TPM question

[WAM]

I bought a 2003 about four months ago. It came with a set of Forgeline wheels. I'm fairly sure the tire pressure monitors are not installed. I reduced the tire pressure in one tire to 10 pounds and drove the car abouit a mile as a test and no low tire light or signal was displayed.

When I turn the ignition switch on the low tire message displays with all the other test displays.

I recently asked one our venders/tuners if this system can be disarmed thru the PCM and he said NO.

Does anyone know how this system can be disabled. I have no check engine light or low tire message ?

I will soon be mounting non run flats so the monitors will not be needed but I'm curious how this system could have been disabled.

Thanks

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Write your congressman and tell them to quit mandating every stupid idea that pops into their freedom oppressive minds.

 

[wikkid]

Could be they are installed with a band clamp on those wheels. Also being a 03, the sensors might be bad. My 03 does the same, i tested and drove it this morning to check. No tpms light came on. Sensors have to be bad.

 

[Steve-Indy]

In my experience, as one or more pressure sensors go bad, I DO get a message on the dash.

 

[WAM]

wikkid,
Its possible they could of been mounted with a band. If they are present, I should of gotten a low tire indication when I dropped the presure to 10 pounds.

Steve-Indy,
I agree, if a sensor goes bad I would expect a message.

This is why I think the TPM system was some how disabled. I would like to have it working even with non runflats. You would of thought someone on this forum would know how this system functions.

I will get back to the previous owner but he had every thing done by someone else so I doubt he will know.

Thanks for the replys.

 

[Mopar Steve]

....

I will soon be mounting non run flats so the monitors will not be needed but I'm curious how this system could have been disabled.

Thanks

With non-run flats, the monitors would be much more important. With ZP (zero pressure ) tires, no air is not as big an issue as traditional tires. Even moderately low pressure in a traditional type tire could cause big issues.

 

[Steve-Indy]

I agree Steve...as I know of more-that-one instance where non-runflats have been driven to the point of disintegration by experienced Viper drivers who were SURE that they would detect a flat on these very low profile tires before tire/rim damage occurred...all to save a very few bucks...and, at added risk to their car, its occupants, and everyone else on the road...in my opinion !!!

 

[JonB]

I agree Steve...as I know of more-than-one instance where non-runflats have been driven to the point of disintegration by experienced Viper drivers who were SURE that they would detect a flat on these very low profile tires before tire/rim damage occurred...all to save a very few bucks...and, at added risk to their car, its occupants, and everyone else on the road...in my opinion !!!

Hows about more than 50 ?!?!? Even if you have TPMS, do a walk-around every time you get gas, and visualize the sidewalls of your (non-runflat) tires. It takes about 15 lbs (critical!) before you can easily tell. Better to carry a tire guage, ESPECIALLY on seldom-driven Vipers.

 

[JonB]

If there are NO TMPSensors to monitor, you wont get a low-tire warning by losing 10 lbs in 1 tire. You WILL get a single, 1-time start-up DING (chime) and indication at START UP only. I think the 2003 says "LO TIRE" under the odometer reading. Please check and report.? THE YEAR MATTERS and I sold my 03 in 03, and my mind is fading as each hair turns white....

I bought a 2003 about four months ago. It came with a set of Forgeline wheels. I'm fairly sure the tire pressure monitors are not installed. I reduced the tire pressure in one tire to 10 pounds and drove the car abouit a mile as a test and no low tire light or signal was displayed.

When I turn the ignition switch on the low tire message displays with all the other test displays.

I recently asked one our venders/tuners if this system can be disarmed thru the PCM and he said NO.

Does anyone know how this system can be disabled. I have no check engine light or low tire message ?

I will soon be mounting non run flats so the monitors will not be needed but I'm curious how this system could have been disabled.

Thanks

 

[WAM]

JonB,

I didn't take it down 10 pounds, I took it down to 10 pounds which would be 19 pounds low. Started the car and drove the car.

I didn't get a chime or message.

When I turn ignition on and before I push the start button, the low tire displays in the message center as all other check lights and messages display. This happens with all tires at 29 pounds or with a tire at 10 pounds.

Is it possible that no monitors present causes the system not to check ?

Thanks

 

[wikkid]

JonB,

I didn't take it down 10 pounds, I took it down to 10 pounds which would be 19 pounds low. Started the car and drove the car.

I didn't get a chime or message.

When I turn ignition on and before I push the start button, the low tire displays in the message center as all other check lights and messages display. This happens with all tires at 29 pounds or with a tire at 10 pounds.

Is it possible that no monitors present causes the system not to check ?

Thanks

If you can get your hands on a DRB it will tell you if the sensors are there. Then again you'll most likely need your dealer. Anyway you go, your going to need a DRB to program the sensors, when and if you get them. Not like GM which you can program with 100 dollar bartec reset tool.

 

[redtanrt10]

Wam, when I used to drive to the track with my forgelines/track tires it would take 200-300 miles of driving before the "low-tire" warning would activate (2 different SRT coupes). But, when swapping back to stock it only took 500 feet for the warning to stop. I've never heard of a way to disable them? Maybe the seller put them on those forgelines? Or, just a matter of time before the warning comes on?

 

[ulllose]

The forgeline wheels do use the band clamp for the sensors....I have a set of forgeline's
I also bought new wheel sensors form Jon at partsrack when he sold me the forgelines and had tires sent to forgeline so they could ship me a complete tire set-up with sensors. Anyways, the point to my post I have new sensors on the car but never had them programmed, so i get a lo-tire light at all times. I dont know if that helps with your original question...lol

 

[WAM]

OK, thanks everyone. Its a mystery to me. It will be interesting to see if monitors are present when I have the original tires removed.

 

[ACRBruce]

I have a similar problem w/ the SSR's that I got with the TPMS. The warn light would come on 75% of the time, even though I make sure I have more than 30 pounds in all four tires. The light doesn't stay lit all the time, just on and off every other drives or so. It is driving me nuts but the few times I took the car into DC for service, they were off (damn it) then I went home and the damn light comes on again. Jon B what could this be??? BTW you sold me those TPMS.

 

[steve911]

I have a similar problem w/ the SSR's that I got with the TPMS. The warn light would come on 75% of the time, even though I make sure I have more than 30 pounds in all four tires. The light doesn't stay lit all the time, just on and off every other drives or so. It is driving me nuts but the few times I took the car into DC for service, they were off (damn it) then I went home and the damn light comes on again. Jon B what could this be??? BTW you sold me those TPMS.

Did you go to your dealer and have them initialized for your car? The car will not recognize these by itself.

 

[wikkid]

Just for kicks i dropped my tire pressure on my 03 to 15lbs. Barely got down the street before the LO TIRE warning came up in the odometer lcd. Glad the system works

 

[JonB]

Several questions in this thread niow!

WAM... I believe you have NO sensors, or UNPROGRAMMED sensors in your car. Your dash response is normal, but a faint DING should be heard on startup. You could also have OLD, dead-battery sensors, which could also answer a couple other questions in this thread. They are not lifetime batteries....they last about 6-7 years from battery manufacture. Static storage batteries can last longer.... They dont send a signal til 17 mph!

Almost every tire dealer has the ability to test for the presence of TPMS.... the forgelines would be in the center hub area, and NOT the stem.....

 

[ACRBruce]

Did you go to your dealer and have them initialized for your car? The car will not recognize these by itself.

Yes DC Performance initialized the sensors for me and it worked good for about a month and then the light started coming on intermittently. Usually at which PSI will the light come on and since I have a regular ODBII code reader, will the code give indication of which wheel is triggering the alarm?

 

[wikkid]

Yes DC Performance initialized the sensors for me and it worked good for about a month and then the light started coming on intermittently. Usually at which PSI will the light come on and since I have a regular ODBII code reader, will the code give indication of which wheel is triggering the alarm?

light comes on when tire pressure gets under 20lbs. I don't think your obd would give you sensor location. DRB I know can. I think once the sensors are programmed, it doesn't matter what wheel they go on. Not sure about this.

 

[Steve-Indy]

In my amateur experience, no aftermarket OBD code reader will help you with a Viper's TPM system (yes, I have several that I have tried).

That said, there are tools that can identify a live or dead sensor...often also adding the identity codes of the actual sensor as well. But, on a Viper, these units do not give pressure data, nor do they communicate with the car's actule module...including the high end Bartec units which are very useful on cars other than Vipers(it was very nice of the Bartec folks to send me a unit for testing).

A DRB III will tell you which sensors are working or not working when connected thru the OBD port...but does not report actual tire pressure.

If you add a new sensor(s)you will need to program all four of them with a DRB III in a sequence specified by the DRB III itself if you want them to function correctly.

Hope this helps...noting that I hope that the Gen V Viper will have a more stable and useful TPM system...with specific tire temp and pressure readouts.

 

[wikkid]

Ya, dodge blew the tpms system. On the vette it reads pressure and location, and all you need is there cheapest reset tool to do it. It is sweet, especially going to the track and changing wheels.

 

[Tampa Real Estate]

I don't really care about the display on the dash but is there a way to stop the constant chime from my low tire pressure sensor? I may go crazy from it and take a hammer to it!

 

[PDCjonny]

I have constant light on but no chime thank god.

 

[rosco]

easy to check if they are installed or not. look at the valve stem. if it is a generic rubber thing they are missing, if it is a metal stem with a rubber o ring between the wheel and metal stem it HAS them.

you will get a warning light if they are missing. computer will handle it just like a flat with no tire pressure.

and you need the sensors MORE with non run flats.

 

[ViperGeorge]

A trick that some Mustang owners use is to take the original OEM TPMS sensors and place them in a plastic pipe to which they screw end caps on. On one end they install a valve stem for a tire (screw on type) and then they "inflate" the tube to proper pressure. Then they place the tube somewhere in the car. Sensors think they are installed in tires when they aren't. Not sure if this would work on a Viper or not.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Sensors need centrifugal force created by wheel rotation (about 20mph) to close a roll switch which then powers up the circuit.

 

[craig_g]

Sensors need centrifugal force created by wheel rotation (about 20mph) to close a roll switch which then powers up the circuit.[/QUOTE


This is correct. When the car has not been driven for 30 min the sensors go into sleep mode to save battery life.you have to drive up to a few miles to wake them up and start sending the correct signals to the car. If the tp sensors did not work at all the lotire light would be on at all times

 

[viperscott]

I don't really care about the display on the dash but is there a way to stop the constant chime from my low tire pressure sensor? I may go crazy from it and take a hammer to it!

with my 04 - after I drove car few times - this constant noise finally silenced and now I just have a message on dashboard.