pcm on one side, and from the sensors in question to the connector on the other side. Check for continuity between the pin on either side of this disconnect. Then repair any non-continuous connections.
Roland