TPMS Sensors. How do they read?

[Steele16]

Do the TPMS sensors send a reading somewhere that is within a range, or are they more like a calibrated pressure switch? If they are a pressure switch? Couldnt we just swap ours out for a lower psi version? My '13 crew cab XLT has the TPMS set to 35 from the factory.

 

[pat'sRAPTOR]

no i think it sends a signal to the computer and you can change the psi on them to lower it if you want, most tire places can do it they just plug in and change it i believe.

---------- Post added at 06:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:54 AM ----------

here this might help explain it more.

How a Tire Pressure Monitoring System Works

As its name suggests, a tire pressure monitoring system is more than a single part. In fact, TPMS involves a valve and a sensor, and it's also important to know that not all TPMS systems are created equal.There are two kinds of TPMS technology–indirect and direct. Indirect TPMS approximates tire pressure indirectly by using data from the vehicle's antilock brake system (ABS). Direct TPMS provides a more accurate calculation of your tire pressure using data gathered directly from a sensor placed inside each tire.

In either case, if a tire is detected to be underinflated by 25% or more, an alert lights up on your dashboard. But with direct TPMS, drivers are alerted sooner and–if the car is equipped with the four-tire TPMS display–can even see readings for each tire. One of the largest downsides of an indirect TPMS system is that it cannot detect when all four tires are low in pressure, which can happen quite frequently if tire pressure is not checked on a regular basis.

 

[pirate air]

The sensor sends the pressure within a tenth of a pound to the receiver which then sends the signal to the body control module. The body control module has the set point which turns on the light. The 2010s are slightly different but work similar. The systems locked down pretty good and there's no real easy way to defeat it that I've found. I could not adjust my set point like pat suggested.

 

[Phyguy]

Will it only work with four sensors? I have five (don't ask), have checked the pressure in all five and still get a tire pressure warning. Wondering if it's because I have five sensors instead of just four.

 

[Hockster]

Will it only work with four sensors? I have five (don't ask), have checked the pressure in all five and still get a tire pressure warning. Wondering if it's because I have five sensors instead of just four.

Where did you get the 5th sensor? The system will only recognize 4 sensors and the need to be learned to the modules. Did the 5th sensor came from the original 4 on the truck? is so its not doing what it should by sending a signal to the modules. If any of the 4 sensors in the tires have not been trained they need to be trained to your truck. And get rid of the 5th one!!!



Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) Module

The TPM module is a radio receiver that collects the tire pressure data from the TPMS tire pressure sensors. The TPM module passes the tire pressure data to the BCM , where the BCM applies a predetermined pass/fail criteria.

The BCM compares the information of each tire pressure message against a pressure limit. If the BCM determines that the tire pressure has fallen below the minimum pressure, the BCM communicates this to the IPC on the vehicle communication network.


Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Pressure Sensor

The BCM uses tire pressure sensors to monitor the tire pressure in the 4 road tires. The sensors transmit radio frequency signals to the BCM approximately once every 60 seconds when the vehicle speed exceeds 32 km/h (20 mph).

The tire pressure sensors are battery operated and mounted to the valve stem.

Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) and Message Center

The IPC illuminates the TPMS warning indicator when it receives a TPMS warning indicator on request from the BCM and displays the appropriate message(s) in the message center.

For additional information on the IPC and message center, refer to Section 413-01 .

 

[Phyguy]

Thanks, Hockster. I put a tpms in one of my spares thinking it would interact with they system, but I quickly realized not so much. I'm going to take it out and hopefully going back to four will clear the error.

 

[Fyermanbob]

I actually have 6 on my truck (2 in the spares in my bed) and have no problems at all. Maybe because mine is a '10?

 

[Hockster]

I actually have 6 on my truck (2 in the spares in my bed) and have no problems at all. Maybe because mine is a '10?

You can have all you want as long as the 4 in the tires are learned to the module

 

[Fyermanbob]

I bought 4 used wheels and tires off a '10 put 2 in the bed and replaced 2 on the truck that had holes in them. when I first did this my TPMS light came on I thought I was going to have to get a tool to teach them or have someone do it for me but after about 20 miles it went off. They seem to be working the light comes on when the pressure is down and goes back off when I pump them up. So do they "learn" by themselves?

 

[Hockster]

I bought 4 used wheels and tires off a '10 put 2 in the bed and replaced 2 on the truck that had holes in them. when I first did this my TPMS light came on I thought I was going to have to get a tool to teach them or have someone do it for me but after about 20 miles it went off. They seem to be working the light comes on when the pressure is down and goes back off when I pump them up. So do they "learn" by themselves?

No they do not learn them selves. So you used the ones from the wheels you bought? and did not use the original ones? Hmm, i hate it when things in teh manual tell ya things and people like you prove it wrong!!! ha ha ha