erniep

Hi Guys,
I know this TPMS stuff is a pain, but it's goverment required on 100% of all new cars as of this year. The regulations (FMVSS 138) do not require that the system work with non-stock wheels and tires.

Each of the TPMS sensors ( the ones mounted to your wheels or integrated into the valvestem) has a unique "ID code". This is so only your car will pick up your tire pressure. This means that any new sensors MUST be programmed to your car for the sensors to work correctly. Any tire shop can do this with a special tool (ie TIPS tool). It's really quick and they shouldn't charge much to do it. They can also use the tool to tell you if the wheels have TPMS (2006s didn't).

The system should be out of range of your TPMS sensors and flag a TPMS error in about 10 minutes. Do you have the old wheels in the trunk? (that would do it).
thanx, erniep

Jito007

could your transfer the sensors to the new wheels?

Deviant86

no i dont have them in the trunk or anything, this whole thing is weird to me cause i drove around for like an hour or so today and there was nothing, then because of this i went to the dealership and they told me that the system was functioning perfectly

sheldon

I drove a little over 100 miles before the light came on. Now it comes on during driving EVEN after hitting the reset button. It seems like every time I hit an uneven road surface, like the traction control is triggering it. Unfortunately, I sold my stock wheels with the sensors, because I thought I was in the clear!

Sherwood06GT

Makes me glad I have an '06. I have a manual TPMS....a tire pressure guage!

codeglia1

OK, I too have fallen into this little "TPMS trap"... I purchased a 2007 Mustang GT, with the standard alloy wheels. It was my belief that this new car did not come with the TPMS option (which is fine by me; I check my tires a couple of times each month). Anyway, while I love the car, I didn't really care for the wheels, and I wanted to go to a set of factory "bullitt"-style wheels, in argent silver (to better match my Tungsten Gray paint). So, I found a nice set of take-off wheels and tires on Craigslist... but, before I called the guy, I pulled-out all of my new-car specs and documentation, including the window sticker, just to be sure that none of this would be an issue. NONE of my specs and documentation ever indicated that my new car had what I thought was a TPMS "option"... so, I ended-up buying this guy's set of wheels from a 2005, put them on my car and they look great. All was fine, until I drove to work today, and after about 20 miles, sure enough, that stupid warning comes on. I dropped into the Ford dealer (from whom I had purchased the car) to see if they could simply "turn off" this feature in the ECM. The answer I got was only partly correct... that, no, it could not be turned off... but, I was then told (by their mechanic) that the sensor was either "in the valvestem", or, (better yet)... "on the back of the tire"!

Now, thank gawd for forums such as this one... so many great ideas and experiences being shared by so many people! After having researched all of the responses and ideas regarding this same issue, I think I will remove the sensors from my old rims (before I sell them off), and try building the much-discussed "PVC Tube" idea! It's much cheaper than having my old tires removed (to recover the old sensors), and then taking my car down somewhere to have the other four tires removed as well, just to then spend money on re-installing the sensors on a new set of expensive bands.

The bottom line for me is, who cares if some bureaucrat decided to require this feature on our cars... to me... someone who routinely checks air pressure in all of our family cars... they only created a large dilemma for new car owners who either want to go to other rims, or, who need to change from winter tires to summer tires every season.

Thanks for all the good info here!

Bob

Leoleo

The dam thing is so new now. Maybe in a few years there will be aftermarket sensors that will work with the system, and creaper to install.

codeglia1

OK, I've done a lot of reading here, and I found the information fascinating, especially regarding building a pressurized tube to keep your sensors in! So, I went out and did so, placing the tube (with my old sensors in it) in my trunk. By doing so, the "TPMS Fault" message went away... and has been replaced with the new message "Tire Pressure Warning" message (or some such thing). What it meant was that now it was talking to the sensors placed in my trunk, but, of course, without having pressurized the storage tube yet, it read that as being a low-pressure problem. At least I knew that the sensors were talking to the computer again.

Since then, I have pressurized the tube to 35-psi, as well as driven the car "above 20 mph for 2 minutes" to force it to reset (as my owner's manual says to do)... and there is no change in the dash warning. That is, it is STILL showing a low tire pressure warning, even though I built the same pressurized tube system that others on the forum here have done!

Any idea as to why mine is not forcing the car to reset the dash warning now?

onederful100

does the pvc pipe stay pressurized, it could be leaking. try putting the sensors in the spare tire. the fault could be that the sensors were not in the car, and the warning is that the pressure is low.

UAE_Muscle

just go to the dealership. they fixed mine after replacing my alooy with a friends pollished bullits