TPMS Sensors

I’m looking at putting a new set of tires on. Been running with the TPMS light on for 2 years and thought I’d bite the bullet and replace all the sensors while at it. If you are wondering I got the tires from a friend that ordered the wrong size online for his son but was a stock fit for my rig. I’m looking at the

$38 Denso 550-0103 TPMS 315-MHZ Sensor for Toyota/Lexus with Factory Alloy Wheel Options. (THIS SENSOR MUST BE PROGRAMMED BEFORE USE), Black

Denso 550-0103 on RA and the description states “programmed”…I’m assuming this will be a plug n play fit with nothing else needed in regard to programming or re-learning which I saw mentioned on some of the other brands??? FYI, I’m going to have the tires swapped at a “used tire shop” for $20 per tire vs Goodyear quoting me $45 just for swap and $95 for swapping out the sensor.

I did search the forum on this subject but didn’t really see anything relevant.

Sorry for the “dummy” post but would appreciate any input if you have it.

TIA

 

The denso sensor will be pre-programmed to work with Toyota's but they will still need the ID to be registered to the TPMS ECU.

 

So the “registering process” is done after the installation has been completed and the tires remounted?

 

Yes.

 

I installed these and they worked.

$32 Marsflex TPMS Sensor 42607-33021 Compatible for Toyota Lexus Scion Pontiac, Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors for Camry Prius Corolla rav4 Scion Yaris Replaces 42607-33011 PMV-107J 315MHz Set of 4

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B092HXSBGZ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image
I registered them myself with the Toyota software before installing them.
I found a virtual machine version of the Toyota tech stream software online and had to purchase a USB to OBD2 adapter for my laptop.

As shifty noted these TPMS units do not work for all models.

 

Don’t forget the spare!

 

Care to share?

 

Adding more verbose info on this in case others need it down the road...

Yes and no. All TPMS sensors have a pre-programmed ID, which is typically printed on the label. You'll typically see that as an 8-digit alphanumeric (ex: A19BE00F) or in hexadecimal (0xA19BE00F). This is the identification string the sensor broadcasts to any TPMS receivers that are listening. Every sensor has a unique ID from the factory, else your TPMS ECU would have no clue which f'n tire was which. From the factory, your TPMS ECU was pre-programmed with the IDs of TPMS sensors installed in all tires (including the spare, in some years).

Your sensors are dead/bad missing. Or you want to replace for other reasons. You have new sensors in-hand. The installer has two options:

1. Program the new TPMS IDs for the sensors you bought into the TPMS ECU using a TPMS handheld tool or Toyota's Techstream software.
2. Use a TPMS handheld tool to "clone" the original sensor's ID onto your new TPMS sensors, so they just "work".

A lot of tire shops I've talked to will opt for #2 because it's the no-brainer solution, as long as the sensor you buy is compatible with your make/model of vehicle.

If the tire shop opts for #1, you must (or they must) force-reset the TPMS system after install, which is explained in the Owner's Manual:

• Locate the TPMS reset button on the dash skirt, below the ignition/steering wheel area IIRC
• After turning the key to ON position and/or starting the vehicle, immediately press and hold the TPMS reset button
• When you see the TPMS light flash in the dash 3 times consecutively, release the button
• Critical: Go drive around for 20 minutes, so each sensor can report back to the TPMS ECU, allowing TPMS ECU to confirm all is OK and set the baseline expected tire pressure, allowing it to know when the tire is x% too low

If the process completes successfully, you'll no longer see the light in the dash.
If the light continues to flash, there's a communication/ID programming problem.
If the light is solid, the TPMS ECU thinks one of your tires is x% lower than whatever the current registered value is - NOTE: It may be your spare tire causing a solid light! It's very easy to see if the spare has a TPMS sensor installed.

There's a VM (virtual machine image) of Techstream available for download online, it's running Windows XP, IIRC, possibly Win7.

You can install a hypervisor, like VirtualBox or VMware Player, load up that VM, and spin up that VM, but given the malicious nature of some folks, I wouldn't allow it access to resources on your system, and DO NOT allow it to have wifi/network access so Techstream can call-out to the internet.

There's a specific USB-to-OBDII adapter you'll need to let your computer link to the truck, can provide more detail if needed. You may need specific drivers for your computer to recognize the dongle properly.

You'll need to configure VirtualBox or VMware Player to allow the Techstream VM to access to the USB port to use that adapter to connect to your truck.

But before you go this route, you should know, you can buy temporary access (license?) to use the legit version of Techstream with your vehicle. I don't know much about costs, but have seen where folks on other forums wanted to do something specific in their vehicle that was only supported by Techstream, and were able to get daily and/or weekly and/or monthly access to Techstream. I'm assuming they too needed the USB-to-OBDII dongle with drivers for it to work. I wouldn't be surprised if this is something Toyota sells, but you can also find the cables online.

 

Weird, scAmazon shows me those don't fit my 2006 Tundra.

I ordered the same sensor P/N as @Griff04 and they worked great.

Then, when I got my 2nd wheelset, Discount installed the Continental sensors (REDI-sensors, see here for part number/info) and they were definitely compatible, quality name-brand sensors. At my request, they cloned the Continental sensors to the Denso sensor IDs, and I had two wheelsets with matching sensor IDs, so I could swap either set on/off and not have TPMS barking at me. The Continental sensors run around $24/ea on RockAuto so ~30% less than the Denso sensors.

To that "name brand" point, I must ask: Knowing you need to pay someone to change the sensor out and jump thru hoops to swap out the sensor, and the OEM Denso sensor has lasted 15-20 years, do you really expect a low-budget economy brand like "Marsflex" to last more than 5-6 years? Do you believe at that cost, they're using long-life batteries? I guess that's the gamble here. If you're paying $25/tire to have the sensor mounted and programmed, and you need to replace them all in 5 years, you're paying more for the budget brand.

Yes, I didn't enjoy paing $36/tire for my sensors versus $24 for all four sensors. But I know I won't be dicking with TPMS for another 15 years, so I'm good with that.

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I had Techstream working on an old Win7 machine that never connects to the internet. I have the Mini-VCI dongle (which works, or at least did when it all worked). The challenge was installing/configuring the Xhorse driver. Somewhere along the line I must have tried to upgrade the Techstream or something else, and it set everything back to vanilla <sigh>. Recently I had an ABS issue with another vehicle, so I tried to get my Techstream back on the road again. I spent several hours at a time trying to get it to run on this WIN7 laptop, then I blew it all away and downloaded the latest a greatest, but still no luck. Finally I busted out another spare laptop, but still no love. I'll try again with the VM version one day when I'm bored. It would be cool to have a link to a version that someone else has already installed with success.

I solved the ABS issue in the meantime (the problem apparently was that I had too much money!). It's not a Tundra story, so I won't tell it here.

I've since bought an Autel AL-619, which supports OBDII, as well as SRS and ABS. Seems like it will do almost everything I wanted Techstream for, except for things like TMPS and other esoteric settings, but I care not (I started driving nearly 60 years ago, so I learned how to check the tire pressure all by myself!).

 

@Griff04 and @w666

I pulled out my USB-to-OBDII cable a minute ago aso I could show you what it looks like. This was sent to me by a kind forum member who got a new, nicer, pro-shop-grade Autel scanner, IIRC. You can buy these on fleaBay and scAmazon all day long. They're nothing special. They typically come with a driver disc allowing you to load drivers into the Techstream VM. Or into your regular computer I guess, if you get the Techstream software legitimately, buying for a short period of time? Not sure about that last bit, don't quote me on that.

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Thanks Shifty!!!