New and different TPMS problem

[packardv8]

Last year I got a decent deal on a set of OEM 18" wheels, but without
the TPMS sensors. I bought and installed the sensors, mounted new snow tires,
programmed them and all was well all last winter. Spring, I removed the
wheels and stored them.


Last week I mounted the wheels/tires again for snow season, relearned
them to the new locations and it was good until about forty miles down
the road when the "Service TPMS" warning light came on and all four
positions were blank.


Reprogrammed them and again, a few miles down the highway, blank again. Reprogrammed third time with the same result.


WIGO? The sensors were new, worked fine all last year.


jack vines

[Burnsside42]

Cheap aftermarket sensor? I know if we get "NAPA brand" TPMS sensors at work we have LOTS of problems with them learning - solution is OEM sensors.

[packardv8]

Could be. IIRC, these were Dorman sensors. For some reason, I thought Dorman was the largest supplier of OEM sensors.

jack vines

[Burnsside42]

Parts Warranty!

[packardv8]

Still having the condition.

If one tire sender were bad, wouldn't just that position go blank? They all will report for duty after a reprogram, so they're not battery-dead.

All four positions go blank on the display and the "Check TPMS system" light comes on. Any suggestion as to what's the cause?

jack vines

[packardv8]

This morning the TPMS came back on line without a re-learn. This indicates all four wheel senders were functioning and the problem is in the receiver, wiring or computer.

jack vines

[RichSPK]

They are battery operated and batteries wear out, even if they're never used. You probably don't know how long those sensors sat on a warehouse shelf before you got them.

[packardv8]

They are battery operated and batteries wear out, even if they're never used.

Not saying it's not that, just can't make weak batteries match the symptoms. It's been my experience that if one battery goes weak, only that wheel position on the display goes blank. That all four wheels will always reprogram and that all four just came up spontaneously yesterday morning makes me question the "batteries worn out" hypothesis.

You probably don't know how long those sensors sat on a warehouse shelf before you got them.

That begs the question, if I bought four more, how would I know how long those had been sitting o the warehouse shelf?

jack vines

[RichSPK]

Not saying it's not that, just can't make weak batteries match the symptoms. It's been my experience that if one battery goes weak, only that wheel position on the display goes blank. That all four wheels will always reprogram and that all four just came up spontaneously yesterday morning makes me question the "batteries worn out" hypothesis.

That's a good point. I hadn't thought of that.

That begs the question, if I bought four more, how would I know how long those had been sitting o the warehouse shelf?

You don't, unless you can find a date code on them.

[tunnanxwd]

Not to mention the expense of getting the tire off each time or is there a way to detect the signal? I remember something about a large "U" shaped device used to calibrate or check them?