So, i put my police steel wheels on with the centercaps and unfortunately they do not come with tire pressure sensors, so i keep getting the message in the DIC every startup. Anyone know how to disable this "check tire pressure monitoring system" message?

 

the only way is to get the sensors. i know i studyed wiring diagrams for a very long time and was unable to find a solution. it is all computer and often there are multiple functions with a wire. like the sensors. first it tells the wheel location and then the pressure. now im in the diagrams again for the DRLs

 

tech ii has a tpm system enabled yes/no parameter. remote control door lock receiver (rcdlr) controls it.

 

for the drls you could just replace the ambient light sensor with a 2 wire pigtail for on/off. not sure which it would default to if its just unplugged. havent messed with that. the dash trim panel will pop off. just remove the a pillar trims, and 6 (impala) or 10 (mc) clips hold that in place.

 

thanks neil i will try the tech 2.

 

would be nice if they werent so expensive. hopefully you can find someone with access or end up going to a dealer. they probably wouldnt charge too much for that.

 

Yes, the only way to eliminate the TPMS error warning is via TechII. Unfortunately, many dealers will tell you they cannot since it is technically illegal. TMPS sensors are now required on all (new) vehicles and disabling them would be like disabling any other required safety feature.

That said, if you know someone, they can do it for you in just a minute or so.

Are you (is he) trying to turn off the DRL's? If so, pulling the fuse(s) did it for me...

 

its retarded. should have a on/off on the dic for the tpms. the stupid thing goes off every time i turn on the car. all of my tires are low according to it. the sensors dont work right in below zero weather if anyones wondering. all of the gm vehicles ive seen with tpms at least. should recall them all. wow that would be crazy expensive.

 

It got done to 0 degrees today and low and behold LF Tpms sensor -- didn't read. Half way to work.... 32 psi. It did it last year too. When it gets too cold the tpms goes --.

 

Hmm, mines never had a problem. I'll look out for it though.

 

7 sensors in 3 years

Now the light is on in the dash, but there is no warning on the DIC.

I guess tax money will fix it, or disable!

 

its just distracting. it flashes in the dic like somethin actually is wrong when youre trying to drive if you dont clear them before you go. thats a little unsafe too imho.

 

Mine have only said that my tires are low pressure, but I believe that is due to it recently being 0 degrees outside, which makes air more dense

 

the sensors r very sensitive, they alert when there is about a 3lb difference... so with the very cold temps we had this week, they go off... we had alot of people come in with their cars this week to have the sensors reset... and when the temps go back up, they will be back... every 10 degrees of air temp will affect the tire by 1lb...

 

I hate these things....checking the tire with a normal gauge is easier for me too.

 

I am a service writer at a GM dealership and I hate TPMS. Everyone hates TPMS and it drives the cost of vehicles up by it being a required feature. You can thank the government for another law to protect stupid people (stems from the Firestone/ Ford Explorer fiasco a few years back). Anyways, I had a weird situation with my TPMS. Last year I bent one of the factory wheels so I put on a set of 16" wheels and tires from my old GTP I had laying around while the wheel was being repaired. Of course, the 16's had no TPMS sensors yet, it never set the lght off. If I checked tire pressure through the DIC it would always show 30-33 PSI for each tire. I don't know why it did that with no sensors.

 

Yeah, I'm having issues with mine now too. Over the past few weeks, the right rear will go out when on the highway for more than 10-15min. Now, the front left will screw up once in a while...likely due to the cold. After a little while, it's back to normal.

These issues, coupled with the ****-poor RCDLR system, make it a PITA to deal with, long-term. I had the "update" to the keyless/tpms system done quite a while ago, and recently had issues with it reading the remotes. I just changed the batteries and it's absolutely NO better. It will accept one command at MAYBE 50' and that is it. It MIGHT remote start from 10' but no farther. Not sure what the issue is but I hate it.

 

Yeah a lot of us that have been around here a couple years pretty much gave up on the whole TPMS / remote start.

HORRIBLE engineering that hasn't been fixed at least as far as I know. My parents hadn't said anything about their '08.

Good news is that the 2 sensors I bought from Discount Tire for like $55 have lasted more than 6 months now!

My remote start hasn't worked in over a year.

Still like the car overall though.

 

i saw astrostart makes a extender to up it from the 400ft california limit. damn them making stuff bad for the rest of us. thats why its limited to 10min too.

http://www.astroflex.com/index.php?m...54&newlang=eng

 

It's amazing how much miss information is out there surrounding these sensors. The design is fairly simple and for all of the systems out there GM has done a pretty good job. Now if you have a bad RCDLR setup, you're screwed. (Be happy you don't have the Toyota system)

The sensors work off the same frequency as the key FOB's. Pretty much the same system. Most likely the whole TPMS thing was strictly a programming addition for GM. (Much like our remote starters). GM appears to have standardized on one sensor now for most if not all of it's current production models for the past couple of years. (I believe 15922396 is the current version). This is an 07 standardized part designed by Schrader-Bridgeport for GM. They are running for around $38CDN a piece from GM. Most brands with GM electronics will use these sensors now from what I can see. (I've got some working on a Suzuki!!)

From what I have researched, Schrader has had some problems scaling up production to meet the demand that was created with the change over. It looks like they have gotten their act together as I have yet to see many problems with the newer sensors. (Only time will tell)

The main problem I see currently is most shops haven't got a clue how to deal with these sensors. Most don't want anything to do with them and are surprised to learn all new cars since Sept 07 in the US must have these systems. The principles of the system aren't difficult and the manufacturers have done quite a bit to educate anyone who want to know how to work on these systems. But, still many shops don't carry the replacement parts necessary when working on these sensors.

I've now got 3 vehicles with two sets of tires each with these sensors and no problems with the new GM sensors. (I did buy 4 wheels from the third party that used Schrader replacement parts and 3 have died) Until I see otherwise, I will stick with the new GM sensors. If you have the sensors with the nut then they are obsolete. GM switched in 07 to the current snap-in model that works similar to a normal valve stem.

As for the light, the response of the light is well documented in the service manuals. I swear the tech's don't read the manuals anymore. Basically, the sensors transmit on the following schedule:

1. If the wheel is not in motion, the sensor will transmit every hour.
2. If the wheel starts to move above a certain speed, the sensor with transmit.
3. If the wheel is moving, the sensor will transmit every minute.
4. If the pressure changes by ~1.6 PSI, the sensor will transmit.
5. If the sensor is stimulated with low frequency magnetic field (125kHz, may or may not be modulated) the sensor will transmit.

The computer in the car (MCSS here) will listen with the RCDLR for the transmissions all of the time. Basically, the light turns on if any pressure is reported ~25% low from name plate pressures. The service message will show if sensors fail to report within given timeouts. For instance, the the car is moving above a certain speed and the computer does not receive a message the sensor for five minutes, the light will come on. This means, for the service message to come on, the computer must not have received a message from that sensor for 4 or 5 times in a row. There are similar timeouts for when the car is not in motion. It is all explained in the service manual.

Taking the car back to the dealer to have the car relearn the sensors will have no effect and not fix the problem. It will only delay the proper diagnosis. Chances are there is either a bad sensor or bad RCDLR system. I've not had any problems with any of my sensors working down below -32 degrees Celsius. You will get low pressure warning if the pressures are low, which happens with changes in temperature. I set my winters are 33-34 PSI when I put them on and I haven't had a low pressure problem all year. (-32 last week).

There are batteries in the sensors with an expected design life of 10 years. But I expect there are shelf life problems here, especially with the third party replacement parts that sit around in stock for a long time.

Overall, from what I've seen talking to independent mechanics, very few understand the systems and from the stories I've heard, aside from the RCDLR issues with the w-bodies, GM has a pretty good system.