Remote Tire Pressure Senders

[Tim Horton]

OK...... I got a vehicle with those remote tire pressure senders in the wheels.

I think this is going to be a pain in the neck....... The alarm comes on, but you don't know which tire...... The manual says it only takes 3lb pressure difference to turn the alarm on.

First time the dash alarm came on, I went around all 4 tires and luckily the alarm went off. I could see at that time it would be a case where it is always the last one you pump up. I didn't have a gage at that time, so I just put some air in each tire.

It came on again today. I didn't know which tire it was last time. Will have to try some things. Get my tire gage, pump up one at a time, and cycle the ignition off and back on so the computer interrogates the sensors on each wheel one at a time.......

Or maybe I have a bad sender........

Anyone with experience with these ????

Take care...

[KootenayCruiser]

If you have a sensor problem the tpm light will flash, if it just comes on it means you have a low tire or that one tire is about 3 lbs pressure difference from the others

[Tim Horton]

If you have a sensor problem the tpm light will flash, if it just comes on it means you have a low tire or that one tire is about 3 lbs pressure difference from the others
===
I had new tires put on this fall.... By the guy from the tire shop who was my neighbor at the old farm place.... So I trust him etc.....

When I ask all the intelligent questions I could at that time..... He said the sensors were all OK... I don't know if the sensors work individually, or if they work together.... At least on a Dodge anyway.... One has come on once this winter... I have isolated it to the right front... And will keep an eye on it to see if it is the same one again.... If or when it alarms again...

Have not heard of how a sensor responds when it needs attention.... Yet.. Will have to check that out....

Now one little bit of useless, but interesting info I have run across..... On GM products if a sensor alarms, On Star will come back and tell you which tire it is... Don't know if you have to subscribe to get that detailed info or not....

Are sensors universal ?? Or brand particular ??
I'm sure different brands of cars have different ways they process and display sensor info....

Keep safe...

[backlash]

On my Dodge RAM the sensors all display the pressure of each tire.

42 42
42 40
like that.

This winter they are all showing low even tho they are at the correct pressure.
When it warms up they will probably be OK.
They are expensive and the dealer has to recalibrate them.
I just ignore them after I make sure the tire pressure is good.
But I do make sure.
Years ago I had a warning on a rental car and we didn't know what it was.
Blew a front tire in the middle of nowhere Wyoming.

[J R Adams]

My Equinoz has a system similar to the Dodge.

32 32

32 29

A low tire will show up on the console and tell you which tire is low. Then it will show the pressure in all 4 tires as above.

However, when you have the tires rotated the system has to be reset to tell the computer the new location of each tire. The early Equinox can be set onboard, the later ones have to be reset by the dealer or a $60 tool.

The car said the right rear tire was low but it checked fine. finally found the left front low. The system had not been reset after I had the tires rotated. Now smarter later.

They now charge extra to reset the system.

[Tim Horton]

DOH........
Obvious question I should have thought about in the first 10 minutes.....

Can you replace the sensors with a standard valve stem.... ???....
If you do replace one or all, will the computer think one or all are low and put out a continual alarm.... ??....

Experience.... ???

[Rebel]

Hi Wyo,

There are 2 types of tire pressure mounting systems; those that mount on the valve stem (by far the most common), and those that attach directly to the wheel via a metal band (after market). I'm assuming yours are OE (Original Equipment) and are of the valve stem-mounted variety.

The sensors that are mounted to the valve stem are an all-in-one unit; they do not use regular rubber valve stems.

The sensors will go off 3psi above or below; I highly recommend keeping a tire gauge in your vehicle. Another thing to keep in mind is that spare tires will sometimes have a sensor in them.

If you let me know what vehicle you have, I can look up the air pressure specs for the sensor, along with the warning light reset procedure. Keep in mind that the sensors have their own specs, and may not necessarily go with what the tire says.

You can replace sensors individually; there is a procedure to integrate it with the current on-board system.

[cmck_12]

ok may have a little guidance for this one. not sure which year or model of vehicle you have but on a dodge here in canada once the pressures have been set to the correct psi, the sensors will only reset once driven over 50 kmph, for up to 15 km or somewhere around that. so turning the key off and on would still have no effect with the light on the dash being on or off until the proper procedure has been followed. also a bad sensor could be causing an issue but other than the light being annoying, it causes no real harm to leave it for a while as long as you remember to check your pressures regularely. sensors here that bolt in the valve stem hole can be bought in the aftermarket alot cheaper than from the dealership, but have to be programmed to match the vehicle (i work in a tire shop and we can do this for roughly 40% cheaper than the dealership. also have a machine that can test and determine which sensor is bad) Hopefully this is all of some help haha