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TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 12:22 pm
by thirdgenfarmer
Since I purchased the car in October, the TPMS fault light comes on nearly every day if I drive for more than ~30 minutes (this is an estimate). When I get this fault, all four slots show two dashes. The error resolves itself on its own, sometimes within a few minutes sometimes taking more time or even remaining after a shutdown. I do not have air pressure issues, as all tires accurately display when the system is working. When I have had low tire pressures the warning light chimes and I'm able to remedy the issue by inflating the tires as needed. I have tried "engineering mode" while having this issue to see what each TPMS sensor is showing, however even within that system all four positions show "--"

I took it to the dealership in December and they were stumped and could only say it "could be" the remote control door lock receiver. This part receives signals from the tires for the TPMS system, and the keyless remote for keyless entry function. I have no problem with my keyless entry and don't know if that means the sensor is working correctly or not. If they were more confident I would have had them work on the car, but of course this sensor wasn't covered under warranty, and I don't want to just throw away $250 for nothing.

Anyways, has anyone else had this issue? If so, what was the culprit? Have any ideas how to test/diagnose this issue?

I plan on replacing the wheels/tires at the end of the summer, at which point all the sensors will be replace which in my mind SHOULD either clear up my issue or point to the RCDLR being the faulty piece.

Would the individual sensors ever cause all four positions to show "--" at the same time?

Thanks for taking the time to read/respond, I apologize if this has been covered specifically. I read through some of the earlier threads regarding TPMS but didn't see one that match my issue.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 8:27 pm
by smwalker
Well I tell ya, I just put some rims on without TPMS and what you are describing is exactly how mine is acting with no sensors. IT even shows some pressures sometimes that I assume it has in memory but soon goes to the dashes then after about 30 minutes I get the fault. Shut the car off for a few hours and it clears again and the warning light is off for another 30 minutes.

SO the questions:

Are you sure you even have TPMS sensors in your wheels? Have you seen someone scan the wheel and get a answer back from the sensor?

IF they aint answering back to a scanner they are either not in there or dead.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 8:45 pm
by Silversled
Does the air valve body look like the typical TPMS unit? They have a unique satin anodized aluminum look. Also have the dealership do the TPMS sensor mating and watch them do it. When they place the tool at each wheel and activate it, the car's horn should honk to confirm the sensor is sync'd to the car. If it doesn't, the TPMS sensors are missing or the batteries in the sensor are dead. They say the sensor battery life is typically about 4 years.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 9:06 am
by thirdgenfarmer
To be fair, this is my first vehicle with TPMS so I don't know how they look any different from standard valve stems. They are metallic, not rubber which is perhaps what you are meaning. I am quite confident that I do in fact have sensors, as they do update when I add air to the tires.

I have however noticed that they are not synced to the correct position. For example, the RF tire shows up as the RR tire and I'm guessing the sensor were never relearned after a rotation. Could that be causing the issue?

Maybe I will get one of the TPMS tools, since I will be doing most of my own rotations etc and being able to relearn would be really nice. Does anyone have a link to a decent quality and price tool for our cars?

I saw somewhere in the forum a link to tirerack for a TPMS tool, but they are no longer available.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 7:17 pm
by xcidmigs
you don't need any tool to do the TPMS reset.....
Chevrolet Caprice TPMS Reset Procedure

GM-8

With standard ignition:
1. Turn the ignition to the ON position (engine off)
2. Using keyless entry system: press and hold lock and unlock button simultaneously until horn sound and release INFO button until TIRE LEARN message is indicated on display. Hold down SET/RESET button until horn sounds. LF turn signal is illuminated to indicate learn mode enabled.
3. Starting with LF tire, increase/decrease the pressure until horn sounds.
4. After horn sounds, proceed as in step 3 for the next 3 sensors in the following order, RF RR LR.
5. After LR sensor has been learned, turn ignition to OFF position. Adjust all tires to pressure listed on tire placard.

With Push-Button start:
1. Press and hold the push start button until the vehicle is in accessory mode. Note: on Cadillac models you will know you are in accessory mode when the Cadillac emblem appears on the DIC.
2. Press the MENU button located on the turn signal lever until “VEHICLE INFORMATION MENU” is displayed.
3. Once you are in the VEHICLE INFORMATION MENU, use the arrows on the signal lever until the DIC displays the vehicle’s tire inflation pressures and positions.
4. Press and hold the button located on the end of the turn signal lever until “ Are you sure that you want to relearn? YES or NO” is displayed.
5. Use the arrows on the signal lever to highlight YES. Once YES is highlighted, press the button located on the end of the turn signal lever. The horn will chirp, “Tire Learning Active” will be displayed on the DIC, and the left turn signal will be illuminated.
6. Beginning with the left front tire, use a TPMS activation tool to activate the LF sensor. Once the sensor has been activated, the horn will chirp and the right turn signal will be illuminated. Repeat procedure in the following order. RF, RR, LR. Once the LR has been activated, the horn will chirp twice. You can then turn the vehicle off to exit “learn mode”.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 9:42 am
by GTPprix
Likely a bad RCDLR if they are all not reporting.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Sat May 06, 2017 11:30 am
by thirdgenfarmer
Thanks for the input you guys, for the time being I have swapped to a set of the original steel wheels and relearneed the sensors and will see if the problem returns. (I expect it to as I also think it is likely the RCDLR). I will update with any changes.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 6:41 pm
by fuzzkill
I have an intermittent fault with one of my TPMS sensors, when it sets the code for that sensor my display will show all dashes and will not show the other tires, even though they are reading correctly to the receiver. When the sensor decides to start communicating again the code will still be stored in the module but the readings will come back and the light will go out.

So it could be just a sensor, but there should be codes stored in the module if that is the case. If there are no codes and you verified that the sensors are working with a TPMS tool then the module would be my next guess.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 9:26 pm
by thirdgenfarmer
Just wanted to update after about three and a half weeks - I have not had another TPMS issue after switching to the stock wheels and tires.

I'm now thinking that the dealership never relearned the TPMS sensors, and if they would have tried they would have found that one sensor was defunct. The aftermarket wheel in question had a rather large bulge in the wheel itself and consistently read 10psi lower than the others.

I'm glad that I took the time to reinstall the stock wheels and relearn the sensors - seems like I saved myself some $ and time by not letting the dealership just replace parts that aren't broken.

Let me know what you all think.

Re: TPMS All Dashes

Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2022 1:58 pm
by andrewquant
Sorry to revive an old thread, but I have the same problem. So far I have replaced all my TPMS sensors, AND replaced my RCDLR with brand new and already reprogrammed it via SPS using my MDI 2. Still the same problem though. ARGH!! What else could it be?