TPMS Issues

[Shemogolee]

Hi All,

My 2016 TTSE is just back from the 64000 km service check and the installation of new tires. The TPMS was normal on the trip home was but on a ride the next day the rear tire pressure showed two dashes while the front tire showed the proper tire pressure.

After about 7-8 minutes the red TPMS warning light came on (steady) with no other indications of a failure of any kind  ... no flashing warning lights, no TPMS battery low, no low tire pressure. After stopping and confirming with a tire pressure gauge that the tire had the correct pressure I continued on suspecting that the dealer had damaged the sensor during the tire install. The TPMS warning light functions properly during the system start check. It comes on and then goes out until the aforementioned 7-8 minutes of riding when it comes on again.

My dealer looked at the system today and tells me the TPMS battery is low and the sensor needs to be replaced. If it is low why didn't I get the TPMS battery low warning? I've been through the manual and can't find an explanation that satisfies me .... Help please.

best regards, Shemogolee

[digital]

Electronics is sometimes not quite as we would like and fail.

It could be that when placing the tire if the sensor has been damaged or due to a lack of battery it does not do its homework properly.

So the first thing is to replace the battery. Nothing to change a sensor if it is not absolutely necessary. A battery of this type can cost between 2 or 4 € and a sensor what a store wants to order, which are usually at a high price.

[Coconut]

Have you checked to see if the "DTC" ( Diagnostic Trouble Code )
for TPMS Sensor Low Battery is present ?

( Press and hold both the Scroll UP and the "i" buttons while switching on the Ignition.
Keep the buttons pressed in until the Speedo and Tacho needles have finished their sweep,
when the Diagnostics screen should be displayed with any stored DTC's.
( Use the Scroll buttons to see if there is more than one DTC stored ).

The Code is L0001 for the Front sensor, and L0002 for the Rear sensor.

If those Codes are not present, then I don't see how the Dealer can advise the Battery is Low ?

I don't know for sure, but I guess that if the Sensor had beeen damaged,
it would exhibit the same symptoms as a completely flat battery,
with NO Pressure reading displayed, the red TPMS Warning light ON,
and the TPMS Symbol flashing, but a completely flat battery
would have beeen preceeded by repeated LOW BATTERY warnings
over a period of time, so if you have never seen those messages,
and the TPMS Low Battery DTC's are not stored, then it is reasonable
to assume that the Sensor has failed, or has been damaged.

After checking for those DTC's, if they are not present,
I would consider asking the Dealer that fitted the tyres to allow you to be present
when the tyre is removed, so that you can see for yourself if there is any obvious damage,
and take things from there, explaining that even if there is no visible damage,
the system was working properly with no LOW BATTERY Messages prior to them working on it.

Cheers 

[Novocastrian]

Originally Posted by Shemogolee

My dealer looked at the system today and tells me the TPMS battery is low and the sensor needs to be replaced. If it is low why didn't I get the TPMS battery low warning? I've been through the manual and can't find an explanation that satisfies me .... Help please.

best regards, Shemogolee

Your dealer is probably right.  The batteries only last 3 to 4 years, depending on use.

[digital]

The ideal is to get a second-hand replacement TPMS sensor (that there are) and in some years take it with a new battery replaced by oneself and deliver it to the tire replacement workshop to change it. This way you would always have a spare with a new battery.

To replace the battery, it is not complicated. While you are watching the news on TV, take the opportunity to replace the battery.

[Shemogolee]

Thanks All,

Coconut ...

I did check the DTC Codes and the only one that showed up was 0000. I had the TPMS red warning light on and two dashed lines where the rear tire pressure should have been. The  TPMS Symbol was not flashing nor have I had any Low Pressure warnings.

Code L0004, Rear wheel sensor fault alert, puts on the TPMS Warning Light with no other indications. That looks like the closest I can find to an explanation and seems to say that the sensor has either developed a fault on its own or been damaged during the tire change. The dealer has already told me he will discount the TPMS Unit and cover the cost of installation so we will see what else is revealed when the unit is installed.

best regards, Shemogolee

[Coconut]

P0000 is good - It means there are no DTC's stored.

It will be interesting to see what is found when the Sensor is removed. 

Cheers 

[Saddle Tramp]

I wouldn’t be surprised if your TPMS sensor was missing altogether when your Dealer removes the tire. I happened to be watching last Summer as a local independent motorcycle shop replaced the tires for my GS for me as I waited. As he was breaking the bead on the mounted TKC-70 rear tire, it broke free and proceeded to snap the TPMS sensor off at the same moment. He was so intent on what he was doing, that he didn’t even notice the sensor fly away. Luckily the story had a good ending because, unlike Triumph, BMW sells a replacement stem for the sensor for when accidents like this invariably happen. The closest BMW Dealer had the stem in stock, and I was back on the road a day later. It cost the shop about $15 to repair his mistake, so he wasn’t terribly disappointed either. Given that the BMW Dealer had replacement stems in stock, I suspect that this problem happens more often than you think...