TPMS Acting up in cold weather

Anybody else encounter this issue? I generally detest the TPMS anyway, but recently as the weather has been dipping below 0*C, my TPMS is acting up and causing the dash light to come on.

I have checked all of my tires and the pressure seems to be the same on all four, perhaps the cold weather is wreaking havoc on my pressures. Either way, I have 4 spare TPMS sensors, how could I troubleshoot to determine which one is bad and have it changed?

 

check the pressure in the spare tire

 

...Is the pressure *low* on all four? Because being the same is not the only item TPMS monitors.

 

x2!

Mine did the same thing. All tires were the same...except the spare...20psi. Filled all 5 to 40psi and all is well...after resetting the tpms.

 

I've had the light come a few times during cold snaps....mainly early on the way to work. By the time I checked the pressure after work the psi in all the tires (including the spare) were good. Could the reason for the light coming on be due to the 4 tires heating up while driving and the spare staying cold?

 

Possibly. My spare, for some reason, has no TPMS. Not that that concerns me.

 

filled up my spare.. light went out.

Interesting when I dropped the spare it has some serious deep grooves where it has been "rubbing" against the cross members. I made sure to not crank the spare up as tight as it was. Hope this relieves the grooves

 

He's got an '09. Only the '06-'08 years have TPMS in the spare.

Two suggestions above could point you in the right direction. But here's what I would do first as a shortcut. Check the tires when they're cold and ensure they're where you want them. Then use the reset button to set the computer to monitor them from that temp. It could be that one was really warm or had a higher pressure the last time they were reset. So now they're all at the right temp, but the sensor is triggering in one of them because it's lower than it was when it was last set.

 

OP , we had a week of -6 C highs and - 10 C lows , my TPMS light came on and I found that all my tires had dropped by 4 lbs , apparently enough to trigger the light in my case .

 

Something I would try; holding the TPMS calibration button under your steering wheel, and if the light goes off, THEN inflate the tires, that might stop the light from comming on when there are big temperature ranges.

 

I use the 5lb rule for winter. Example, I run my tires at 33 lbs all the way around. Lower all 5 tires ( spare inc) to 28 lbs hit the reset button. Then fill back up to 33.

I have not had any issues.

 

you can remove them replace with regular stems. remove the spare tire from the wheel and take all four sensors and duct tape the shit out of them to the inside of the spare. remount the tire onto the spare wheel and you good to go, no more PIA lights comming on.

 

I thought the cold was effecting mine yesterday, and was cussing them too. One tire was down a little so I checked it over real well and found a rivet buried in my brand new snow tire.Much as I dislike the system,it saved me from changing a flat out in weather.

 

Wow, great responses. I did not know that I was fortunate enough to have a truck without a sensor in the spare, excellent, one thing eliminated anyway.

My scenario is very similar to OffRoadToy's, comes on especially on the way to work in the morning when the temperature is at its lowest. I will inflate all four tires to 40psi (that's a lot!) and reset the monitoring system to see if I can make it go away.

Appreciate the advice, I will post up what I find.

 

I would advise against this, you'll never be able to use your spare. Make a pressure vessel out of PVC or a wheel barrel tire/rim and put the TMPS sensors in there, not a tire that would be used on the truck. You can put the PVC vessel under one of the seats, in the bed storage compartment or metal zip-tie it to the frame or under the hood if you really want to.

 

Other way around. Lower the pressure to the lowest acceptable pressure you think you'll run them at, then reset it. Next, fill them back up to where you normally run them. Filling them up to 40 psi is not a good solution.

 

The TPMS sensors are more of a hassle!! Black tape it!

 

I like having one in the spare since I can't tell you how much it sucks when your spare is flat the one time you need it! I now keep a small compressor with me all the time so I guess it shouldn't happen to me again... I don't mind them, I think they're nice for most people since not everyone pays attention to their vehicle's condition.

 

Or you could strap them to the inside of the wheels...
http://www.revolutionsupply.com/strapkit.aspx

Another option is the presserized vessel. I made this one out of pvc...

 

did exactly the same as that, but about three times shorter so It could fit in my rear (access cab) baggage compartment where the jack is. OP, This is the best option you have, been doing this for 3 years now and no problem.