[cdn_tbird]

Okay, so I installed my winter tires & rims about 3 weeks ago. I decided to not to have the TPMS sensors since I still remember how to use a pressure guage. In the past 3 weeks I've experienced every possible scenario with the TPMS system.

First, it was reporting a phantom reading like a few members reported. Then it gave me the start up chimes and blinking light. After which it would flip from phantom readings one day, and chimes the next. Today however took the cake. This morning it gave me readings for both passenger side tires, and this afternoon it showed readings for 3 tires.

I just wish it would PICK ONE scenario and stay with it. What would really be nice would be if Jeep would allow us to turn off the TMPS in the EVIC settings.

What are others experiencing?

For what it's worth, the stock tires are stored in my workshop which is about 70' away from where I park, and my neighbour's driveways are at least that far away as well. Anyone know what the range for the sensors is?

 

[heckler]

range is about 71'.

I get the same randomness. Just get over it and move on or suck it up and buy new sensors.

 

[miketmx]

Heckler has good advice. The only wheel on my Patriot that has a sensor is in the spare tire well and my EVIC thinks I have one on the left front with 220 and the left rear with 192. I have black tape on the dash and I ignore the TPMS indicator. I don't like it either but you can thank Ford Explorer and Firestone tires for this mandatory TPMS nonsense.

 

[SpaceJeep]

When I did my switch I got no chime or message and the Evic showed the readings of my Rsa's when they were taken off. This went on for about 200-300 km's & then one morning on startup I got the chime & flashing light with the warning message on the Evic with -- showing at all 4 corners for the pressure readings for the snows. Its been doing this since with no changes.

 

[cdn_tbird]

range is about 71'.

So I guess if I had said they were stored 1,000,000 miles away, your response would have been 1,000,001 miles.

I get the same randomness.

Thanks for indicating that you're supposedly experiencing the same type of behaviour.

Just get over it and move on or suck it up and buy new sensors.

Really???? What did I say to deserve this kind of attitude. I was simply trying to start a conversation.

 

[DM6156]

you can never turn it off , fix it correctly and stop whining

You'll never be able to turn it off, fed law requires TPMS.

All new vehicles (under 10k gvw) sold after sept 1 2007 and required to have some form of TPMS.

As MikeTMX pointed out, it's a safety feature due to firestone recall of the 90s. Also it's linked to emissions (properly inflated tires provide the best fuel economy).

- Dan M

 

[cdn_tbird]

Okay, will the senior members please READ what I actually write.

And not make stuff up. I'm not whining.

First off, you have to acknowledge that a computerized system SHOULD always produce the same result when given the same inputs. A system that produces random results from constant inputs is not one that instills confidence, and is certainly flawed. If it is capable of producing phantom readings in the absence of sensors, then why would anyone trust that the readings it's producing in the presence of sensors to be anywhere near accurate?

Secondly, thank whomever you wish for the inclusion of the technology, but the reality is that if this is a safety system, then it is no different than any other safety system. If manufacturers are allowed to provide you with a method of bypassing the passenger side airbag then why not this one? Heck some will automatically disable the airbag based on the weight they sense on the passenger seat.

Thirdly, if this truly is a safety system, then it MUST produce 100% consistent results, if not it's defective and must be repaired. Would you drive a car with an airbag that could go off at any moment without being in an accident? Or what about it not going off during an accident? Yes, sometimes those things do happen, but those cases are always the result of a malfunction in the system and not just a random occurrence.

Fourth, define "Fix it right". What's the right solution, when even the manufacturer's representatives (i.e. dealerships) advise against installing the sensors due to potential corrosion issues? Especially in snowy climates where the municipalities use a significant amount of salt on the roads as they do around here. Personally for me it wasn't an issue of money as I could easily afford the price. I based my decision on the advise of the dealership's staff with whom I have a good relationship and some of the members here that advocated skipping the senors.

Fifth, just so there are no misconceptions about my love for my Patriot. My so called "rant" is with what I see as a malfunctioning or badly designed system, not my Patriot. The only way I'd get rid of my baby is if I could convince my wife to sell it to her parents (they're in the market for a new vehicle), and go out and buy a 2011 model.

 

[Earthworm51]

Sure glad I don't have the TPMS, its a piece of $$$$ system. Just my one cent opinion. I can use my tire gauge and hope it reads correctly.

 

[todde702]

cdn_tbird, after installing a remote start system in my sister-in-laws Caravan, I'll bet a simple ground switch with some resistors will turn off the light. The trick is going to be in finding the module that receives the TPMS signals (and hopefully it is a separate module) and interrupting the return signal to the BCM/TIPM. Most everything in our vehicles sends a multiplex signal over small gauge wires. Different voltages get read as different switch positions. For example, the headlight switch will turn on all of the lights if resistance on the signal wire drops below 2.2k ohms. But at 3k ohms, only the park lights turn on, no headlights.

 

[klingoff]

I understand your frustration cdn_tbird because I have experienced this myself. I believe the TPMS system in your Jeep is picking up on the pressure readings from other Chrysler vehicles in your area.

IMO it is better to live with this annoyance then risk having the aluminum valve stems corrode and break off as what happened to me in April 2010.

 

[deepwaterscott]

I read on another forum one time that a guy kept his TPMS sensors in a pressurized container in the trunk. I think it was piping with threaded ends and an air hose fitting threaded in...