low tire pressure indicator - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

tortugas · 11-05-2008, 10:45 PM

Hi fellow TCH owners.
My wife drives our TCH and she called saying the low tire pressure light came on. She inspected the tires and couldn't tell which one was actually low so she put a little air in all 4. Any ideas what tire pressure sets of this sensor? or which tire may be low? Thanks for your help.

GeorgiaHybrid · 11-06-2008, 12:08 PM

Set the tire pressure to what you need in all 4 tires. Re-set the monitor to that base pressure by using the button in the glove box (see your manual) and the system will then alert you when the pressure drops by aprox. 20% from the preset value.

You need to give her a gauge to keep in the car to find out which one is low. The tires will swap around when they are rotated and the car has no method to discover which wheel a TPMS sensor is located on.

tortugas · 11-08-2008, 06:54 AM

Thanks GeorgiaHybrid. I've been meaning to get her a tire gauge and air compressor for the car. You've just solved my 'what do I get her for Christmas" dilemma. Nothing says love like a set of fully inflated tires. Thanks for your help.

hoser · 11-09-2008, 04:14 PM

Check the spare as well. I have heard it is monitored also

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hoffedge · 11-19-2008, 07:03 PM

Great post and replies. I'm have sveral gauges and have never trusted any of them. Any suggestions where to get a reliable one?

GeorgiaHybrid · 11-19-2008, 07:50 PM

hoffege,

To save time I copied most of my post here from another forum that I frequent (greenhybrid.com) you should also check that forum out.

I guess I am one of those anal people when it comes to maintenance. I used to have a very nice Moroso gauge back in my youth when drag racing. It went to the 1/10 of a pound and was sent back to Moroso at the end of each season to be re-calibrated. That gauge is long gone but when looking for a new one a couple of years when gas prices started going thru the roof, that old Moroso became my standard to compare against.

The old gauge only went to 25psi (drag tires don't need that much in the way of air pressure) so I searched for a gauge with the same accuracy but capable of a higher pressure reading. The best that I have found (and bought) is an Accutire racing gauge that reads to 60psi in .1 psi increments. It re-calibrates before each use and has been spot on each and every time that I have had it checked.

It is a liitle expensive but it has a bleed valve to decrease pressure if you have added too much air, a 10" hose to make getting into tight spots easier and a nice display that is easy to read. I have several other gauges that I keep in my cars and at work but I check them all against this gauge to "re-mark" them to the pressures that I should have.

The following link is the gauge that I have but mine was purchased at Nothern Tools. If you can find one there, they will be a LOT cheaper.

http://www.autogeek.net/racing-tire-gauge.html

GH

hoffedge · 11-19-2008, 09:12 PM

Thanks very much. I'll check it out. Does Northern Tools have a website?

hoffedge · 11-19-2008, 09:31 PM

I checked Northern Tools.com and they didn't have this item. But I found it on Amazon for $38.41 with free freight. Thanks very much. In looking at the close up of the unit it's similar to the old Brookstone unit I had years ago which had an analog dial instead of digital. Thanx again.