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  • March 6, 2011 5:25 p.m. petegossett SuperDork

    Our kid trashed a tire on my wife's '09 Fit Sport, and in the process smashed the Tire Pressure sensor. I'd taken the tire/wheel with me to work, so the tire shop couldn't reset the TPMS light on the dash.

    Is there a DIY way to reset it? Teh interwebz say "drive at least" or "drive under 15mph fo 40sec". Neither of those worked.

    The dealer sucks and is an hour away from us. Are there reset tools available if I can't do it manually?

  • Datsun1500

    March 6, 2011 5:30 p.m. Datsun1500 Dork

    Unhook the battery for 10 mins. and it should reset on the next trip of more than 5 miles. Worked on an 07 Odyssey, should be the same...

  • March 7, 2011 6:39 a.m. petegossett SuperDork

    Thanks, I'll try that!

  • Woody

    March 7, 2011 6:45 a.m. Woody SuperDork

    I hope that TPMS is like the seatbelt interlocks of 1975 where people come to realize that they are an unnecessary pain in the ass and then they go away.

  • tuna55

    March 7, 2011 7:03 a.m. tuna55 Dork

    Woody wrote:

    I hope that TPMS is like the seatbelt interlocks of 1975 where people come to realize that they are an unnecessary pain in the ass and then they go away.

    Dude, the fed is mandating them:

    The U.S. Federal government has mandated the use of TPMS for vehicle manufacturers beginning September 1, 2007. The TPMS mandated by the U.S. law must warn the driver when a tire is under-inflated by as much as 25%.[6] However, since the recommended tire pressures for most vehicles are more than 160 kPa (23 psi), a deflation of 40 kPa would be within the 25% allowance and would not trigger the TPMS warning mandated by U.S. law. Therefore, the mandated TPMS is mainly designed for safety and is unlikely to deliver significant fuel economy benefits. Drivers are still advised to manually check their tire pressure often to maintain optimal performance.

    From wikipedia

    To OP: I worked at TRW for a while, the company that probably made that TPMS system for Honda. It depends on what type of system it is (if it uses LF exciter or not). If it is a high line system, it might pick it up after driving a bit (over a certain speed, maybe 25? it will wake up the sensors) but other systems require that the new ID of the new sensor be input into the ECM. I am not going to do the search for you, but I am sure there is information out there to do it.

  • Woody

    March 7, 2011 7:21 a.m. Woody SuperDork

    tuna55 wrote:

    Dude, the fed is mandating them:

    So that confirms my theory that it's a bad idea.

  • tuna55

    March 7, 2011 7:28 a.m. tuna55 Dork

    Woody wrote:

    tuna55 wrote:

    Dude, the fed is mandating them:

    So that confirms my theory that it's a bad idea.

    +1 for you, my friend.

  • Ignorant

    March 7, 2011 7:34 a.m. Ignorant SuperDork

    Thank the ford explorer debacle for these things.

    Ford blamed a bad design on the tires.. The tire people blamed it on people not checking their pressure...

    Circle jerk of shirking responsibility if you ask me.

  • tuna55

    March 7, 2011 7:56 a.m. tuna55 Dork

    Ignorant wrote:

    Thank the ford explorer debacle for these things.

    Ford blamed a bad design on the tires.. The tire people blamed it on people not checking their pressure...

    Circle jerk of shirking responsibility if you ask me.

    Wait a second, you can't speak out against government intervention, that's my job. I am confused. Oh well, let's not clutter his poor "help me" thread with politics anymore.

  • Ian F

    March 7, 2011 8:09 a.m. Ian F SuperDork

    There are reset tools available.

    http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-8518-otc-tips003a.aspx

  • Woody

    March 7, 2011 8:15 a.m. Woody SuperDork

    This will also help "fix" the light.

  • DirtyBird222

    March 7, 2011 1:20 p.m. DirtyBird222 SuperDork

    99% of the time when you put a new TPMS sensor on a Honda you have to have Honda's HDS program and TPMS Sensor learning tool to calibrate them. The odd ball 1% cases you get one that actually learns itself once installed are rare. Try disconnecting the battery like someone said before if that doesn't work you'll have to take it to the dealer for them to learn the system. Or you could just put the TPMS fuse like I've done on my Si and I did on my 09 Fit. We get paid pretty well warranty time to re-learn TPMS systems so most Techs don't mind doing it. It's almost an hour warranty for plugging in the HDS system, deleting the DTC, and then learning the sensors.

  • DirtyBird222

    March 7, 2011 1:24 p.m. DirtyBird222 SuperDork

    Is the "TPMS" on? Is this light on "(!)"? Or is this light "(!)" on and flashing?

  • March 7, 2011 9:33 p.m. petegossett SuperDork

    It's the TPMS light, when I took the wheel in they found the sensor was broke & replaced it, but the rest of the car was 70mi away(and out of warranty, so I'll try the battery first). :D

  • neckromacr

    March 7, 2011 11:11 p.m. neckromacr Reader

    When TPMS sensors sit on the shelf their battery is turned off. The sensor itself has to be "woken up" to let the sensor know its in service. Anything with the car's battery won't do much.

    The green wand pictured about is about as effective as a blind squirrel is at finding a nut.

    NAPA has an awesome tool, but it runs like $1200 bucks. Find an NTB, Merchant's Tire, or Tire Kingdom near by they all had these tools instituted about a year ago. The process is very simple, fast and for about $40 way cheaper than what the dealer will bend you over for. If you really want to trip them out tell them to enter the code TPMSR4 on the work order.

    Yes I work for the company, but I'm far from their biggest fan and this is one of those few tools that really impressed me in how well it works.

    That said I (heart) GM TPMS systems, they are so straight forward to reset, and they were the first to do away with aluminum sensor (horrible corrosion/breaking problems) to go back to a more normal rubber stem with a "tail" to mount the sensor to. Certain Honda systems get a close second with their modular aluminum stems that when they corrode (they will, they all do) they're not one piece with the sensor and can be replaced. $14 service kit is way better than $100+ sensor.

  • March 8, 2011 8:05 a.m. dj06482 Reader

    The reset tools often require knowing the IDs of the existing sensors, at least Toyotas are that way. I did a bunch of research into this when I broke a valvestem (it was extremely fragile, I'll mention) on our '06 RAV4's spare tire this winter. TPMS is a huge PITA on a spare tire. The valvestem/TPMS sensor is $100, and the programing is another $100. Seems to be a lot of money to spend for a spare tire that's never going to get used.

    I had a regular valvestem installed for $15 and am living with the glowing TPMS light on the dash for right now, but eventually I'll have to buck up and get the sensor and programming (it's my wife's car). When I do that, I'm going to have them document the TPMS IDs for the other sensors so I can buy one of the aftermarket reset tools. If I require any new sensors in the future, at least I could do the programming myself.

  • 93EXCivic

    March 8, 2011 9:04 a.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

    My only experience with a TPMS was on a Cobalt rental and the damn light was always on despite the tire pressure being correct.

  • Ian F

    March 8, 2011 9:31 a.m. Ian F SuperDork

    Reason #478 of why I'll probably never buy another new car... We have an '07 MINI, but it's an R52 and snuck in just before the TPMS requirement. A great idea annoyingly executed...

    Although ironically, I've been considering one of the $150 aftermarket systems for the auto-x car...

 
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