TPMS Light On? An Old Solution Revisited

So, I had a new set of wheels installed this past week and damned if my alloy TPMS's wouldn't fit the new wheels! There is no way to eliminate them electronically that I could find but I had seen mention of others using small wheels/tires on here. In the end, Home Depot had exactly what I needed. Say hello to my new little buddy!




This is a universal fit air filled hand truck-utility wheel/tire made by Marathon Industries, Inc., 7925 S. 196th St., Kent, WA 98032 www.marathontires.com , model #20210, 430/350-4" tire, 10" diameter, 2.25" offset with 5/8 bearing and sold at Home Depot (SKU #813117202102) for $19.97. When I got it home and took it apart, I realized that it had a tube in it which I didn't think would work. I had it apart so thought I would give it a try anyway so in went my four TPMS's and I drove around with it for a few days and it worked!

Next was finding a place to put it and low and behold, there is a perfect location to mount it right at the rear bumper bolts. I found a 12 x 1.25 mm grade 8 bolt bolt long enough and a nut go with it at Napa (their part #2802-782 [$9.89]and 2804-704[$1.39]) to replace the old bumper bolt and add the wheel/tire. I had some 3/8 galvanized flat washers to make up the difference on the bolt shank and a lock washer to lock down the nut so this is the old bumper bolt (below) and the new setup that you need to mount your new wheel.



And here it is mounted to the wheel. The extra nut allows you to torque the bolt more while not torquing the bearings in the wheel so much. In the end, the washers that I used to make up the difference in the shank of the bolt turned out to be the perfect width so that I could torque the bolt at the head and not torque the wheel anyway.



Mounted in the truck and easily accessed for airing up. It fits just a bit snug so you must install the wheel without air in the tire. Air up to the max PSI of 30 lbs. and hopefully, your TPMS's will be happy for a LONG time to come.


with the new wheels.


I'va had it installed for 3 days and about 300 miles and my TPMS's are very happy so far. We'll see how they like February in NH.

 

Dang dude, it's a whole lot easier just to ignore the light.

 

Great pics of your mod.

My light triggers only when I travel outside of a 50 mile radius of the sensors which are on my winter tire/steel wheel setup stored in the shed. I put a tacomaworld business card in front of the light until back home when it resets overnight.

If I didn't still have them on the old factory rims this would be a solution for sure.

 

50 miles? I have a hard time believing that those TPMS sensors have that kind of range.

 

My experience over the last 5 years of doing this, in both a Tundra and Tacoma with TPMS, is about that kind of range. I travel a lot, almost every weekend, whether its hiking, the ocean, snowmobiling, so there's plenty of opportunity to test it out.

On the 06 Tundra, the stock sensors were in my OEM Alloys stored in the garage.
The winter rims and tires had no sensors bought off Tire Rack.

On my current vehicle, an 06 Tacoma, I did just the opposite & kept the stock steelies with sensors together with my winter tires. I purchased OEM alloys with no sensors off ebay & mounted ATs for the nicer weather.

Both trucks did/do have a sensor in the spare tire (The 09s Tacomas do not) so I don't know if this plays into whats going on, but every time the light flashes around that distance & the business card gets placed on the dash. Once home & parked, it resets, 99% on its own, but sometimes I reset it myself.

Also I learned over @ TN that on the 06's, you can mod an inline fuse into a wiring harness behind the glove box, faking out the TPMS ecu. (Parts less than $5). The mod used to be documented, but the guy who did it sold his truck & deleted the pics off photobucket. I had considered doing this but the business card works is easy & no wire cutting. Also fwiw, the fuse mod only worked for model year 06, many 07 and up owners did not have success & resorted to either the wheel barrow trick like the OP or the pipe bomb or let the light flash away.............

 

How did you get the sensors in the tube in the tire? I don't get it.

 

Deflated, the tire bead against the rim cam be pushed in enough to throw the TPMS sensors inside and reseal.

 

I just stuck them in the tire and aired it up. I was a little surprised myself but they're still sleeping!

 

You have to break one side down to get them in but the tire is pretty flexible and easily done with a couple of screwdrivers.

 

50 mile range? Kinda like being on parole.

 

But didn't you say there is a tube inside? Do you remove the tube?

 

Yes, there is a tube. I just stuck them in the tire and aired it up. Admittedly, I'm scratching my head a bit also. It's either the pressure from the tube keeping them quiet or resetting the system with them at zero after (assuming that's the case) and having them in proximity all the time (like others have stated)...don't know but it works.

Edit - If the latter is true, then you should be able to stick them in the glovebox and reset the system so...

 

if you put air into the wheelbarrow tire, then those sensors are doing there job and reading the pressure in that tire. Now, when the light does come on, it means your wheelbarrow needs air..lol

 

But the pressure is in the tube and the sensors are not in the tube, the sensors are in the tire with the tube on top of the sensors. I can't see how that works???

 

I'm pretty sure that it takes about 50 miles of driving for the tpms sensor to notify the computer that there is a problem, not that the signal reaches 50 miles. When you park near your tires again, the "good" signal is picked up by your computer again. All Tacomas send the same mhz signal from the sensor, it is not specific to your vehicle...

Dan

 

Utterly fascinating!! Surely to GOD, with the geniuses we have on here. Someone can figure up a REAL solution to this issue.... Oh, I bought a set of 18" alloys (off Sequoia, I think) at a junk yard. I sanded and painted them black. Gonna put them on the Tundra so I can take off the 20's. My TPMS sensors from the Tacoma I had fit perfectly!! Just gotta get them programmed. What should I expect..cost wise?

 

$75 up this way.

 

I just reviewed the wiring diagram for a 2009 TPWS. I'm pretty sure I could devise a solution for you folks.

 

You would be a GOD on a lot of forums....

 

I'd like to help out.There is a wire that supplies +5v to the wireless antenna assembly which recieves signals from the tire sensors. I'd bet that if we interrupted that +5v with a switch it just might work. I'll look at it again in more detail after I finish another mod.I'll start a new thread in the technical section to solicit other opinions.BTW, to the OP, you are very creative and I like your solution