Suspension My cheap TPMS purchase and fault finding

[jazzeddie1234]

Seeing as I'm about to head off on another trip over dirt roads, I thought about investing in a TPMS to watch over my aging tyres. I bought one of these on amazon for 30 bucks.

And it all seemed to work ok when I installed the external sensors on the valve stems. Except I'm in the habit of checking stuff with soapy water and got this on all sensors

The seller refunded me the money so I decided to see if I could fix them. The circuit board has the sensor mounted underneath and it is supposed to seal against a rubber washer

The washer had no impression of the sensor on it so I filed the mounting posts down with a sanding block and reassembled. Now the board sits flush with the plastic body

And a retest showed no leaks!

BTW: I bought 2 sets so I could monitor the tug and van. That was far cheaper than any 8 wheel monitor and the receiver seems to pick up the van tyres just fine. The second monitor display is mounted with Velcro so it's easy to remove.

The only downside with this cheap set? The external sensor battery covers are not locked in place by the stem locking nut like the more expensive sensors which have a second locking ring. And I have to remove 8 of them when airing down...and up...

 

[Geoff83]

Nice work
Looking to do the same running a set on both car and van but was thinking there may be signal clashes with two sets

 

[jazzeddie1234]

Yeah I wondered about that but each sensor has a 6 digit hexadecimal code so getting 2 the same is unlikely.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

I should also mention that we made it as far as Karratha (from Perth) before an alarm sounded. Pulled over and my brand new tyre has a puncture. The Tpms paid for itself instantly because last time we damaged the side wall before noticing

 

[Fallen]

I have one of these, didn't have the leaking issue but have been impressed so far. Accuracy might be a bit out but can still tell in the increases cold to warm is within spec (ie you've set the initial pressure right), plus pressure loss alarms seem to work well.

 

[RickB]

The instructions are a bit vague as to how to pair the sensors.
Could you please detail the procedure for me?
Thanks.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

There are several variations on pairing so I suggest searching youtube for "pairing tpms sensor' to find one that matches yours. It's mostly about finding the pairing menu, selecting the wheel position, and pressurising the sensor. Some videos are not in english but you can follow the steps.

Example

Watch the flashing tyre being selected before pairing

 

[millers]

Also add TPMS, 10 tyre system to monitor car, caravan and spares. Unit monitors up to 22 tyres, basically a truck setup just pair what you have and when the caravan is connected push some buttons and the caravan is monitored as well. A few alarms some due to me setting too low 1 indicating that one of the caravan tyres was low and causing the other to work harder and increase in temp. Issue was the installation of the sensor so tightened it up and all good.

Currently being used in a trip from Adelaide, Esperence, Albany, Wave Rock, Kalgoorlie and back to Adelaide.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

Adelaide, Esperence, Albany, Wave Rock, Kalgoorlie

Wow that's a fair amount of driving to get started but great locations with plenty of free camps in between. Kal has a free 24hr , norseman's 24 is good, and wave rock has nearby free camps if you are not planning to stay a while or on a tight budget. Also the drive and free camping from norseman direct to wave rock is great but all (well maintained ) dirt road if you are into that.

 

[millers]

Hi @jazzeddie1234 yes a few kms. We free camped across the Nullabour: Wudinna (Show grounds $10), Head of Bight & Newman's Rock. Rest have been in caravan parks. Leaving Kalgoorlie for the trip back.