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GEN2 - TIRE PRESSURE & TPMS


windguy
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Here is the procedure from the owners manual .  If  you have access to a TPMS tool The job is easier. Hope this helps.

Carrying Out the System Reset
Procedure
Read the entire procedure before carrying
out a system reset.
1. Drive your vehicle above 20 mph (32
km/h) for at least two minutes and
then park in a safe location where you
can easily get to all four tires and have
access to a tire inflation pump.
2. Switch the ignition off.
3. Switch the ignition on with the engine
off.
4. Turn the hazard flashers on then off
three times, this must be completed
within 10 seconds. If the reset mode
has been entered successfully, the horn
will chirp once and the system indicator
will flash. If this does not occur, repeat
the procedure from step 2. If after
repeated attempts to enter the reset
mode, the horn does not chirp and the
system indicator does not flash, have
your vehicle checked by an authorized
dealer as soon as possible.
5. Train the system sensors in the tires
using the following reset sequence
starting with the left front tire and
following a clockwise order: Left front,
right front, right rear, left rear.
6. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the left front tire. Decrease the
air pressure until the horn chirps.
Note: The single horn chirp confirms that
the sensor identification code has been
learned by your vehicle for this position. If a
double horn chirp is heard, the reset
procedure was unsuccessful and must be
repeated.
7. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the right front tire. Decrease
the air pressure until the horn chirps.
8. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the right rear tire. Decrease the
air pressure until the horn chirps.
9. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the left rear tire. Decrease the
air pressure until the horn chirps.
Training is complete when the horn
chirps after the last system sensor (left
rear) has been trained and the system
indicator stops flashing.
10. Switch the ignition off. If two short
horn chirps are heard, the reset
procedure was unsuccessful and
must be repeated.
Note: If after repeating the procedure two
short horn chirps are heard again, have your
vehicle checked by an authorized dealer as
soon as possible.
11. Set all four tires to the correct
pressure See Maintenance (page
177). or the tire inflation pressure label
(located on the edge of driver door or

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I've had several Explorers, still have a 2008. The Firestone problem was NOT a problem. It was a Ford and owner failure to emphasize the correct tire pressure. At the time, the national speed limit was 55mph. So, IMO, Ford thought they could lower the tire pressure for an easier ride. Unfortunately, even though Ford stated in the owner's manual to increase air pressure by (IIRC) 5 PSI per 5mph above the legal speed limit, no one paid attention. Especially those soccer moms that wanted the safety of an SUV, driving 70-75mph on CA freeways and elsewhere. So rather than call it's customers idiots, Ford passed the blame onto Firestone. I really liked those tires. I was on my third set when the recall was issued and I got a free set of Michelins. 

For heavy loads, towing, OR high speed driving, I always bump the tire pressure up to its maker's max pressure, then lower it down to the vehicle recommended pressure for normal driving. Never a problem with my tires. My 92 Explorer with those Firestone tires at 35psi all around traveled for an hour at 95mph on I-95 in 1990. No prob.

The other aspect to the Explorer/Firestone problem was that most drivers are IDIOTS when it comes to a tire blowout. They either want to brake immediately or pull over immediately, or BOTH. The BOTH is a recipe for a flip over, which is what occurred for several people, prompting the huge recall. Many years ago, before the Explorer prob, Motor Trend had a blowout on a new Corvette going 140-150mph. Driver held the wheel straight and let it slow down on its own. No further problems. It's panic that causes death.

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The other problem was people driving an SUV with the stability of a phone booth and 70-profile tires past 70 mph. I leased the Explorer briefly in the 90's, it was nothing to write home about. My full size '93 transit was better on the highway. 

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Ford ordered a lowering of the tire pressure to 26 psi before the Explorer was even introduced . . . . after they had already determined they had a rollover problem!

"Emerging Information shows that both Ford and Firestone had early knowledge of tread separation in Firestone Tires fitted to Ford Explorer vehicles but at no point informed the NHTSA of their findings"

The Ford Explorer was first offered for sale in March 1990.  Ford internal documents show the company engineers recommended changes to the vehicle design after it rolled over in company tests prior to introduction, but other than a few minor changes, the suspension and track width were not changed.  Instead, Ford, which sets the specifications for the manufacture of its tires, decided to remove air from the tires, lowering the recommended pressure to 26 psi.   Low air pressure leads to increased heat; heat can damage the tire.

Sure sounds like a 'problem' to me!

Some outside observers have speculated about the blame worthiness of both parties;   Firestone's tires being prone to tread separation and failure, and the SUVs being especially prone to rolling over if a tire fails at speed compared to other vehicles.

Ford directed Firestone to build a tire for a top heavy, overweight vehicle which they could use with only 26 psi of air pressure . . . . and for some reason, Firestone complied.  This debacle ended a partnership between Ford and Firestone which had existed for almost 100 years.  Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone were personal friends and Ford had used Firestone tires almost exclusively up until then

Don

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  • 1 month later...
On 4/19/2017 at 4:41 PM, G B L said:

GBL, thanks for the info but WTF !  :sos:  LOL

 

Here is the procedure from the owners manual .  If  you have access to a TPMS tool The job is easier. Hope this helps.

Carrying Out the System Reset
Procedure
Read the entire procedure before carrying
out a system reset.
1. Drive your vehicle above 20 mph (32
km/h) for at least two minutes and
then park in a safe location where you
can easily get to all four tires and have
access to a tire inflation pump.
2. Switch the ignition off.
3. Switch the ignition on with the engine
off.
4. Turn the hazard flashers on then off
three times, this must be completed
within 10 seconds. If the reset mode
has been entered successfully, the horn
will chirp once and the system indicator
will flash. If this does not occur, repeat
the procedure from step 2. If after
repeated attempts to enter the reset
mode, the horn does not chirp and the
system indicator does not flash, have
your vehicle checked by an authorized
dealer as soon as possible.
5. Train the system sensors in the tires
using the following reset sequence
starting with the left front tire and
following a clockwise order: Left front,
right front, right rear, left rear.
6. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the left front tire. Decrease the
air pressure until the horn chirps.
Note: The single horn chirp confirms that
the sensor identification code has been
learned by your vehicle for this position. If a
double horn chirp is heard, the reset
procedure was unsuccessful and must be
repeated.
7. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the right front tire. Decrease
the air pressure until the horn chirps.
8. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the right rear tire. Decrease the
air pressure until the horn chirps.
9. Remove the valve cap from the valve
stem on the left rear tire. Decrease the
air pressure until the horn chirps.
Training is complete when the horn
chirps after the last system sensor (left
rear) has been trained and the system
indicator stops flashing.
10. Switch the ignition off. If two short
horn chirps are heard, the reset
procedure was unsuccessful and
must be repeated.
Note: If after repeating the procedure two
short horn chirps are heard again, have your
vehicle checked by an authorized dealer as
soon as possible.
11. Set all four tires to the correct
pressure See Maintenance (page
177). or the tire inflation pressure label
(located on the edge of driver door or

 

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  • 1 year later...
11 hours ago, G B L said:

The full size spare tire on mine does not have a Tpms unit .

 

 

That is good to know. 

 

I recently rotated the spare to the passenger side front.  

 

Now I won't bother with trying to set the vehicle's system to read the TPMS in the spare.....since there isn't one.  I'll just drive around with the low tire pressure warning on.  Maybe a little tape over the light, if it becomes too annoying.

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10 minutes ago, Fifty150 said:

Now I won't bother with trying to set the vehicle's system to read the TPMS in the spare.....since there isn't one.  I'll just drive around with the low tire pressure warning on.  Maybe a little tape over the light, if it becomes too annoying.

 

My light has been on for the last eight months or so ever since I took the factory tires off. It flashes for a bit, turns steady on. Couple of times it dinged at me. I refuse to pay any attention to it. Its just a nuisance.

 

 

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I have been driving with the spare tire on the passenger side front tire.  The original tire and wheel are now tucked in the spare tire carrier.  In the course of 2 weeks, the TPMS low tire indicator light came on twice.  Last week, after the spare was on for 3 days, the light flashed for a while, then became solid.  I thought that I actually had a flat or puncture.  I pulled over, checked every tire's air pressure, and proceeded to remove and inspect each tire.  All tires had a reasonable PSI, and I could not find a nail or screw.  That was a lot of wasted time and effort.  Boy, did I feel like a moron, on the side of the road, jacking up and removing all the tires, looking for a nonexistent road hazard.  After a few hours, the light turned off.  Today, the light flashed, then became solid, and stayed lit for about 10 minutes.  This time, I did not take all the tires off on the side of the road.

 

In theory, TPMS should have detected no air pressure the last 2 weeks, since the wheel, tire, & sensor have been in the spare tire carrier.  

 

I want to trust in the technology.  But it is difficult at best, since I do not understand it.  

 

On my F-150, the dash light has only activated when I really did have low tire pressure.  Which works great, because that alerted me to check the tires, add air, and then look for a puncture.  All things that I should have been doing anyway, but was too lazy, until the dummy light came on.  Right now, I have a slow leak on one of the tires, and I cannot find a hole to plug.  But with 10 year old tires, it could be leaking from just the tires being old....bead seal, valve stem, et cetera.

 

The F-150 sensors are mounted on the wheel.  The Transit Connect is a part of the valve stem.  I wonder if there is different technology, and if they work in a different way.  

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I am just mentioning this because I don't know what you actually have.  Wife's car has pressure sensors, as my Freestar did.  I could page through my menu and get a page with pressures on the tires.

My vehicle before that one used wheel speed comparison to tell me a had a low pressure problem.  I'd get low pressure warnings when the wheels were cold, and they'd go away after the tires warmed up.

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The TPMS sensors go into sleep mode when they tire does not rotate for 30 min. You need to put the normal tire back on the vehicle and perform a sensor calibration procedure. The sensors will wake up when you drive and transmit data to the BCM. You can read the tire pressure with most OBDII reader apps.

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