Tire Pressure Monitoring System Questions

[Rockpick]

Hey guys... I've done some searching but I haven't been able to come up with an answer to my questions...

I had a set of Michelin LTX MS put on my 2004 EB Explorer this weekend while I was in my home town (2.5 hours away).

I rolled around town with them from mid-day Saturday until about 3 hours ago when I drove home. While on the interstate with my kiddo and wife in tow, "Tire Pressure Sensor Failure" appeared on the message center on the cluster. After pulling off for fuel and shutting down and recranking, it reappeared.

My hunch is that the tire guys have either incorrectly replaced the sensor on the valve stem on one of the tires or I've had a failure of one of the sensors (my money is on the first option).

That said, it doesn't sound like this will be a user-repairable item (unless I can get a tire off of the stock rim) thus, I guess I am stuck with a couple of options at this point:

1. Drive back home (6 hour round trip and $150 of gas) or;
2. Take it to the local tire goons and see if they can give it a go (but, if the sensor is damaged or similar, I'm stuck paying the bill for a replacement);


That said, how much is this goofy sensor? Will a code scanner be able to determine which sensor is has faulted (in short, can I pull a code)?

Anything else I should consider - other than forgetting that it's popping up every time I crank up?).

Thanks, guys. All *helpful posts* are most appreciated!

-RP-

 

[CDW6212R]

Check the tire pressure first thing, make sure that the pressures are correct. Ignore the door jamb and/or manual specs, look at the tire side wall. Find the MAX psi rating on the tire, and set the pressures to just under that, cold. Set the front tires a couple of psi lower than the MAX, and the rears at a couple less than that. That is a good starting point for setting any tires. Manuals and door jamb stickers are entirely for smooth ride and faster tire wear. Best fuel economy and safety are achieved at the highest pressures.

I have an aftermarket TPMS, and two of my five sensors are usually indicating no air, or very low. My issue isn't the tire or air, but you don't know yet, so watch the tire pressures carefully.

The OEM sensors are often on eBay for various vehicles, they don't seem to expensive. Shop around first if you do need a sensor. I would suggest trying to have the tire sensors checked, hopefully they did something to them. Good luck,

 

[Rockpick]

Thanks for the help, man. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Ironically, since I posted, the 'Failure' warning has not reappeared on the message center thus, I'm hoping that maybe it was just a fluke.

I've let the folks know who installed the tires that I was having problems and they're very willing to take care of me (they should be, those Michelins were expensive!!) so, I have an ace in the hole if need be...

Again, thanks for the help!!

-RP-