I'm not sure what i hate more...having to run 65psi .... or running 50psi and having that light on. Actually I HATE BOTH.

 

Hi all,

For what it's worth, the TPMS setting can be changed. Dealers are just highly reluctant to do so given the Explorer/Firestone fiasco and vague federal laws surrounding TPMS.

For those of you with good working relationships with your service managers, tell them within the IDS system to go to "Module Programming" > "Programmable Parameters" > "TPMS". They will get a flash screen warning of the liability and to only increase the pressure setting, but there are a range of settings available.

On a side note, the federal TPMS laws only apply to 10,000 lbs GVWR and under. This is another negotiating point for all of you F350 owners.

The procedure is actually rather simple; finding a dealer willing to do it? Priceless.

 

For reference, an update to the IDS software has removed this ability. Currently it is only possible to raise the pressure setting.

Thanks,

Acer Engineering

 

Wish I knew of this update yesterday.

Been running 70 front 60 rear and not tripping the light. When I went in for my first service (free oil change) asked them to apply TSB11-4-21, and while plugged in to the laptop please reset the TPMS to the absolute lowest possible setting. They balked at the idea, finally agreed to 50psi.
Didn't feel right heading home, so once home, I checked tire pressures and all 4 were at 80psi. When I lowered pressure the light came on, still on now at 70 rear, 75 front. I think they set the damn thing up to 80psi. Went back today just before closing, and they claim that can't change it.
Was bad enough before, but much worse now. 80psi in rears on an empty F350? On washboard? They should at least be able to put it back to where it was Friday morning.

 

If they truely cannot revise the TPMS setting via the IDS software. (Still having a real hard time believing this).

My plan is to drill four more holes in the spare tire's wheel and mount all 4 of the damn things in that wheel. With non-TPMS valve stems on the the wheels touching the ground, all I'd need to do is keep the spare at 80psi and I'd be able to run realistic tire pressures on the truck.

Anyone ever try it?

 

The 08 to 09 trucks cannot be reset as stated above. You have to go into the programming and change it right in the GEM module and another one. (forget its name). The procedure is rather long and if any mistakes are made when changing the program instructions it will disable the truck and you will need a new module. Not for the faint of heart and 99.9% of the shops will refuse to do it even if you have the program instructions. The 2011 and 2012 trucks can be reset using the above instructions with the IDS given by Acer.

 

How are you going to get the sensors to spin to energize the battery?

 

the 2008 and 2009 pickups do not have a GEM.

The other one your are thinking of is the Smart Junction Box (SJB) which has taken over the duties of many of the older modules.

 

The programming instructions for the TPMS referred to the GEM module in this way, GEM(SPDJB). The other module to program was the ICM.

 

As pointed out this will not work. When the truck is parked the sending units go into "sleep" mode. Once you start to drive and exceed something like 20 mph and the truck does not start to receive data from the sensors it will set off a TPMS error and the dash light will come on. Note this will not always happen right away. Some times it takes a bit and you will think it worked, but it didn't. It is centrifugal force of the wheel spinning that wakes them up.

 

the centrifugal force is constant... it would do no good.

it is the motion of the sensor starting and stopping as it travels around the axle that provides power. Say you're travling 70 mph. When the sensor is directly below the axle (between the axle and the road) it is traveling at 0 mph. When the sensor is directly above the axle (the axle is between the sensor and the road) the sensor is traveling at 140 mph. Between these two points there is either positive or negative acceleration. Combine that acceleration with a spring, a coil of wire, and a magnet... you have power generation.

 

Oops. Never even thought of that. I wasn't thinking too clearly, probably shouldn't have posted before I'd had a chance to cool off some.

Drove about 10 miles of fairly rough trail today, couple of those in four low. It's not a Jeep, but did okay. Was running rear at 50 and front 60, with electrical tape on the dash and a good dose of fresh air, I'm in a much better mood and will soon just develop a habit of clearing the message every time I start the truck.

Really just a matter of enlarging the tape already covering the excessively bright highbeam indicator.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

Update:
At the dealer, the mechanic re-trained the sensors using a little grey remote. He said it would set everything to the pressure currently in the tires. My understanding was that the remote was just an easy way to re-train the position of the tires, but this guy said it also sets the presure at which the light would trip on.
Well the light did go off, but was on again before I got home (about thirty miles).

 

The little grey remote does not set pressures. It just tells the truck where the wheel is installed. After hearing a tech say that I would never let him near my truck again.....unless he didn't explain it clearly. The pressures are within the trucks computer. By telling the truck where the wheel is located the truck then knows at what level to set off the alarm when it is a truck like a F-350srw where the fronts and rears run different pressures. It does not set what that trip point is, nor can it change it.

 

Super08,
Thanks for clearing that up. That was my impression, but hard to argue with the mechanic holding the remote. He even suggested I buy one from the parts counter at $30-$40.


P.S.
As a sidenote:
They never did look into the RH door rattle, I told them to skip it, as I'd already been there for 4 hours and had to get back to work.
Also, I now have a nicely speckled skid plate and rearend. The new oil filter was covered in oil, the drain plug also. I wiped it all down at home and it doesn't appear to be leaking. I think they just didn't bother to wipe anything off before the new filter.