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TPMS sensors removed - Disable or trick system?

jostertag

New Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Messages
1
Hey Folks:

I just had new tires put on my 2007 4X4. They are the same size, just A/Ts instead of OEM. When the tire tech pulled off the old tires he showed me that the TPMS sensors had been previously damaged to the point that they could not be rebuilt. As a result I have 2 good sensors and 2 wheels with none. The DIC shows good readings on the 2 but the light is on indicating a problem with the other 2. Is there a way to trick the system in thinking that there are 4 or disable the system until I can get the 2 replaced on the next rotation?
 
I don't know if there is a way to remove the TPMS from the systems but if you find out then I'd like to know. I'll be replacing wheels/tires and don't want sensors.
 
X2....please let us know. TPMS, as inaccurate as it is in my case is nice to have, but I'd really like to be able to kill it if it gets to be a pita.
 
AFAIK, disabling TPMS is illegal because it's a federally mandated safety feature. However, no idea about tricking the system.
 
Tire pressure monitoring systems began appearing on passenger cars and light trucks in the 2005 model year, this following a congressional mandate requiring them on all vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds, by the 2008 model year. GM pickups and SUVs fit into this weight category, including your beloved Avy, all highway passenger vehicles produced after 2008 for the American market are TPSM equiped to abide by this government mandate. http://www.tireindustry.org/pdf/TPMS_FinalRule_v3.pdf

Direct TPMS systems ( Each wheel has a transmitter- the sensor uses the valve stem as the actual antenne) vary by vehicle, each sensor is programmed to different values/signals so that the vehicle recognizes four different sensor locations, removing them during aftermarket wheel replacement may damage them beyond repair, be careful when dismounting/mounting tires so the tire bead or tire machine roller does not damage the sensor. Position the bead breaker 180 degrees across the wheel from where the valve stem is located. Using metal aftermarket valve stem caps can present issues as well, by interferring with transmitter signals.

Disabling the entire system can be problemmatic as well and on Onstar equiped Avy's, you may recieve unordinary amounts of messages and warnings. The security system, entry lighting, and key FOB function would be adversely affected. GM Direct TPMS systems used in Avalanches use radio signals to send communication links to the reciever. The wheel sensors signals are capable of  being read by the receiver upwards of three hundred feet, whether not there actually installed or not. The pressure sensor inside each wheel contains a small battery to power the sensor and transponder, these readings are monitored by the trucks computer and reported to Onstar. The batteries used in the system are long-life lithium batteries that "may" last upwards of 10 years. Eventually, though, the batteries will go dead. If a battery has died,  it's a good idea to replace all the TPMS transponders if the vehicle is more than six years old.

"Removing a wheel from a vehicle when doing brake or suspension repairs doesn't require any special procedures on TPMS equipped vehicles. Just remember to remount the wheel in the same location as before when you have finished the repairs. If you are rotating tires, or moving a wheel from one location to another, the TPMS system will have to be taught the new position of each sensor. This will require a scan tool or a special TPMS test/relearn tool."

Installing larger aftermarket size wheels and tires for off road use, or heavy duty load rated tires used by those towing campers, ie and trying to match ( tire pressure to load) may be presented their own unique set of problems with the direct TSMS system, your GM or equiped tire dealer may or may not be willing to help you overcome these. Good Luck....03WD


P.S.......if you want to "try"and trick the TPMS systems on your Avy, if you've removed a, part, or all the sensors and they are still working (sending signals)........put it/them inside of your spare tire and inflate accordingly. Disclaimer: Just remember, Your assuming the safety liabilities. :)

 
it's not illegal. As of 2008 the federal gub required all vehicles have the tpms system. There is no stated law about
removing them or disabling features by the owner. Tire shops aren't supposed to help disable anything, meanwhile,
they install snow tires (and wheel sets) seasonally on millions of cars and trucks every year and they don't have TPMS.
Millions of Americans in modern late-model cars without monitoring for 4 months per year. The whole thing is
bull pucky
 
it's not illegal. As of 2008 the federal gub required all vehicles have the tpms system. There is no stated law about
removing them or disabling features by the owner. Tire shops aren't supposed to help disable anything, meanwhile,
they install snow tires (and wheel sets) seasonally on millions of cars and trucks every year and they don't have TPMS.
Millions of Americans in modern late-model cars without monitoring for 4 months per year. The whole thing is
bull pucky
May want to read this article:

It also can come into play if you live in a state with yearly vehicle inspections.
 
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May want to read this article:

It also can come into play if you live in a state with yearly vehicle inspections.
nobody would ever know if there are working sensors in the tires. They would have to take off the tires
to look. The devises I am looking at and hoping to get once confirmed to connect to my 2008, they sit
passively in any concealed location on the car and the instrument panel would show 4 fully inflated tires.
I don't think some state stooge is going to let all the air out of one of the tires in order to check to see
if the on dash reporting is legit. Authorities no longer get any of our respect, or time. That poop is over.
 
May want to read this article:

It also can come into play if you live in a state with yearly vehicle inspections.
I read the article. It's about shops or retailers (dealers) following the law. I don't know a single auto mechanic in my region
that gives two shidds about such a law. I remember that one time, years ago I asked my shop if they were open on MLK day.
I can't type here what he said but suffice it to say, he's doesn't give a rip about any of this TPMS nonsense. Real men ignore stupid
shid.
 
Way back when I originally commented on this thread the GMT-900 was still a fairly new vehicle platform. Today there are devices that can plug into the OBD2 port and override the BCM disabling the TPMS but they add a disclaimer to only disable for off road use. Works like the Range AFM disabler which disables the active fuel management system when plugged in. No idea what your state requires but I know a few states around me will fail inspection if the TPMS isn't functioning so you'd have to remove the device at those times. All I know is if I disabled the system and got into an accident I'd probably end up getting the brunt of the blame solely because I did something "illegal" to my vehicle. IMHO it's all crazy, we've been driving without TPMS technology for decades and there's tons of vehicles still on the road that don't even have it.
 
Way back when I originally commented on this thread the GMT-900 was still a fairly new vehicle platform. Today there are devices that can plug into the OBD2 port and override the BCM disabling the TPMS but they add a disclaimer to only disable for off road use. Works like the Range AFM disabler which disables the active fuel management system when plugged in. No idea what your state requires but I know a few states around me will fail inspection if the TPMS isn't functioning so you'd have to remove the device at those times. All I know is if I disabled the system and got into an accident I'd probably end up getting the brunt of the blame solely because I did something "illegal" to my vehicle. IMHO it's all crazy, we've been driving without TPMS technology for decades and there's tons of vehicles still on the road that don't even have it.
Bill Belichick is starting to look like Col. Kurtz way up the river without orders, on his own mission. I still can't believe that Glen
O retired. WEEI will never be the same. I lived in Boston when Eddie Andelman was at the helm, pre-Bledsoe, by a generation.
I miss the old Garden, Larry's bad back, The Littlest Bar on Province Street. My boss at the time was Marblehead next door neighbor's with Doug Flutie. The highlight of my years there was meeting boyhood hero Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. He had the fish contract at the Omni Hotel restaurant. A rock star who was a fisherman. It's almost biblical.

I am trying to imagine a deadly wreck and the investigators find a fake or tricked TPMS and yet the tires are at full pressure and no indication
of being even partial cause of the wreck and it still being an issue of liability. It's absurd but given the modern state of the DOJ and FBI anything really is possible. And the judges, the juries, half of them rigged, crooked, etc. This is not a country for old men, as the saying goes. The old can remember the way things were, more fair, free, occasionally beautiful. We don't have or want a place in this bad stew called Earth.
 
Buy a 2002 AVY they did not have TPMS.
 
UPDATE: Amazon delivered my new TPMS sensors. I got into the truck, started it,
and the SERVICE TIRE MONITOR SYSTEM message went away on the dash. It's
beautiful. The yellow tire icon is still on, solidly lit because all 4 "tires" are reporting
0 PSI. It is now as it stands, way less annoying to me. I may just leave it like that or
do the old black tape tip. Hurrah. $30 and no tire shops.
Screen Shot 2022-09-01 at 5.11.37 PM.png
 
If you want the tire light out, get a piece of PVC pipe, two caps and a valve stem. drill a hole in the pipe, put the valve stem in. glue one cap on, drop the TPMS sensors in, glue the other cap on. once it dries, air it up and throw it behind the seat. I ran this on both my 08' and 13' for probably 8 years or so to avoid having to reprogram the system every spring and fall when switching wheels. as far as I know the owner of the 08' now is still using it successfully 11 years later
 
I believe the feds mandated TPMS because 70% of the idiot drivers out there have no idea about anything about their vehicles, nor know how to check tire pressures, nor carry a tire pressure gauge. Unless it came as an app on their phone, of course I doubt they could interpret the readings anyway, or know how to add air if necessary.

My experience with TPMS:
->My '03 Corvette the TPMS works flawlessly, except when I take it out of storage each spring, seems I have to drive a few miles then back to perfect operation. It displays accurately each of the 4 tire pressures. Still has the OEM sensors. (comicially this vintage Corvette with factory "run flat tires" has NO spare, no donut, no factory fix a flat: nothing, and if I put the convertible down, there is no room for a tire.. except maybe in the passenger seat.)
->My 09 F150, only gives the light if it detects a problem (if is a laugh, when the sensor fails is more like it), no info displayed for which tire.. ON a trip to Nebraska on I-80, years ago the fault came in.. I pulled over checked all 4 tires , everything OK.. Back home weeks later I took it into the dealer (I know abberant behavior for me) they replaced one sensor under new vehicle warranty. Over the last 13 years I periodically get the fault alarm.. I am NO LONGER biased to immediately pull over and check.. In reality I have NEVER had an actual low tire pressure problem and the TPMS on the F150 is a nuisance.. Since I use LT highway tires they last a LONG time, so I drive for years with the fault light, checking tires like I used to @ each fill up. Several months ago I replaced all 4 tires, and had 2 faulty sensors replaced, so I have been "TPMS light" free since then, anticipating a sensor failure anytime now.
-> The wifes '14 Outback operates similar to my F150's, no information other than the light.. but We have never gotten a false alarm, or needed to replace a sensor. One valid "alarm" in the 8 years she has had it, due to a tire taking a nail.
The '10 Milan, has TPMS, it was my MOM's car for years, I've never known it to have a light, I guess it works, actual tire pressures have remained good in the 6 months I've had it.
->The '04 Avalanche, supposed to have TPMS, never had the light, and have seen a tire pressure below 20PSI. Truck has 18" (different model year) rims that a previous owner did a POOR job painting them black. I ASSUME the TPMS is somehow disabled, and there are no sensors in the wheels.
SUMMARY: I don't trust my F150's TPMS, I doubt the Avalanche has a working TPMS, my newer Corvettes' TPMS is reliable and pretty cool because I can watch the pressure change as the tires heat up and varies due to the speeds and cornering loads I put the tires thru. Even though proven reliable, I don't trust the Subaru's or Milan TPMS enough to not periodically check tire pressures.
 
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My 2003 Avalanche is a pretty basic model and therefore has no TPMS.

My 2004 Escalade EXT does have TPMS.

When I bought the EXT back in 2012 with 116K miles on it, a previous owner had already replaced the TPMS sensors with standard rubber valve stems, resulting in the expected Service Tire Monitoring System message in the DIC.

I have since found several other items where a previous owner was either too lazy or too cheap to replace worn out parts.

But, that's another story, in itself.

As with all used vehicles I have ever bought, I take those vehicles to a trusted shop and get it up on a lift to give the underside a good going over.

At that time, I will usually take care of anything I come across that the previous owner may not have decided to address.

I had the shop run over to the nearest GM dealership and pick up a set of new OEM TPMS sensors and get them installed.

As of this post in 2022, all of those sensors still function.

When I first bought the EXT, it had a set of E-Series tires installed and I ran them at 55 PSI.

The EXT TPMS system was perfectly happy with the higher tire pressures and remained happy once I changed the tires out for more regular tires.

The TPMS system in the 2004 EXT does not provide actual tire pressures, but will display a dash message only if one or more tire has a much lower pressure than the others.

Since installing the new sensors, I have been given a low tire pressure warning once and that one time correctly told me the right rear tire was low.

Given the circumstances, I would probably have missed that and would have driven on that low tire for some time before actually having seen the low tire on my own.

As it was, I was able to drive directly to a gas station and properly fill the tire up to it's normal pressure.

We were traveling at the time and I suspect someone had let air out of that tire while parked out on the hotel parking lot.

Especially given that tire never lost any more air for as long as I had it on the truck.

A couple of our other vehicles have TPMS systems and each of the others appear to be much too sensitive in that I can count on having to add a pound or two of air after a cold snap.

None of the tires in question were ever significantly low on air when this has happened.

So, as far as the TPMS systems go on our vehicles, I can take them or leave them.

But, I'll keep them operational mainly because I do not care for dash error messages.
 
UPDATE: Amazon delivered my new TPMS sensors. I got into the truck, started it,
and the SERVICE TIRE MONITOR SYSTEM message went away on the dash. It's
beautiful. The yellow tire icon is still on, solidly lit because all 4 "tires" are reporting
0 PSI. It is now as it stands, way less annoying to me. I may just leave it like that or
do the old black tape tip. Hurrah. $30 and no tire shops.
View attachment 234950
Did you have to program these? Or just put them in the truck?
 
I saw where you purchased the sensors, I am thinking about buying some. Just asking if you have to program them with a programing tool. I have a 07 LT 4X. Just wanting the info display to clear, I was going to just put them inside the truck somewhere.
Thanks
 
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