Look up whether or not Toyota has eliminated the pressure sensor in the spare tire on all of their vehicles. Just because harper's manager buddy says so doesn't make it true.
Rotating the spare / TPMS questions? (SR5)
- Thread starter VayaConQueso
- Start date
Look up whether or not Toyota has eliminated the pressure sensor in the spare tire on all of their vehicles. Just because harper's manager buddy says so doesn't make it true.
Exactly. Just another gem from harper and/or his manager buddy. It's pretty well known that as the temperatures fall in the winter, many people experience the TPMS warning light. Simply adding air to the tires is all that is needed to make the light go out. But most people forget about their spare and then they mistakenly think something is wrong with the TPMS because the light doesn't go out. We see it all the time on this forum...
To me, that is a good reason to get rid of the TPMS on the spare. Why would you want to fish out the spare on a monthly basis during the fall and winter to keep it topped up? Check the spare, once per year, for pressure and you'll have plenty of air to get yourself to a service station to top up until you can get your new tire. Is spare mounted face up or face down under the truck? If face up, you'd have to actually drop the spare tire from under the truck to top up. That'd be an enormous pain.
Just as you mention, if people are coming into the shop to diagnose no good TPMS sensors, that is a waste of the customer and the shop's time.
There's a real easy solution....just fill the spare tire up to about 40 PSI (which is perfectly safe) while it is stored under the 4Runner. Now you'll never have to worry about the TPMS light coming on because the spare tire has low pressure. I believe the light comes on somewhere around 27 or 28 PSI, so even if the spare "loses" 1 PSI per year, it would take about 12 years before you'd even have to worry about it.
And yes, the spare tire faces up. But I've actually added air to mine without dropping it by sliding underneath and accessing the air valve that is positioned between the spokes. It's not difficult at all....
jh26
New member
That's exactly what I do on mine. I still get the light about every two years, and I love having the spare monitored this way - if it's down to 28, I actually want to know about it without crawling under with a pressure gauge.
No TPMS on the spare is just another small "miss" for Toyota on the 5th gen.
harper7
Senior Member
Researched...........http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/84689-spare-tire-tpms-sensor-i-thought.html
And I called Bill Wilsey ,Service Manager for Freeman Toyota, the largest Toyota dealer in the DFW metroplex. Believe me ,this guy knows his ship.His answer, yes ,they quit putting them in the spare in 2009 in Toyotas because of complaints of setting off the light because of the spare being low.
I also would say that a guy that works around tires and TPMS sensors on a daily basis for a living for the last 20 years ,AKA my buddy ,the manager at Discount Tire would know more about it then JED the know it all.
So ,you basically and unfoundedly called me and him a liar without merit.
Can't wait for the day when BANNED shows up, as in permenant.
Until then , the IGNORE JED software is being re-executed.
And I would advise everybody else to do the same. IGNORE JED as if he didn't exist !!!
Pretty easy to read thru his past posts and see the type of forum member he is.Very little to no contributions and alot of instilling internet know it all bickering and putting down Toyota and 5th Gen 4Runners in particular.
Drinkin a Heiny,chillin by the pool for the day, in Moab:cheers:
Beat the heck out of the truck and the kids yesterday:guitar2:
Back to the trails tomorrow! :biggrin2:
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westwind77
New member
That is the exact reason I would want to have a sensor in the spare! I want to KNOW that if/when I need to change the tire that I have air in the spare and I have NO surprises. Yes, I know the spare should be checked normally along with your other tires but that does not mean some debris does not get kicked up between checks and causes the spare to go flat. That actually brings up another 'topic'. I helped change a flat on a Highlander the other week and noticed that the spare had a piece of plastic covering the rubber tire (on the bottom facing the road). It was thick and, to me, was a protection/barrier to prevent damage to the spare. Maybe since the Highlander is lower they felt they needed to do this, but I look at it as support for my 'spare should have a sensor too' theory because obviously Toyota sees it as a potential risk. Oh well, just have to keep my AAA membership current just in case
Actually, I never called you or anyone else a liar. I just said that your statement was inaccurate. Don't cry because I went against your statement, harper. In fact, it was YOU who called me an idiot in an indirect way by posting a picture of a T-shirt with the "don't argue with idiots" comment on it instead of actually saying it yourself.
And if you want, I can prove that I'm correct and you (and your buddy) are wrong. Not every new Toyota lacks a TPMS sensor in the spare. I should know....we have one in our family.
I don't need to defend my posts, but it's basically laughable that you would make such a foolish statement to say that I'm not a helpful forum member. I've helped many members here in just the last week along. Anyone can search through my posts and find evidence of that. You have the right to your opinions, even if they are based on pure fantasy. Have a nice day!
That is the exact reason I would want to have a sensor in the spare! I want to KNOW that if/when I need to change the tire that I have air in the spare and I have NO surprises. Yes, I know the spare should be checked normally along with your other tires but that does not mean some debris does not get kicked up between checks and causes the spare to go flat. That actually brings up another 'topic'. I helped change a flat on a Highlander the other week and noticed that the spare had a piece of plastic covering the rubber tire (on the bottom facing the road). It was thick and, to me, was a protection/barrier to prevent damage to the spare. Maybe since the Highlander is lower they felt they needed to do this, but I look at it as support for my 'spare should have a sensor too' theory because obviously Toyota sees it as a potential risk. Oh well, just have to keep my AAA membership current just in case
If you purchased a TPMS sensor and had it installed in your spare tire, I'm 99% sure that it could be programmed to the ECM. Someone here with a 4th gen posted about having two sets of tires with TPMS sensors and they were all programmed to his vehicle. If I remember correctly, he bought a set of FJ wheels, complete with tires and TPMS sensors and had the dealer program them to his 4Runner, while his original wheels were dedicated for offroad duty after installing mud terrains.
VayaConQueso
New member
Wow - this got big fast! Thanks harper7 for the info. Looks like I can get the rim, but putting a 5th sensor on there won't do too much for me.
I did some research on the whole subject - I like the "TPMS Pipebomb" some folks have come up with to "work around it" without hacking into the electronics.
I'm actually an Electrical / Computer Engineer by trade and design embedded computers for aircraft. The whole situation with Toyota Dealers holding a monopoly on programming features irks me. One of these days I'll have to take a close look at which wires they're really interfacing to on the CAN bus.
I did some research on the whole subject - I like the "TPMS Pipebomb" some folks have come up with to "work around it" without hacking into the electronics.
I'm actually an Electrical / Computer Engineer by trade and design embedded computers for aircraft. The whole situation with Toyota Dealers holding a monopoly on programming features irks me. One of these days I'll have to take a close look at which wires they're really interfacing to on the CAN bus.
Good site for more information below:
Toyota TPMS - Toyota TPMS Tools & Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
BTW, us 4th gen guys have a really easy "fix" for the TPMS issues. We can simply ground one wire to disable it completely. One reason for that would be if someone wanted to switch to winter wheels/tires without sensors in them and not have to stare at the dash light all winter long. We could even wire a simple switch to effectively turn off the dash light and then flip the switch back when swapping back to the original wheels.
Or if you're like me, once the batteries die in the TPMS sensors, just disable the system for good. It's disappointing that the batteries aren't replaceable in the sensors, forcing us to buy new sensors and have them programmed. I'd rather just disable the system completely at that point....
Toyota TPMS - Toyota TPMS Tools & Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems
BTW, us 4th gen guys have a really easy "fix" for the TPMS issues. We can simply ground one wire to disable it completely. One reason for that would be if someone wanted to switch to winter wheels/tires without sensors in them and not have to stare at the dash light all winter long. We could even wire a simple switch to effectively turn off the dash light and then flip the switch back when swapping back to the original wheels.
Or if you're like me, once the batteries die in the TPMS sensors, just disable the system for good. It's disappointing that the batteries aren't replaceable in the sensors, forcing us to buy new sensors and have them programmed. I'd rather just disable the system completely at that point....
