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Tpms

H32NV

Well-Known Member
Messages
322
Location
Golden, CO
I searched TPMS and didnt come up with much. So i figured id start a new thread and ask the wonderful members of this forum about the situation.

TPMS - Has PMS. Ive never gotten them to cooperate or work correctly, and they always throw a warning light on cold days anyway. I dont keep my 315-75-16's at 40psi, I much prefer the ride down at 34-35. I recently just put new tires on, I went from 315-75-16 Duratracs to the MTR-K's in the same size(I'm running the Hutchinson Beadlocks for the H3). So far they are excellent, and mostly solved the loose rear end problem I was having, which reconfirmed with me that it WAS the tires. I took them down Young's Canyon and Walnut Canyon yesterday, and the performance in the loose dirt was surprising. I anticipated that the MTR's would do slightly better on loose dirt than the Duratracs, but not as much better as they did yesterday! We'll see how they do in the snow and ice, but for now I'm very happy with the purchase. Back on topic - One of the TPMS sensors fell off of its bracket and got tossed around for a few thousand miles at highway speeds. Needless to say its DISINTEGRATED. I found a replacement on GMpartsdirect, but I didnt want to pull the trigger before asking if I should just buy 5 and replace them all instead.

To help me make a decision - Can anyone comment on battery life of the TPMS, or is it an RF passive system that doesnt require batteries at the sensors? Do I have to take the new one/ones to the dealership to have them code the replacement into the BCM?

My plan is to put all 5 in the spare tire, crank the pressure to 50psi, and FORGET ABOUT THAT D*&^ ALARM THAT GOES OFF EVERYDAY

Cheers,

Rob
 

f5moab

Mr. Beretta
Messages
2,000
Location
In hiding.....
Battery life is dependent upon miles more than years. The sensor goes into a sleep mode after a set time if the rotationals sensor, internal to the switch, detects no rotation. I have heard they can go up to 150000 miles and I have heard they need replacement in the 70000 mile range.
I know people who have disassembled the older style magnetic TPMS sensors and replaced the batteries. Should be able to do so with the reed type too. Don't know. Have nothing to lose by trying.

But if you want to replace all five, here is a link to a site that sells them for less....http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/s...08.html?intcmpid=Product+Listings+Best+Seller
 

08H3

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,370
Location
United States
Personally, I'd just replace the one. f5 didn't specifically say it, but gave the info on sleep mode-- you can't put all 5 in the spare and make it work. They will always be asleep and appear inactive to the computer.
 

tomp

Well-Known Member
Messages
256
Location
Dallas
I just finished replacing 5 tires on my H3 hutchinson beadlocks. All 5 tires that were removed, were installed by a local 4x4 shop. Prior to replacing the tires, I had issues with the TPMS alarm on the dash staying on all the time. When they first installed the tires, the alarms didnt come on but over time I started having issues. I thought maybe the sensors came loose and came off the brackets. However, when I started to replace the tires myself, I found different things wrong. Of the 5 wheels/tires, I found one had a serious leak at the valve stem. One had an o-ring that wasn't even in the proper channel and was crushed my the wheel halves! It's a wonder it held air at all.

Also, I don't know if this makes sense, but I have heard that the sensors can go into sleep mode, so mounting them in the spare may work for a short period and then cause an alert. I once had a bad sensor and included the spare into the recognition process and never had a problem even over time, so who knows is this is true or not. Knowing this, I noticed my sensors were not installed where "rotation" would have prevented them from going into sleep mode. They were turned 90 degrees, compared to the way they mount in OEM wheels. When I installed the new tires, I faced the valve stem to the outside of the wheel. Doing this, combined with correcting the air leaks, has seemed to solve the problems I was having - we'll just have to wait and see how long it lasts as I just finished the tires yesterday.

My suggestion, is to start the relearning process and only plan to replace the ones that are not recognized. However, before planning to replace, move vehicle to see if rotating tire allows for better positioning of the sensor compared to the receiver and try process again. Just like in my case, the total mess may not be as bad as having to revert to throwing them all in the spare. Again, mine may go nuts soon and only time will tell and maybe all this stuff I am posting is BS:)

If you do end up installing in spare, you only need to put 4 in there
 

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,677
Location
Scottsdale
I think I have one or more failing ones. I get SERV TPMS daily on the DIC. The relearning procedure has been done twice. I'm at 107,000 miles. I have some spares but they are five years old so hopefully, as F5 said, battery life is more about miles than time.

I'm not going to replace them until I need to have new tires put on - no sense, in my opinion, for me to pay for dismounting and remounting tires just to correct the error on the DIC.

As for low tire, I thought they would only indicate low when you were 25% below the recommended tire pressure. So, if they are showing low at other times it might also mean a faulty sensor.

Replacing zero, one or four/five sensors? I think the choice is directly tied to how annoyed you are by the DIC messages vs. where you stand with your budget. I'm guessing our frugality expert backcountryislife has probably replaced his OEM TPMS with something comprised of string, bubble gum and a cowbell he found in a field :):):)
 

Portager

■ ☼▐▐▐▐▐▐▐ ☼■
Messages
1,506
Location
Silverado
My 09 H3T only has 4 TPMS sensors (none in the spare), but they never gave me any trouble. As long as they work, I like having them as a backup. I picked up a nail once and the TPMS warned me before I damaged the tire, so I believe they are worth having. I switched to Hutchinson's and had Tustin Hummer do the installation ($85 per wheel). Shortly after switching to the Hutchinson's two TPMS sensors failed. Tustin Hummer said they would replace the sensors under the warranty, but that they may have to charge me for opening up the Hutchinson's. I was expecting to pay $170. After they replaced the TMPS sensors there was no charge, so I didn't ask why they failed. I haven't had any other issues with Tustin Hummer's installation. I feel I am extremely fortunate to have a resource like Tustin Hummer so close by.
 

bebe

Moderator
Messages
1,375
Location
Dayton, NV
I think I have one or more failing ones. I get SERV TPMS daily on the DIC. The relearning procedure has been done twice. I'm at 107,000 miles. I have some spares but they are five years old so hopefully, as F5 said, battery life is more about miles than time.

I'm not going to replace them until I need to have new tires put on - no sense, in my opinion, for me to pay for dismounting and remounting tires just to correct the error on the DIC.

As for low tire, I thought they would only indicate low when you were 25% below the recommended tire pressure. So, if they are showing low at other times it might also mean a faulty sensor.

Replacing zero, one or four/five sensors? I think the choice is directly tied to how annoyed you are by the DIC messages vs. where you stand with your budget. I'm guessing our frugality expert backcountryislife has probably replaced his OEM TPMS with something comprised of string, bubble gum and a cowbell he found in a field :):):)


Wait - did you just call him Fat? :giggle:
 

08H3

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,370
Location
United States
Just curious, but is there anyone old enough on here to remember the first generation of TPMS? :)
tumblr_lw4jgqtuqG1qlqfzg.jpg
 

H32NV

Well-Known Member
Messages
322
Location
Golden, CO
i wish i could just disable the system altogether. i have to run my tires at 40psi to get the alarms to go away, and the ride is too rough at that point. So unless someone has figured out how to change the PSI setting for the alarm codes then I just want to do something that gets rid of it altogether.

It is true, you have to be careful of that O-ring when installing the Hutchinson beadlocks. I too had a leaky valve stem with two of mine, had to be tightened down onto the rim to seal on those NPT threads. Also I have replaces two of the little valves as well... other than that theyve been great!
 

f5moab

Mr. Beretta
Messages
2,000
Location
In hiding.....
Sensors should go off around 30 lbs, but I believe some will go off at around 32.

Didn't know the price at GM parts direct was that low. However, make sure to check the price for shipping. They have been known to be very high on shipping items.

I am not sure if putting them all in a spare would work. As I stated one other time, they do go into sleep mode after a set time; however, I'm not sure (never tried it, probably won't) the BCM might start to wonder why the TP sensor are not registering movement but the vehicle speed sensors are registering movement, and turn on the message to service the TPM system (not a sensor).

I had heard that someone tried a sealed tube with pressurized air and it didn't work.

Also,l sometime after mid-year 2007, GM decided to drop the senosr from the spare as a cost cutting idea. Not sure exactly when the spare sensor was dropped; all I know from personal experience was my 06 had a spare sensor, my 08 does not.

Other than pushing the button, electrical tape works great too.

Or even better, get the tires foamed.
 
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