TPMS Programming Troubleshooting

[jims2015]

I've seen the oem reset tool for less than that. Ebay has some that are claimed to be oem.

Do you have a link? From my FSM, I cross referenced the p/n for the OEM activation tool, and it appears to have been superseded by what appears to be the ATEQ VT-30 tool. However, I cannot find it for less than $175 online.

I have the OEM Ford TPMS19 training tool that I got for ~$30, but evidently it doesn't have the ability to wake/activate new sensors, only retrain sensors to new positions that have already been paired to the BCM.

Thanks, Jim!

You're right. It is the TPMS19. I didn't know they had limitations.

[MiWiAu]

You're right. It is the TPMS19. I didn't know they had limitations.

No worries. It's hard to find good info on the logic and operation of the system. From what I can gather, brand new sensors that have never been programmed require a low frequency (somewhere around 125 kHz) to wake them up, which I suspect  the TPMS19 tool is not capable. Once things go wireless, it might as well try reading Chinese.




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[MiWiAu]

Well, to add another layer of confusion, I ended up ordering the ATEQ VT30 service tool to see if I could resolve this myself before going to the dealer.

The VT30 reads all four sensors, pulls the sensor ID, reads pressure, Batt OK, and confirms they are 315MHz.

Still can't get these damn things to pair to the BCM in training mode.

Guess I won't be able to avoid the dealer trip. :/


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[SHOdded]

On the good news side, you can sell those useless devices 2 me at 1/2 price   That truly sux, this should be very much a DIY procedure.  I still think it is an interference issue, but maybe not.

[MiWiAu]

On the good news side, you can sell those useless devices 2 me at 1/2 price   That truly sux, this should be very much a DIY procedure.  I still think it is an interference issue, but maybe not.

Not sure about selling these things. LOL. It was actually pretty sweet just walking up to the tire, hitting the "read" button and getting a digital pressure readout within 0.25 PSI. Lazy, but sweet.

It very well could be some sort of interference, but if that's the case, I would expect the source to be on-board the vehicle. I've tried doing the learning in multiple locations, including out in the corn fields, and I'm not aware of any on-board auxiliary devices or wiring that could possibly be causing this. Hopefully the dealer can figure it out for a reasonable cost.

I read somewhere that the BCM can store up to 8 sensors (2 sets of wheels), though I couldn't find any mention of this in the service manual. If that's true, I wonder what would happen if the previous owner had a second set of wheels, or had new sensors installed when the tires were replaced.

If the additional "slots" in the BCM were taken up, would programming new sensors boot the oldest stored codes in the BCM, or would a manual clearing of the BCM be required to free up the memory?

At any rate, I wrote down all the sensor codes for both my new PI wheels and the OE 20" and will take them with me to the dealer along with my scan tool, just in case.

Now to go reload the OE tune, just in case they do something dumb like reflash the PCM. Hopefully I will be able to post a root cause tomorrow after my dealer visit.

[SHOdded]

Very good point, maybe there IS a limit like there is or was for the PATS system.  A dealer can definitely reset, maybe even the licensed copy of Forscan.

[MiWiAu]

Very good point, maybe there IS a limit like there is or was for the PATS system.  A dealer can definitely reset, maybe even the licensed copy of Forscan.

If anyone can confirm if the paid version of Forscan has that capability, I'd gladly purchase.

I'll back in check in tomorrow.


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[BlueSHO]

Very good point, maybe there IS a limit like there is or was for the PATS system.  A dealer can definitely reset, maybe even the licensed copy of Forscan.

If anyone can confirm if the paid version of Forscan has that capability, I'd gladly purchase.

I'll back in check in tomorrow.


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Dang Mike this is turning out to be a very expensive set of winter wheels.. Can you loan me some money? Lol  It's all good and more tools and equipment is always good

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[ZSHO]

Very good point, maybe there IS a limit like there is or was for the PATS system.  A dealer can definitely reset, maybe even the licensed copy of Forscan.

If anyone can confirm if the paid version of Forscan has that capability, I'd gladly purchase.

I'll back in check in tomorrow.


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Dang Mike this is turning out to be a very expensive set of winter wheels.. Can you loan me some money? Lol  It's all good and more tools and equipment is always good

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I would say (tired some).  Z

[MiWiAu]

SMH. Had to go show the Ford "technician" how to use the TPMS service tool. Don't have a great feeling about this. LOL

I think think the first two guys were their oil change specialists. They called over a guy who was plugging in the scan tool for further diagnosis. Fingers crossed...


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[SHOdded]

Jeez a Peez

[derfdog15]

SMH. Had to go show the Ford "technician" how to use the TPMS service tool. Don't have a great feeling about this. LOL

I think think the first two guys were their oil change specialists. They called over a guy who was plugging in the scan tool for further diagnosis. Fingers crossed...


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Thats scary yo.

[MiWiAu]

This is the dealer that did my injector warranty work.

Hopefully, not the same guys. Haha


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[BlueSHO]

Oh God..lol

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[MiWiAu]

Alright, so for $27 I basically got a multipoint inspection ("absolutely nothing wrong with the vehicle") and no TPMS fix. 

Their theories:
1) TPMS sensors were for the wrong model year of vehicle.
2) TPMS sensors were for the wrong model of vehicle
3) The vehicle came with 20" wheels, and I have 18" on there now, which could be causing a problem.

One of the guys plugged in the VCM tool, and the only feedback I got was that it looked like there was not a memory limit on the number of sensors that can be stored.

They were basically going to send me on my way, when I asked what the next step would be to resolve this, and they said a technician would need to run a full diagnostic and it would be $99.95 for an hour. On the plus side, I don't think they are trying to screw me. On the minus side, I have the impression that they haven't the first clue on how to resolve this.

Do any of you guys have any background on TPMS sensor IDs? Reading them with my service too, the base numbers are different between the two sets (359C for my OE wheels vs 6866 for the PI wheels). I'm not sure if this indicates incompatible sensors, or if it's just different base numbers for a different lot of sensors. Both sets read from the service tool as 315 MHz sensors.

18" Police Interceptor (currently installed, won't train)   
  6866BCC4 (LF)   
  6866BC25 (RF)   
  6866B886 (RR)   
  6866B834 (LR)   

20" OE Split 5-Spoke   
  359C98DA   
  359C14FC   
  359C0ECC   
  359C14C0