In many vechicles the spare can also trigger a code. See if your spare is up on right pressure!
Anybody know about idot lights...
- Thread starter rwsmith
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In many vechicles the spare can also trigger a code. See if your spare is up on right pressure!
My RAM truck did the same thing. It took 3 trips out to get it to reset. Not sure if that is normal but at least I did not have to go to the dealer.
Russ
Russ
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Mine isn't a Dodge, but a Toyota, so I don't know whether one can generalize, but in the eight years I've owned this one, the light has come on three times. Since the place where I buy tires does free checks and fixes, I took it by there and they found a slow leak every time.
bjrjar
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Anybody know about idiot lights......
I went round and round with my Nissan Altima giving me a low tire pressure light. That year (2009) only indicates 'A' tire is low, not which tire. The tires were OK, not low, and it turned out to be a defective pressure sensor. The sensors are battery powered, and when the tires are still, the sensors are turned off to conserve the little batteries power. When the tires turn while driving, the sensors "wake up" then start transmitting what pressure they sense. If the pressure is close enough to specs the light is turned off, or never comes on in the first place. My newer car specifies which tire and what pressure it sees — much better. It is a 2016 Nissan Rogue SUV. I don't think the batteries in the sensors are replaceable in most cases. You just have to replace the sensor when the batteries fail. You can expect them to last several years though. I learned all this (more than I wanted to know) in trying to figure out what the heck was going on with my Altima. Most good tire shops have the tools to diagnose sensor performance. Don't give up if it takes going to the dealer to resolve it though, and good luck!
Bob
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I went round and round with my Nissan Altima giving me a low tire pressure light. That year (2009) only indicates 'A' tire is low, not which tire. The tires were OK, not low, and it turned out to be a defective pressure sensor. The sensors are battery powered, and when the tires are still, the sensors are turned off to conserve the little batteries power. When the tires turn while driving, the sensors "wake up" then start transmitting what pressure they sense. If the pressure is close enough to specs the light is turned off, or never comes on in the first place. My newer car specifies which tire and what pressure it sees — much better. It is a 2016 Nissan Rogue SUV. I don't think the batteries in the sensors are replaceable in most cases. You just have to replace the sensor when the batteries fail. You can expect them to last several years though. I learned all this (more than I wanted to know) in trying to figure out what the heck was going on with my Altima. Most good tire shops have the tools to diagnose sensor performance. Don't give up if it takes going to the dealer to resolve it though, and good luck!
Bob
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These things can be incredibly frustrating and annoying.
Also, the sensors have a finite life span. The OPs is fairly new, so that's unlikely.
About 2010 or so, Toyota stopped including a reset button for the TPS sensors. Look online to see if there is a process for your van. The manuals don't always tell you everything about that sort of thing.
I'll spare you the ordeal I recently had with a tire company after they "fixed" my bad TPMS sensor. Suffice to to say that corporate paid to replace the wheel they damaged and it turned out that I had two bad sensors in addition to the one that was replaced, but wasn't bad.
Also, the sensors have a finite life span. The OPs is fairly new, so that's unlikely.
About 2010 or so, Toyota stopped including a reset button for the TPS sensors. Look online to see if there is a process for your van. The manuals don't always tell you everything about that sort of thing.
I'll spare you the ordeal I recently had with a tire company after they "fixed" my bad TPMS sensor. Suffice to to say that corporate paid to replace the wheel they damaged and it turned out that I had two bad sensors in addition to the one that was replaced, but wasn't bad.
Pretty much the same answers that were given the first time you asked:
Anybody know about idot lights...
Anybody know about idot lights...
OP
Oh sorry......
I looked for this and couldn't find it and figured that I only THOUGHT about posting it.
I looked for this and couldn't find it and figured that I only THOUGHT about posting it.
OP
A few facts and responses...
Thanks everybody. Lots of great answers and ideas.
The car has about 30,000 miles on it.
It did get much cooler that day, but I pumped it up good and did run it overi nflated. No good.
I had a 'Christmas Tree' dashboard in two cars. The shop said there was absolutely nothing wrong with them and to ignore the lights.
I inherited a big compressor from my dad which takes care of the 'no free air' dilemma. My wife paid some machine a couple of dollars for air the other day.
Two of our cars have little plug in air pumps. They are pretty good nowadays.
I'm going to the tire shop. They can find the leak and probably sell me new sensors. I've had those things go bad a LOT. But the tire was under inflated, so it did the job....once.
Thanks everybody. Lots of great answers and ideas.
The car has about 30,000 miles on it.
It did get much cooler that day, but I pumped it up good and did run it overi nflated. No good.
I had a 'Christmas Tree' dashboard in two cars. The shop said there was absolutely nothing wrong with them and to ignore the lights.
I inherited a big compressor from my dad which takes care of the 'no free air' dilemma. My wife paid some machine a couple of dollars for air the other day.
Two of our cars have little plug in air pumps. They are pretty good nowadays.
I'm going to the tire shop. They can find the leak and probably sell me new sensors. I've had those things go bad a LOT. But the tire was under inflated, so it did the job....once.
The reason why it goes out is because as the tire heats up, the air expands, thus increasing the pressure. However, you still have an under inflated tire, as pressure is measured at cold temps, not running temps. An under inflated tire will wear quicker, give poorer fuel mileage and handle worse than a properly inflated tire. With power steering, you may not recognize the poor handling though. Tires are designed to support a certain weight at the stated cold pressure and the company also knows the tire will heat as it's driven, so there is a safety factor designed in.
cmore
Member
It took 3 days for the light to go out the last time I had one repaired.
Generally, car mfg's and dealers love sensors because people freak out when a sensor indicates something wrong. They go running to have it fixed immediately. My neighbor was a mechanic for 30 years and he says about half the time there isn't anything wrong with anything except the sensor. He says most of the time you will know somethings wrong without a sensor telling you. He just bought a new motorcycle and had to return it to the dealer several times because it ran poorly. He was so fed up that he finally told them if they couldn't fix it they could have it back. They finally determined it was a sensor that was bad and was causing the computer to do strange things.
The check engine message comes up (sensor) on my Chevy frequently. A diesel mechanic told me it's always a glow plug and not to worry about it, so I don't. He said just drive it until it seems like it's taking too long to start and have the glow plugs replaced. He said it will still start with only half the glow plugs working. Another suggestion he had was to buy an analyzer and run the diagnostic myself. He said it will pay for itself the first time a dealer charges me the $125 to use their analyzer.
The check engine message comes up (sensor) on my Chevy frequently. A diesel mechanic told me it's always a glow plug and not to worry about it, so I don't. He said just drive it until it seems like it's taking too long to start and have the glow plugs replaced. He said it will still start with only half the glow plugs working. Another suggestion he had was to buy an analyzer and run the diagnostic myself. He said it will pay for itself the first time a dealer charges me the $125 to use their analyzer.
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He may be right about the glow plugs, as they have been a known source of CEL's, but without an analyzer, you'll never know for sure, and it could be something far more serious. One thing about the glow plug error is it will not only tell you one is bad, it will also tell you which one. Changing them is a hit and miss proposition when it comes to difficulty. I've replaced a few and they were tantamount to replacing a spark plug on a gasoline engine, but I've also seen more than a few postings about ones being broken off and the problems that can cause - as in removal of the head. Living in the salt belt, I wouldn't attempt one without a daily regiment of penetrating oil a week before the removal process.
Having said all that, oxygen sensors rank right up their with glow plugs for CEL's, in fact they may even be more frequent. But as I stated, you'll never know for sure without an analyzer. Analyzers aren't that expensive any more, and while you can go to most auto parts stores and have the test run for free, sometimes their interpretation of the results is wrong, so I recommend buying your own and learn how to use it. It's really simple, and even if you can't do the work yourself, you'll at least know if the repair shop is trying to pull a fast one on you by telling you your muffler bearings are shot.
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OP
I took it to TreadQuarters....
They checked it and couldn't find a leak anywhere. They put the right pressure in all the tires, which I thought I had done and as soon as started the car, the light went out. Goes to show that the idiot is not always the light.
Now, my wifes car I think was affected by the sudden cool snap the reduced the pressure just below the set point on the sensors. It's possible that mine was the same thing because they happened only a day or two apart.
Well, learn something new every day.
They checked it and couldn't find a leak anywhere. They put the right pressure in all the tires, which I thought I had done and as soon as started the car, the light went out. Goes to show that the idiot is not always the light.
Now, my wifes car I think was affected by the sudden cool snap the reduced the pressure just below the set point on the sensors. It's possible that mine was the same thing because they happened only a day or two apart.
Well, learn something new every day.
I was glad my 2004 Jeep had the tire sensor....... !!
While Chuckar hunting, going up a high dirt road with red rock
and Lava, my right front tire light came on, stating low pressure.
I was in a bad spot, going up hill and no place to change a tire.
Finally got to a flat wide spot to check the tire.
Yep, it was going flat from a side wall cut.
I would have been in deep "Do-Do" if the tire had gone totally flat without any warning, on this hill climb.........
and yes, I had to buy FOUR new wheel sensors in three years, right after the warranty went out.
While Chuckar hunting, going up a high dirt road with red rock
and Lava, my right front tire light came on, stating low pressure.
I was in a bad spot, going up hill and no place to change a tire.
Finally got to a flat wide spot to check the tire.
Yep, it was going flat from a side wall cut.
I would have been in deep "Do-Do" if the tire had gone totally flat without any warning, on this hill climb.........
and yes, I had to buy FOUR new wheel sensors in three years, right after the warranty went out.
OP
Due to a period of extreme stress......
I had so much negative piled up on me that when I looked at what I written a few days before that I had actually TRIPLE posted the same thing.
That was an AWFUL period in my life but I got through it only with my bark splintered and shaggy.
We've all had those days.
I had so much negative piled up on me that when I looked at what I written a few days before that I had actually TRIPLE posted the same thing.
That was an AWFUL period in my life but I got through it only with my bark splintered and shaggy.
OP
That's what I was worried about....
I could just see going in to be told that at least one sensor had to be replaced.
This is kind of interesting. Some cars don't use sensors. They use the data from the ABS to determine that a tire is low. It even has some logic built in to it to determine what tires are low and not being fooled by different air pressures or other circumstances that could give false readings.
I could just see going in to be told that at least one sensor had to be replaced.
This is kind of interesting. Some cars don't use sensors. They use the data from the ABS to determine that a tire is low. It even has some logic built in to it to determine what tires are low and not being fooled by different air pressures or other circumstances that could give false readings.
