Tires...TPMS...Do the tire sensors have to be "rebuilt" or "cleaned" when changing tires?

I have never heard of this. Direct TPMS that measure air pressure are located inside the tire/wheel as part of the valve assembly which is mostly dirt free anyway, Indirect TPMS monitor individual wheel rotational speeds, and other signals available outside the tire itself. Not sure whether the Prius has a direct or indirect system, either way, they do not need to be cleaned, at least to my knowledge.

 

If you fill your tire with fix-a-flat you have to blow out the sensor with compressed air. Other than that, there is no need to clean them.

Tom

 

I just replaced my tires at home with the Nokian wrg2, without cleaning the TPMS, no problems, no leaks. Got the tires for 440.00 shipped from MK discount tire, in less than 24hours.
Good luck with your tire purchase.
Joe

 

Costco offered to replace the gaskets on the TMPS for $2.50 a tire. That's really the only possible maintenance I could think of for them.

 

I forgot to mention that I copied down the numbers off the sensors, in case there was a problem I wouldn't have to dismount the tires just to get the numbers. If one does need to be replaced the tech will need the numbers to set up the sensors.

 

My owners manual has the procedure for "re-setting" the sensors after a tire change. Also in the Bently book.

I was prepared to do mine after new tires were installed but I did not have to.

No icon notice on the dash so I so didn't do the re-set process.

All was well !!!!

BESURE THE TIRE INSTALL GUY KNOWS THAT THEY ARE THERE., WHEN THEY MOUNT THE TIRES !!!!!

 

I got a flat tire recently. All the shops I asked in the city says they need to replace something in the TPMS sensor and reprogram it (???!?!!!) even if they just repair the flat and not installing a new tire.

 

No, No , No----Read your owners manual.

My experience...purchase tires from Factory Tire Dealer.not discount guy's.

Tell 'em to keep their grubby hands off of the sensors.

 

MCSJ: Unless your valve stem was damaged, I do not think they need to do that. My mechanic has installed snow tires twice now on the Prius and has never had to fiddle with the TPMS, ever.

 

the guy that did my tires told me that they don't even have to mess with them unless the gasket is leaking.

 

What's a "factory tire dealer" and how do I find one?

 

I just got my Prius a week ago. I never gave any thought to tires before, a tire is a tire.

the stock tires on my prius looked pretty worn so yesterday (after reading up on the subject on PC) i had a set of goodyear triple tread 195/60R/15 tires put on.

I was advised on PC to make sure and tell the tire people (Discount Tire) that the car has the sensors. I told him on the phone and I told him in person. He said he understood. He said that "it's recommended that the grommets should be replaced." i don't know anything about tires. I said ok. i didn't know whether he was talking about the tires or the sensors, i didn't even think about it, i thought it was just one of those extra charges i always have to pay when i get tires. I'm not sure what a grommet is.

Later, last night, on PC i was told not to let them replace my valve stems because the sensors are on there. On the invoice it says they replaced the valve stems. ? When i turn on the car, the tire sensor light comes on for a second and then goes off. There's no sign that anything is wrong.

One thing was weird though, just that the guy told me he put 37 lbs of pressure in the tires. Later, i got my new tire pressure gauge to check the pressure in the tires. One rear tire only had 32.5 psi. The other rear tire had about 38 or 40, i can't remember. One of the front ones was 38 i think, and the other was 35, roughly. They were all different. The car was cold, hadn't been running in hours. I'm new at this and i'm not sure i was operating the gauge right. I took repeat readings and they stayed relatively consistent, the lower tire readings stayed low, the higher ones stayed high, even if the numbers did change.

Today it was pretty much the same when i took the car to put air in the tires. I had driven a short distance before checking.

I'm just wondering if any of the tires were leaking, especially that right rear one that was only 32 last night after the guy said he put 37.

I called Discount Tire today and asked about them replacing my valves, if the sensors are on the valves, how does that work? It was a different guy than the one i talked to yesterday. He asked me if i was sure i have sensors. i said my car has all the options. then he said only the core of the valves are removed and that the sensors would not have been removed when the valve cores were replaced.

I'm worried.

No sign of trouble from the warning light. Does that mean anything?

The tires have the lifetime warranty. If my sensors have been removed or damaged, would Discount Tire's warranty cover this?

 

jaw,

It sounds like to me that they may have said they put in that amount of air but didn't. One way to see if the tires are leaking is fill them up to the amount you would like say 42/40. Reset the tire sensor switch and then if the light goes off within a day or even a week, then you may have a leak.

I had a tire that was leaking air, because of a hole from a nail. When discount tire fixed the tire, they also repaired the valve stem. The valve stem consists of a medal tube with threads on each side there is a grommet that goes in between the wheel and the sensor (from what I recall). There is also a little part that is inside that tube. They replace those two parts because of dirt or grime. They had a advertising on what they replace in their store. I had them replace it, since it was a small cost. They only tamper with the removable parts, they don't tamper with the TPMS itself.

Also I believe the tire light comes on for a second then turns off on from the factory. I have always seen that light come on for a second when I turn the car on. Just my two cents.

 

I wonder if the tire people pushed the reset button. Maybe i'll call and ask tomorrow. Today, i inflated the tires to something like 40 front 38 rear, which is different from the factory recommended pressures on the door stickers. I read the owners manual to find out whether I'm supposed to push the reset button any time I change the tire pressure, but after reading it, i'm still not sure. Am I supposed to press it if i change the pressure from the last time it was reset? That would seem to be the most logical thing to do.

Thanks for explaining more detail about the structure of the parts involved. If i understand right, the TPMS/sensor is not attached to the valve in a way that replacing the valves would necessarily remove the sensor--if they know about the TPMS, they will be aware of which parts to replace and probably are aware of needing to reset the system if the tires are a different size (like mine) from the ones that were on there. At least in your experience, it sounds like the Discount Tire company is aware of the technology and how to handle it correctly (fingers crossed).

thanks

 

Art's Automotive - who are a great source of Prius service information - wrote an article on TPMS here:

TPMS: Tire Pressure Monitoring System

 

Mike,

Great info. :rockon:

Thank you.

 

You should only have to reset once. Basically fill your tire. Once you have it at the desired pressure, in your sake 40 front 38 rear, then press the reset button. So now whenever the pressure gets below that amount the light will turn on. You do not have to reset it every time you fill the tire because it knows the desired pressure is 40f 38r.

Correct, they replace the valve core, valve cap, grommet and the nut to hold the sensor. I've read around and it is something that can go bad eventually. Since my car is a 2006, I figured might as well.

Hope this helps!

 

mike, thanks for the informative article.

Ever since i started checking the air in my tires, which was Sunday, two days ago, every time i check them, a noise comes from the front right tire area, a buzzing or humming, an electrical noise. The first time i heard it, Sunday night, it happened when i removed the cap and placed the gauge on the valve. Is that normal? Other times, the noise has happened when i touched the right rear tire valve. I'm not sure if it's happened when i touch the let tires. It's consistent. If i check the pressure, a humming noise lasting about 2 seconds occurs.

Is this normal? Is it OK?

If i'm not getting any warning light, can i assume the sensors are OK?

About the reset button, i did not push it after i inflated the tires to 41F 39R on Sunday, i didn't know i was supposed to at that time. So the last time it was pressed was the day before, by the installer, who said he inflated them to 37 psi. If i understand right, when i get a chance to inflate them again, to 41/38 (that's my plan) I will push the reset button, since this is different from the 37/37 the installer says he put in. So I'm understanding that i need to press the reset button, if i'm changing the pressure from the last time it was set.

 

Basically the reset learns the tire pressures at each position, so you should do it after you change your tire pressure, rotate your tires, replace a sensors. And make sure you check/set the pressure in your spare tire before you reset, toyota has a 5 wheel system. Also it is recommended to the grommet, nut, and valve when replacing tires but to be honest we usually only do it every other tire change for our customers(not best practice but we offer both options and people usually prefer to save a few $). If there is a small leak the tpms light will go on and you should go get it check don't just reset it and turn the light off. This way if there is a leak around the valve stem/tpms it will be detected early and should present an issue.