TPMS Direct vs. indirect

[Fdian]

To make my first official post here as I have been browsing here since I got my 4th Gen 4Runner 2 months ago I will be presenting a question.
As I have read in the previous post a few people are not pleased with Firestone. This was learned after getting my new tires there. Firestone tells me I had indirect TPMS system. a few hundred miles (week) after getting my tires my TPMS now flash's. This has happened once before when I discovered an over inflated tire. However this time my tires are correctly inflated.
What I want to know is how do I figure out if I have Direct or Indirect TPMS? Without deconstructing my tires.
And yes I do need the TPMS light as the wife drives this 4Runner alot as I am in mostly in a company truck. I don't trust her to check the tire presure often enough as she has almost run previous vehicles on the rim befor I was able to cach it.

 

[gfluff]

Look at your valve stems. Are they black rubber or do they look like these:

These are a direct system, as the black part in the wheel sends a signal to the TPMS brain in the truck. Indirect would be a regular rubber stem, and that works thru the ABS system. A low tire rolls faster than a normal tire, which the ABS sensor picks up, and sends out a warning. My '07 has direct sensors, not sure what your '04 has...
The batteries in the direct sensors die after 5-8 yrs, so it's possible you have a dead battery or two. It's also possible that a sensor was broken at your tire replacement? Direct systems have a sensor in the spare, too. It could possibly be low?
I'm a manager at a Costco Tire Center, I mess with these all day. We charge $40-70 (different years/models=different sensors) per sensor, $14 ea to install, and it's after a free test to see what you need...

 

[Atlanta_man]

Not a bad price, does it include re-sync'ing the new one/s to the ECU / TPS computer ? That used to be a dealer only because of their scan tool.

 

[Ventil8]

I'm at the 9 year mark and still no issues with my TPMS...knock on wood, but I know batteries will die sometime soon, so I'm also interested in this info coming from the Costco tire manager.

 

[gfluff]

Not a bad price, does it include re-sync'ing the new one/s to the ECU / TPS computer ? That used to be a dealer only because of their scan tool.

Yes, we have a handheld tool that plugs into the OBD2 port, resets computer to recognize the new sensors.

 

[Atlanta_man]

thanks for the good info, all 5 of mine are still working fine (9 year old 2005 4runner)
those are pretty good batteries aren't they ?
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good grief I can't believe it is within a couple weeks of being 9 years old and still running like new
almost twice as long as I kept my other 16 cars

 

[dropspace]

after 10 years they all start going bad, especially when its cold.

not worth 350-400 bucks to replace them all so I just bypassed it...

 

[Fdian]

Thank you for the prompt response. A lot I had learned through reading other post. But I will be sure to look closer to the valve stem once I can get the wife to park it long enough to see anything but the blur as it goes by.

I feel a Costco trip coming up.