Tire pressure sensor in spare

[DAW89446]

I tried this on mine, and it didn't work ... shape of the wheel IIRC. Maybe an LE would be different.

This got me curious. Had to plug in my trailer today so while laying on the ground I took a gander at my spare. It is mouted with the valve stem pointing down, plus the stem positioned at the rear bumper, making it much easier to access.

My rig is an ‘18 SR5. Until recently I was running OEM rubber, now have stock size BFG A/T KO’s. I snagged the front right sidewall on a hidden rock off road earlier this summer, cutting a small chunk out of it but not flattening the tire. Before a trip to Idaho last month I had the spare removed from the steel spare wheel and remounted and placed where the cut tire was. When I had the new tires installed, I had the original spare placed back into spare tire duty. Glad the installers accomodated me by placing the valve stem down and at the back.

 

[Finch Taco]

You could get something like this to check and fill the spare without having to drop it down: Wheel Masters Spare Tire Inflation Kit - Under Chassis Mount - Stainless Steel Wheel Masters Tire Inflation and Repair WM82286-S

Edit - just noticed this thread was raised from the dead, but maybe it can help someone else.

 

[AK Mule]

We have always put the spare inside the truck. Did this on my 84 4Runner, Blazer, Yukon, and now our 17 4Runner Limited, which has a TPMS. Takes up some cargo space, but is always warm, pressurized, clean, and easy to get to. A friend at work had a flat on his 2016 Ford, and the spare was rusted in place (and flat).

Time yourself getting it out on a sunny day in your driveway. Then try getting the spare out in sub-zero weather, at night, in the snow, on an uneven surface, in a suit.

 

[matoolie]

We have always put the spare inside the truck. Did this on my 84 4Runner, Blazer, Yukon, and now our 17 4Runner Limited, which has a TPMS. Takes up some cargo space, but is always warm, pressurized, clean, and easy to get to. A friend at work had a flat on his 2016 Ford, and the spare was rusted in place (and flat).

Time yourself getting it out on a sunny day in your driveway. Then try getting the spare out in sub-zero weather, at night, in the snow, on an uneven surface, in a suit.

You sure the spare has a TPMS? My 2014 did not on OEM wheel. I now have aftermarket wheel/tire as spare with TPMS, BUT the ECU does not recognize it as when I go into the ECU with Techstream, there are only active fields for 4 sensors. You cannot had a 5th sensor for monitoring. The 5th field is non-active. Interesting if Toyota changed this at some point after 2014 MY.

 

[AK Mule]

You sure the spare has a TPMS? My 2014 did not on OEM wheel. I now have aftermarket wheel/tire as spare with TPMS, BUT the ECU does not recognize it as when I go into the ECU with Techstream, there are only active fields for 4 sensors. You cannot had a 5th sensor for monitoring. The 5th field is non-active. Interesting if Toyota changed this at some point after 2014 MY.

I am sure it does (2017 Limited). Yes, Toyota can only read four codes; it is a copy of one of the other four codes. Had the light come on last winter. Checked all four and they were good. Checked the spare, and it was low. Topped it off and light went out.

Visually, you can see that the TPMS stem is the same as the other four; a little thicker with the same shape.

 

[Jivewalker]

I'm trying to avoid having a few pounds of pressure in the spare in my 2016 Limited cause the warning light stay on, and I have no intention of routinely dropping the spare to air it up every time this happens.

Can the TPMS sensor in the spare be safely removed, and if so, would this accomplish what I want to do? Or, would doing so just throw the whole TPMS system in a tizzy trying to locate the missing sensor and keep the light on anyway, or worse, cause it to blink?

Seems to me that Toyota didn't think this one through. I consider the system to be virtually worthless anyway, given that it doesn't specify which tire is low and it's exact pressure like most other manufacturers TPMS systems do. How much more could it have cost for Toyota to have put in a decent system?

Hey, I don't have that problem, but if I did I'd get one of these in a heartbeat and run it to a convenient spot for ya:

Cherne Industries Extension Hose, Air, 36 In Length 274038 | Zoro.com