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Hi all!
About 45 miles into a long drive yesterday my TPMS started flashing red, indicating a problem with the front right tire. Instead of seeing the expected pressure readout on the display, it presented me with "E1". Within a couple of seconds the red light went out and the fault cleared. (All tire pressures and temps were normal.) Has anyone else experienced this?
My suspicion is that battery in the sensor is at the end of its life. Anyone know what the life expectancy is on these sensors?
I've had the car for nearly 9 years and have no record of them being replaced prior to this, so I'd say they're lived a long life. It looks like they are a "replace only" part. Would anyone have a source for new ones?
TPM? TPM!! Someday I hope to meet the idiot that put such on street cars....so I can kick 'em in the head. Long trip = check 'em first, long trip back = check 'em again. In the 20th Century we didn't need no stinking TPM.... and we liked it!
Yeah, I'm leaning towards a weak battery in the one sensor as well. When the error occurred, it was indicating a problem with just one wheel. I suspect that if the receiver had an issue, it would be showing problems with all wheels. Hopefully it lasts until winter and I'll replace all four sensors then.
Mike,
You're welcome, and you're probably right about the receiver being OK and just having an issue with a weak battery at one of the wheel sensors.
I am curious to know what sensors can be used to communicate with the SmarTire system. I haven't driven mine yet this season, but I have had the red blinking (low pressure) light come on during my off-season start-ups in the garage.
I have pdf copies of a couple owners manuals for the system. If you'd like, just send a PM, though I think I have your email saved here somewhere!
Please post updates throughout the driving season if anything changes. I know my journey through the TPMS forest will closely follow yours!
Derik
Yeah, I'm leaning towards a weak battery in the one sensor as well. When the error occurred, it was indicating a problem with just one wheel. I suspect that if the receiver had an issue, it would be showing problems with all wheels. Hopefully it lasts until winter and I'll replace all four sensors then.
Keep checking tires yourself with your gauge, ignore the TPM. "Technology" and robots will never be the answer versus human effort because in the final analysis the tech stuff was invented by some human
The hate for TPMS always makes me laugh a bit. Yes, of course you can still check your tires with a gauge before you leave, but it's a little hard to do when you are driving down the highway at Interstate speeds! The point of the system is to warn you when there is a problem before it becomes a major problem. Slow leaks become ruined tires and potential accidents when you aren't aware they are deflating. The TPMS will warn you to get off the road while you still have a choice. It's pretty good for a system that requires a tiny bit of maintenance, at most once every 5 years.
The monitors have "exciters" in them that are activated with tire rotation. When they are activated, they communicate the tire pressure back to the receiver more frequently because it assumes you are driving the car. If the car is stationary, they report back much less frequently because there is a little reason to monitor a tire every second that the car isn't moving. In some ways, it makes sense that you'd get longer life out of a monitor on a Lotus because most aren't being driven with the frequency of a normal car, and are therefore reporting tire pressures much less often.
Unfortunately, I don't have the part number for you, but you can get it from the existing monitor. They thread in from the inside of the wheel through the valve stem (in fact, they are the valve stem), but the tire shop doesn't need to completely dismount the tire to replace them. They can just push down the tire to replace, with no need to re-balance. Obviously, the easiest time is when you are putting on new tires, but it will take a shop less than 5 minutes each to replace them. After replacement, you have to learn the new sensor IDs to the receiver, and you are good to go for years.
...and not rebalance.......uhhhh....right.
Part 2:
And we liked it that way
Part 3 TPM
For those who can't feel with their hands/wrists and rears the corners of their cars.
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