Two Sets of TPMS Sensors

[Cobrajet]

I just broke out my triggering tool and headed out to the garage. Here are the results of triggering the 4 functioning sensors on my car...


LF: 10 seconds
LR: 10 seconds
RF: No response after 2:00 minutes (timeout limit on this tool). Responded after 1minute, 45 seconds on 2nd try.
RR: 35 seconds

The spare TPMS sensor I have sitting on my desk right now triggers in 10 seconds.

I'm not sure what the lesson here is?!? Unfortunately, my tool doesn't provide feedback on the current state of the TPMS sensor battery. Maybe that has something to do with it?

I would keep trying those 3 sensors with your VT30...or possibly have a local tire store check them with another tool before you give up on them.

Weird. This whole system is a real pain in the ass. I put the three wheels that I can't get a response from in my spare bedroom last night. I was thinking that moving from 40-ish degrees to 70-ish degrees may help the batteries enough to get them working. No luck.

Since I have to break them down anyway, I am going to try deflating them and see if maybe they will trigger that way.

The VT30 does tell me what the battery condition is in each sensor. Battery life is reported as 'OK' on all the functioning sensors, but I am not sure where that ranks on the battery life scale.

[Cobrajet]

Okaaaay...so.

I took the three wheels out to my garage and let the air out of them. Put the VT30 to them and...zero. Zilch. Nada. No response from the sensors at all.

I looked at the wheels sitting there in my garage for a moment, and said to myself, "Fcuk it. I am gonna break them down right now." In the middle of the night. In my PAJAMAS. I could dick around with these sensors a little more, take them to a tire shop, etc. But it seems like a waste when I have five good (and very inexpensive) sensors just waiting to be installed. And even if I could somehow get the bad sensors working I didn't want to run the risk of popping a TPMS code down the road that I would have to have the dealership clear. I have already been refunded for the ones that don't work, and I don't want to waste any more of my life on them.

So I broke out the Harbor Freight tire changer I wrote up in another thread. Unlike my first go-round with that machine, this episode went really well. It felt like the tire changer and I were working as a team instead of fighting each other to the death. I didn't even have any trouble with the silly, flimsy bead breaker.

I took out all three bad sensors and replaced them with three good ones. I remounted the tires, and aired them up. Only took about half an hour, and I didn't even break a sweat. So now I have four sensors that all sound off within seconds of being triggered. These sensors also show good battery life, according to the VT30.

Much to my relief, the bad sensors continued to be bad...even with the VT30 being used while actually physically touching them. Not sure why, but I think they are just plain dead.

I considered going outside in the dark, putting the wheels on the car, and subjecting the MitsuReset to the final test. But MINUTES after getting done with the dismounting/mounting, it started raining.

I figured that was a sign that I should stop. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion....

[Eggman]

It's gonna look like someone stole your tires overnight haha.

[Cobrajet]

It's gonna look like someone stole your tires overnight haha.

Lol! Actually, I have two sets of wheels/tires. The OEM alloys with the summer tires are still on the car. The winter wheels are stock 14" steelies with Pirellis on them. Three of the TPMS sensors I installed with those tires are bad.

I tried to get them to work by bringing them in my house and warming them up!

[wmo168]

Lol! Actually, I have two sets of wheels/tires. The OEM alloys with the summer tires are still on the car. The winter wheels are stock 14" steelies with Pirellis on them. Three of the TPMS sensors I installed with those tires are bad.

I tried to get them to work by bringing them in my house and warming them up!

You dont need to rebalance when you remount the tire to the rim?

[Cobrajet]

All I did was break both beads and remove one bead. I didn't actually remove the tire completely...it wasn't necessary to get to the sensors. I used a bubble balancer to balance these initially. It worked fine on my girfriend's Mirage when I did the tires on it, so I am hopeful. I put the weights on where they were before.

I have always believed that tires and wheels manufactured with modern methods are inherently pretty well balanced. It is just things like valve stems and TPMS sensors that affect how they behave on the road.

Look at most tires that have been balanced on a professional machine and you will see wheel weights that are generally diametrically opposed to the valve stem.

But if I wind up having to spend a couple bucks getting them spin-balanced, so be it.

[daleWV]

All I did was break both beads and remove one bead. I didn't actually remove the tire completely...it wasn't necessary to get to the sensors.

I have no experience installing or replacing TPMS sensors so I am wondering. Was it necessary to break both beads? Does it make it easier? Could it have been done by only breaking and pushing back the outside bead?

[Top_Fuel]

...the bad sensors continued to be bad...even with the VT30 being used while actually physically touching them. Not sure why, but I think they are just plain dead.

Yeah...I think that would be enough for me to give up on them, too.

[Cobrajet]

I have no experience installing or replacing TPMS sensors so I am wondering. Was it necessary to break both beads? Does it make it easier? Could it have been done by only breaking and pushing back the outside bead?

It would have been difficult to get to them just breaking the outside bead. You would have to reach into the tire, under and around the rim, then try to release the clip holding the sensor in. Much easier breaking both beads, because then the entire tire can be lifted up and moved out of the way.

[Cobrajet]

MISSION: FAILED!

Followed the instructions, drove it for about 15 miles, got a TPMS light. Everyone is right about one thing...the postcard-sized, Third World, pictogram instructions that come with this thing are BEYOND WORTHLESS.

This tool doesn't do what the instructions show it doing when you plug it in. They specifically tell you to plug it in, turn the ignition on, and push the power button to get the blinking green light. The instant I plugged mine into the OBD-II port the light was already blinking green, and continued flashing green when I turned the ignition on. Soooo...do I push the power button as it instructs or just assume that the tool is on and ready to go directly after being plugged in?? Pushing the power button after plugging it in yields a solid RED light. What does that light mean? Does it mean the tool is off?? Does it mean there is an error? Does it mean the tool is not communicating with the system?

I followed the instructions exactly, but wasn't expecting a solid red light when I hit the power button. NOWHERE DOES IT TELL YOU WHAT A SOLID RED LIGHT MEANS. Do I continue with the procedure? Or do I push the button a second time to get the flashing green light again? Am I already boned by this point? Do I recycle the ignition switch? How do I know the car is in 'learn mode'...is it the flashing green lights? Because those lights come on as soon as the tool is plugged in and before anything is switched on!

This thing may work, but ONLY, ONLY, ONLY if you know exactly what to do when it behaves differently than you are told it will behave by the idiotic, cartoonish instructions.

So it's off to the dealership....