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Tire Pressure Readout Problem

Pinky

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 20, 2006
Messages
252
Location
Northern VA
Corvette
1998 Torch Red Convertible
Hi Vette Peeps, :w I'm a newbie Vette owner with a few questions:

#1. I bought the car last month with 25,000 miles on it ('98 convertible). The tire pressure readout (on the digital display) is always reading "RF tire pressure low, service blah blah" If you hit "reset" and "trip" a few times it will go to the odometer readout but sooner or later (usually sooner) will go back to the low tire pressure display. The tire is NOT low! The dealership has to fix it but since they are not a Chevy dealership they keep passing me along - now they want me to go to the Les Schwab and have them look at it. Can you give me any info to take to them and tell them "I NEED A NEW (insert whatever it is here) SO JUST DO IT."

#2. Unrelated to tire pressure sensors - when backing up (as in , backing up out of a parking space) there is a rubbing/rattling kind of noise. After the first few times I figured out the front end was not going to fall off so I figured it just doesn't like going slow. Should I be more concerned than I am? BTW I have an automatic transmission.

Thanks for all your help - this is the best site I've found in a long time!!! :BOW
 
New pressure sensors...

Pinky said:
Hi Vette Peeps, :w I'm a newbie Vette owner with a few questions:

#1. I bought the car last month with 25,000 miles on it ('98 convertible). The tire pressure readout (on the digital display) is always reading "RF tire pressure low, service blah blah" If you hit "reset" and "trip" a few times it will go to the odometer readout but sooner or later (usually sooner) will go back to the low tire pressure display. The tire is NOT low! The dealership has to fix it but since they are not a Chevy dealership they keep passing me along - now they want me to go to the Les Schwab and have them look at it. Can you give me any info to take to them and tell them "I NEED A NEW (insert whatever it is here) SO JUST DO IT."

#2. Unrelated to tire pressure sensors - when backing up (as in , backing up out of a parking space) there is a rubbing/rattling kind of noise. After the first few times I figured out the front end was not going to fall off so I figured it just doesn't like going slow. Should I be more concerned than I am? BTW I have an automatic transmission.

Thanks for all your help - this is the best site I've found in a long time!!! :BOW
Welcome, Pinky...

The pressure sensors/transmitters are located inside the tire on the other end of the valve stem. As "CROOZE" mentioned, they should last about 10 years but who knows what temperature and abuse the one you are having trouble with was subjected to before you bought your Vette. If the "run-flat" was actually run with low or no pressure for a distance then the heat genberated could have shortened the life of the sensor's battery. :r

You didn't mention whether your tires are original "stock" Good Year EMTs or whether they had been replaced with another brand/type tire. If they're not Good Year EMTs then maybe when they replaced the originals the sensor was not installed in that tire or was rendered inoperative before or during the switch. Check with a GM dealer in your area and see if they can test your sensor and at the same time you can find out how much they cost to replace. I don't know whether or not you can replace just one - maybe someone else on this forum knows...
:confused

Good luck and welcome to our "club"... :m
 
Vettewine said:
Welcome, Pinky...

The pressure sensors/transmitters are located inside the tire on the other end of the valve stem. As "CROOZE" mentioned, they should last about 10 years but who knows what temperature and abuse the one you are having trouble with was subjected to before you bought your Vette. If the "run-flat" was actually run with low or no pressure for a distance then the heat genberated could have shortened the life of the sensor's battery. :r

You didn't mention whether your tires are original "stock" Good Year EMTs or whether they had been replaced with another brand/type tire. If they're not Good Year EMTs then maybe when they replaced the originals the sensor was not installed in that tire or was rendered inoperative before or during the switch. Check with a GM dealer in your area and see if they can test your sensor and at the same time you can find out how much they cost to replace. I don't know whether or not you can replace just one - maybe someone else on this forum knows...
:confused

Good luck and welcome to our "club"... :m

Thanks, Wino! ;) They do appear to be the original tires (GoodYear EMTs) but who knows what went on.

I really don't care how much it costs (<----last time I'll say THAT) since the dealership is footing the bill - they already had to replace a faulty gas gage to the tune of $1,467+. The salesman who talked me into an extended warranty has probably been fired! :L

I'm so glad I found you-all - I'm not usually a "club joiner" type but this place is awesome!
:bar
 
New pressure sensors...

Pinky said:
Thanks, Wino! ;) They do appear to be the original tires (GoodYear EMTs) but who knows what went on.

I really don't care how much it costs (<----last time I'll say THAT) since the dealership is footing the bill - they already had to replace a faulty gas gage to the tune of $1,467+. The salesman who talked me into an extended warranty has probably been fired! :L

I'm so glad I found you-all - I'm not usually a "club joiner" type but this place is awesome!
:bar

Pinky...

We're all glad that you "joined" our little (?) group. If money is no object (the dealer is paying), go to a GM dealer to get the part number for the sensor and tell your dealer to get one and put it in. It may have to be installed and programmed by a GM dealer but these dealers trade favors (and cars) around so they should be able to work something out for you!
:J

(and don't call me Wino - it has bad connotations!):naughty:
 
The low pressure alarm comes on at 25lbs. On a runflat, the tire would still appear to be fully inflated. Have you manually checked the pressure in all the tires? If the tires were ever serviced or replaced, it's possible the shop that did the work mixed up the placement and the right-front sensor may actually be on a different wheel.
 
Hi, Can the battery be replaced? and what type? Thanks Dr C5~
 
The sensors are sealed units, so the batteries are not replaceable. However, here is one guy who got lucky. At the very least, it looks like you'll need a Dremel, a steady hand, and a soldering iron. Try at your own risk.
 
Mr. Lucky said:
The low pressure alarm comes on at 25lbs. On a runflat, the tire would still appear to be fully inflated. Have you manually checked the pressure in all the tires? If the tires were ever serviced or replaced, it's possible the shop that did the work mixed up the placement and the right-front sensor may actually be on a different wheel.

Update- update - Mr. Lucky is the lucky winner. I took the car to the local Les Schwab who informed me that there was a nail in the tire. Of course they also wanted to sell me 2 new front tires but since I have an account at Firestone I just had them put the tire back on. Oddly enough (coughNOTcough), the "low tire pressure" light has not come back on.

Sometimes I feel like a dumb girl but I assure you, I am not (well half of that anyway). ;) At least I didn't fall for the "we took the tires off the wheels and they are all worn out on the inside" line that Les Schwab was trying to give me.

Signed,
Naturally Blonde
 
Tire sensor

I had the same issue and reprogramed them about three months ago and all is well since. I found the reprogram instruction somewhere on this forumn.

Good luck
Jim
 
Bumping this up because guess what - got new tires (on the front only), the RF tire low readout stopped - only to be replaced with "service tire sensor module" every time I start the car and intermittently while driving.

So I pulled the codes and got "C 1224", both H and C which I understand is the Right Rear tire sensor getting a "0" input. I'm taking the car in to get the wheels aligned this weekend, is there anything I can tell them to look for while its up on the rack?

Could it be the battery in the tire sensor? The car is, after all, 8 years old. If it's the battery are the rest of them going to go soon?

Signed,
It's Always Something!
 
WHAT HAPPEN WHEN A RT FRONT WHEEL WITH ORGINIAL SENSOR IS CHANGED OUT WIth NEW TIRE AND MISTAKELY MOUNTED ON THE LEFT FRONT POSITION? WILL THE COMPUTOR KNOW THAT TIRE/SENSOR IS NOW RUNNING ON THE LEFT FRONT OR WILL IT TRANSMIT SIGNAL TO RIGHT FRONT INDICATOR??
ANYBODY EVER HAD A SWITCH OF TIRES LEFT TO RIGHT??
 
WHAT HAPPEN WHEN A RT FRONT WHEEL WITH ORGINIAL SENSOR IS CHANGED OUT WIHT NEW TIRES AND MISTAKELY MOUNTED ON THE LEFT FRONT POSITION? WILL THE COMPUTOR KNOW THAT TIRE/SENSOR IS NOW RUNNING ON THE LEFT FRONT OR WILL IT TRANSMIT SIGNAL TO RIGHT FRONT INDICATOR??
I just had the "pleasure" of learning the answer to this a couple of months ago when my tire installer mixed up the sensors. Sorry to say, but you must do a "re-train" or the sensors will be reporting the wrong info (i.e., for the wheel they were installed in when re-train was last performed). The good news is that it is not difficult to do:
http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/corvette/options/Programming_the_TPS.html

:beer
 

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