Another frickin' TPMS thread...

[cwininger]

so my TPMS light started blinking out of the blue a couple weeks ago. it's blinking constantly now and hasn't stopped.

i fiddled with both tire pressure buttons (the one in the glove box and the one by the steering wheel) but neither had any effect.

hooked it up to techstream, and the TPMS system isn't registering any signals from any of the sensors. it's like they are all missing.

what's the most likely culprit? issue with the TPMS module itself? or would one sensor failure cause that result on techstream? seems unlikely that all 5 tpms sensors would have failed at the same time. not really sure where to start here.

 

[FxFormat]

Can't help you here, just wanna gloat that my 05 doesn't have TPMS, i hate TPMS, makes getting aftermarket wheels that much harder. I'd just remove the gauge cluster and yank that bulb out

 

[cwininger]

Can't help you here, just wanna gloat that my 05 doesn't have TPMS, i hate TPMS, makes getting aftermarket wheels that much harder. I'd just remove the gauge cluster and yank that bulb out

^probably the easiest fix.

 

[Alibaster]

You can get aftermarket TPMS that screw on the valve stem for cheap.

 

[bigredmachine]

batteries are probably dead, they have a small watch battery inside to power them. you could try to reregister them and see what happens

 

[GTV]

I'd just remove the gauge cluster and yank that bulb out

I'm getting closer to this all the time. These sensors exist for the average idiot, not enthusiasts.

 

[jerryb]

nm

 

[cwininger]

You can get aftermarket TPMS that screw on the valve stem for cheap.

i don't really think it's the sensors. i find it highly unlikely that all five would go bad at the same time. i'm not getting signal from any of them on techstream. which leads me to believe it may be something computer or module related.

 

[GunninIt]

Sorry to bump this up so long after, but just came into the same challenge.

Headed out on a trip last week. About an hour in, TPMS started flashing. Figured maybe I had a really low tire as it had come on solid about two weeks prior. Checked all pressures, including spare, and they were all within spec. Figured must be single sensor.

Fast forward to this morning. Have the local tire shop try and trace which sensor, and they said NONE are registering. So, I have the same problem as OP. All five gone? Not likely.

OP (and collective), any solutions?

 

[suprarx7nut]

Sorry to bump this up so long after, but just came into the same challenge.

Headed out on a trip last week. About an hour in, TPMS started flashing. Figured maybe I had a really low tire as it had come on solid about two weeks prior. Checked all pressures, including spare, and they were all within spec. Figured must be single sensor.

Fast forward to this morning. Have the local tire shop try and trace which sensor, and they said NONE are registering. So, I have the same problem as OP. All five gone? Not likely.

OP (and collective), any solutions?

My take: all five dead is near impossible. The light flashes when the first stops communicating. They're not all going to die at once.

Step one is to make sure you have the correct set selected. Does your techstream show any connected sensors if you switch sets with the button in the glovebox?

I like the system. With large sidewall tires, a blowout on the highway is a serious deal, often leading to a rollover. I believe there was a thread on here of a member with a 100 that had a blowout and rolled. The TPMS system can help mitigate that risk and is a worthwhile pain, IMO. Even when one sensor won't communicate, the system still goes solid if a tire falls below pressure (or when I air down for trails).

 

[G FORCE]

My tire pressure light is blinking as well. Sub'd for more developments.

 

[GunninIt]

My tire pressure light is blinking as well. Sub'd for more developments.

Do any more trouble shooting?

My take: all five dead is near impossible. The light flashes when the first stops communicating. They're not all going to die at once.

Step one is to make sure you have the correct set selected. Does your techstream show any connected sensors if you switch sets with the button in the glovebox?

I like the system. With large sidewall tires, a blowout on the highway is a serious deal, often leading to a rollover. I believe there was a thread on here of a member with a 100 that had a blowout and rolled. The TPMS system can help mitigate that risk and is a worthwhile pain, IMO. Even when one sensor won't communicate, the system still goes solid if a tire falls below pressure (or when I air down for trails).

Agreed that it's likely impossible for all five to be dead. Since none are reading, I think there's some sort of connectivity issue. I don't have techstream, but will be taking it to my local Land Cruiser shop to take a look themselves. So we'll see.

I did read another thread that indicated his had to essentially be completely reentered/re-paired with the system - as in all TPMS numbers had to be re-coded for some reason. Maybe a glitch in the Matrix that requires this every X years? Who knows. There's enough TPMS threads on Mud that speak to similar issues.

I'm like you, I like the system, and believe it's definitely a solid safety measure, if a bit buggy at times.

 

[G FORCE]

Do any more trouble shooting?

I have not. I just got the cable in and will install TechStream but I've been researching the best way to remove the TPMS light. On here, there was mention that's it's just an old school bulb but I've also read it's an LED soldered into the circuit board of the cluster. I saw a video on grounding the TPMS unit on a GX470. Does anyone have a comment on these? I'd rather just disable the system rather than fiddling with sensors.

 

[GunninIt]

I have not. I just got the cable in and will install TechStream but I've been researching the best way to remove the TPMS light. On here, there was mention that's it's just an old school bulb but I've also read it's an LED soldered into the circuit board of the cluster. I saw a video on grounding the TPMS unit on a GX470. Does anyone have a comment on these? I'd rather just disable the system rather than fiddling with sensors.

I have an appointment with my favorite local Cruiser shop, in a couple weeks, so we'll see what happens from that.

I did find a couple threads, namely this one: TPMS diagnosis (TechStream)

It may simply be a programming issue.

 

[lehiguy]

I had a 4th gen 4Runner and I defeated the TPMS by bridging two wires somewhere under the glovebox (found a post on some forum). So it is possible on that rig, there must be a way to do it on these.

 

[GunninIt]

Just an update that my awesome shop is having challenges getting things paired and/or updated to read the sensors - they tried new ones, and it's still not working yet.

More trouble shooting today.

 

[MUDZLLA]

On the GX forum there is a fix to cut a blue wire from the TPMS ECU behind the glovebox and ground the harness side to the chassis.This apparently turns off the light and seems easier than getting at the bulb. Anyone know if this fix works on an '06 LX?

 

[GunninIt]

So, I picked up my LX yesterday, and it's all back to "normal" for now! My local shop and Toyota Guru had to retrain the system - not only re-enter the codes of the new TPMS for each tire, but do it in such a manner that they were accepted. My understanding is they tried three different methods - including finally through TechStream (which makes sense). Even then, I was told that there was some challenges in doing it because of the time between activating, entering, coding, etc - like if it wasn't done quickly enough, the system reset again.

I won't pretend to fully understand the magic and witchcraft done by my shop, but I will say it was more than I was willing to try and do myself. I'd be happy to give out the details of the shop here if anyone is interested. The owner is a Mudder, and well versed in all things 100-series (among the many other Toyota and Lexus products).

 

[lehiguy]

It is absolutely ridiculous that they would have to go to that length to get the stupid TPMS to work. I guess we can justifiably cast the blame for this crap at the feet of Ford, for bringing us that POS Exploder, and Firestone for the unfortunate mistake of putting their rubber on the POS Ford.

 

[jerryb]

i think it's five minutes total for all five. I have failed at that more than once. Once I reset mine all the way, not the battery, just all the fuses tpms related and they magically appeared again.
I've tried to get to the ecu behind the glove box, it's a mess and I gave up on that idea. The latter combo meters are all LEDs except for the bottom 4 or 5 bulbs. Shorting the LED out might be possible but just as difficult. I hate em.