TPMS FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Whoot!!!!!

Figured one or more of the wheels had been swapped, or I had a dead battery. Bought the truck last December, TPMS has from day 1 flashed for a couple of minutes on startup then gone solid.

Not wanting to pay the dealer $100 for the hour of labor and be told I need $1000 in repairs, I finally took it to Discount today.

Asked if they could scan the serial numbers or let me know if a battery was dead.
He said that he couldn't pull the serial numbers, but he could reset the system as long as I didn't have a dead battery.

He went all the way around, brought the inflation to the requested level on all tires, and said that all of my batteries were good.
Pulled an error code from the ECU.
WTF?

It was not a code that I recognized... it was like 2229 or something like that... 4 digits and started with 2.
The ECU was locked into reset mode... the error indicated that the dash button was stuck down!
He was able to unlock it, and the TPMS light went off on restart.



So, before spending $300+ on a clone Techstream and replacement sensors and building a "pipe bomb"... or before hacking your wiring.... just spend 15 minutes at a local tire shop that you trust (we're lucky here in SoCal, Discount is a GREAT shop), and see what they can do for you.

 

Good for you! Glad you found it wasn't a biggie!

 

Which dash button are you referring to rich?

 

The one under the column next to the hood release.

The kid said that it is supposed to reset the pressure level that it sees as "normal", but it doesn't (or doesn't always) work and it's apparently easy to lock up the TPMS computer.

Now, mine was messed up when I got it, but had it not been, I have no doubt that I would have because I've pressed the button then started the truck, pressed the button then turned the key on, started the truck then pressed the button... done all of the above with a press and release, done all of the above with a press and hold until the light stops flashing (full minute), etc....

He said the code was for "stuck button" so it could be that it locks in when the button is pressed until the light stops flashing.
Just said "Don't push that button"

 

I hear ya...hopefully soon I will put that little light to rest on mine. Putting mine in pipe till tires need to be replace and then I will install them.Thanks for the info!!

 

I upgraded my tires and rims recently and suffered, like many on the forum, the inability to reset my tire pressure sensors according to the instructions in the owners manual. I read a lot of the great posts on TW and TN learning each sensor has a discrete code. The ECU in my regular cab was looking for the 5 codes that came with the truck when I bought it. If the ECU doesn't find them all it makes the pressure icon light up on the dash. One post stated the ECU has to be re-programmed to look for the TPS on the new wheels and rims. The ECU has to learn the new codes before it can monitor them.

I was ready for my 5000 mile service visit and mentioned to my service advisor I couldn't reset the TPMS. When they finished, the service adviser said they 'read' the new codes into the ECU and I was all set. The codes were all printed on my service invoice and they charged me $30 bucks to do the reprograming. I don't know if all service departments will take the time to do this but I would recommend shopping around because the TPMS system should work. That's what I paid for when I bought the new tires and truck. I am not about to start cutting wires and using tape to ignore the light or trick the ECU.

By the way, I bought the rims and tires from Discount Tire Direct and I sure wish they would have provided the code numbers for the sensors they put in. I'm sure a dealership would appreciate being given the codes to reprogram the ECU.

 

I've had mine screw up and start blinking twice now, both times when in slushy or muddy conditions. A steady light indicates low pressure, and a blinking light indicates a malfunction of the system. Both occurances lasted months without resolving itself.

The first time I had the free help of my snap-on dealer as he was interested in becoming more familar with the TPMS tooling he was selling and trying to demo for his automotive customers. The one gadget he had would read the signal from the sensor when you held it beside the tire inline with the sensor, but to trigger the sensor to send a signal, you deflate the tire by around 10 psi. All sensors including the spare were found to send a good signal including their unique ID number. Connecting the scanner showed a code for loss of signal from one of the sensors, which we reset without issue. All sensor ID numbers matched up to what the module was programmed for, and resetting with the scanner resolved the blinking light for almost a year.

The second time it happened, I had moved and no longer had access to the equipment for free. I was unwilling to spend money on it, so put up with the blinking for almost a year with the intent to disable the system. Then, a couple months ago, I decided to try a free experiment while doing a routine servive on it in my shop. I turned the key to on, then started deflating tires one at a time to trigger the sensors, much like we did for the snap on TPMS tool. The first one turned the blinking light to solid, then the blinking returned when reinflated. The second tire also turned the light solid, and much to my delight, the light went out when reinflated. After that, I set all my tires to desired pressure, followed the baseline pressure reset as per the owners manual, and about 2 months later it is still working properly, with no light. Mine is an '06, and my understanding is that the '07+ have a slightly different system, so the above might not help. At least the price is right to try.

Of course, it won't help if you don't have sensors in your wheels that match what the module is programmed for.

 

Good to hear Rich... I remember your thought the dealer switched up wheels, but in glad you did the smart thing and looked at codes before spending money. Well played

 

I'll still spend money eventually, but at least now the light is off.

The only thing I've "wasted" was $35 for the clone Techstream cable and software, but I may still use that in the future.
For now, the cable and CD will go into the toolbox.

 

So lets say I buy these wheels I found on Craigslist, they have the TPMS still in them, and tires n them of course,

Could I try the deflate each one, one at a time, and re-inflate and my ECU on my 2012 may receive the new sensors code numbers or would I have to take it someplace and have the new sensor numbers input into my ECU?

Is that why you see so many wheel/tire or wheels for sale W/OUT TPMS installed?

 

You have to have the serial numbers read into your system -- if they didn't have serial numbers, the car sitting next to you at a light might confuse your system (and yours may confuse theirs). All the big tire places will be able to do this for you.

I would suspect that the reason most people don't sell the TPMS with wheels is that they can be expensive -- $80 to $120 PER WHEEL! And the batteries only last about 5 years, so you're going to have to replace them eventually or do the electrical tape censorship trick.

 

Oh, that makes more sense,

People keep their TPM sensors because their ECU has the codes in it already!

Hmmm makes me wanna keep my 16" steeliness and just get larger tires, lol...

Or I better be sure the 17" wheels I want are what I want to keep for a while, lol...

Thanks,

 

And one more gotcha -- the sensors on the stock steelies are not compatible with either of the stock alloy wheels (17" or 16" TRD). The angle of the stem is different and will break the sensor when installed on the alloy wheels (that's what happened to one of mine and how I learned all about TPMS and spent a lot of money I hadn't planned to). Depending on the wheels you choose, you may have to spring for new sensors as well. I think you can get a full set of 4 online for around $250.

 

The steel sensors are at 20 degrees.
Alloy sensors are at 40 degrees.

The steel sensors will work on alloy wheels by rotating them 180 degrees, but you MUST notify all future tire installers of this or they will break the sensors when dismounting your old tires.

Rockauto sells "Standard" brand 40 degree sensors for $72. They have some Dormans for $30... if you trust Dorman.

 

Wow,

Dang that's crazy,

Makes me wanna bypass the TPMS all together.

I found a set of 17" TRD wheels from a 2012 with sensors,
I might try and get em!

 

It's actually not such a bad thing.

Yes, I check my pressure when I get gas, but that doesn't cover "bad" leaks.
I had just fixed mine, and about a week later I'm driving home from work and the light came back on.

Pulled off the freeway into a parking lot, thinking it was fucked up again.
Cycled the ignition, and instead of flashing like it used to do, it just stayed on.
Checked pressure and left rear was down 10psi.
Started rolling forward 3ft at a time looking for the problem, and there was a small steel spot in the middle of the tread. Wet it and it bubbled.

Had it not been for the TPMS, I would have come out to a flat tire at 5am the next morning.

 

I had mine turn on once going down a gravel/rock road (my wife calls it "the butt light"), and sure enough a big, sharp piece of flint had wedged itself in the shoulder of the tire and it was going down fast. It caught it early enough to allow me to stop safely, though. I was taking my wife to a doctor's appointment and had to do a NASCAR tire change. She was impressed, and we got there in time (although I was a little dirty and sweaty). Definitely a nice system to have.

I have some spare 20 degree sensors from my previous '09 if anyone needs one.

My wife's '06 4Runner still has the original sensors, we'll see how much longer the batteries last.

 

Technology wins, lol!

There is no way to program new sensors in yourself easily is there?

I may have a sweet deal on some TRD 17" wheels that have sensors still in them,

 

You can get a clone of the USB cable that the Toyota Techstream software requires, as well as a hacked version of Techstream.
You can't connect to Toyota and get flash updates, but supposedly these cables are prone to comm dropouts so you wouldn't WANT to flash with one, but you can access and adjust some parameters including TPMS serial numbers, view actual pressures, set "trigger" pressures (sorry, can't set it to zero, and even if you could, it would still trigger on a 10psi difference between sensors), and a number of other functions... some of which can be accessed by the common Toyota "shut the door, turn the key, open the door, break wind 3 times, whistle Dixie, shut the door"... and some of which require the Techstream.

The cable and software is only $45.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...yota-tundra-techstream-clone-35-45-bucks.html
http://www.obd2usa.com/2012_MINI_VCI_FOR_TOYOTA_TIS_Techstream_V7_10_030_p/sv47.htm
http://www.uobd2.com/wholesale/mini-vci-for-toyota-tis-techstream-v500028-single-cable-2442.html


You WILL need the serial numbers off of your "new" TPMS sensors. You can input the serial numbers into your ECU, but it won't read the serial numbers of nearby units.

 

I went well over 10 miles after it came on.
When I pulled off of the freeway it had been probably 3 miles, and I was at 10psi difference.
I didn't check what the pressure was when I pulled into Pep Boys.
I wish there had been a Discount closer... they repair for free, but I had already passed the one in Pasadena and traffic sucked... didn't think I'd make the next one on the way home before they closed.
$15 for Pep Boys to fix it.


But, I agree.
The reset button on the dash doesn't do what it should.
What it SHOULD do is tell the ECU to read the serial numbers off of the 4 (or 5) strongest signals (since those will be yours and not the car next to you) and reset on those.


My wife's '04 Rav4 has the most stupid TPMS ever.
It's tied to the ABS system. It has no idea what the pressure is... it just reads wheel speed.
If she's driving on one of those spiral parking lot ramps, or making a lot of right turns in a parking lot, it'll throw a light.