Have you recently done a wheel and tire upgrade, only to find the TPMS not to be working anymore? Are you getting alerts that some tires aren’t working anymore? Have you been to the dealerships to have it checked out, only to find the TPMS error to reappear a few minutes from driving from the dealership?
If your Jeep TPMS sensor does not read after doing a tire swap, have the tire sensors and module reset at your dealership or any reputable tire shop. Also, make sure the shop that did the tire upgrade replaced the TPMS sensors and didn’t replace them with regular valve stems.
If you are 100% sure the valves have not been replaced with regular ones, you need to simply drive the Jeep for 10 minutes at a constant speed, to allow the sensors to relearn the tire pressure. Pay little attention to the actual readings for now since these will fluctuate a bit during driving and stationary resting numbers.
You need to also determine if the problem lies with a sensor or with the TPMS module. You can do a simple tire rotation to determine where exactly the problem lies. More about that later.
Let’s first look at a few real-world owner experiences before we investigate any possible causes and solutions. Later we will look at the possibility of manually resetting the TPMS module.
Table of Contents
Jeep Wrangler TPMS Sensor Not Reading
User Experiences
User Experience 1
I have method 105 beadlocks with a fairly decent offset at -38mm. Stock sensors installed on them.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/tpms-issues-with-aftermarket-wheels-am-i-alone.9097/
Some TPMS sensors randomly stop registering for a handful of miles then they fire back up fine.
Its mainly my front left. But other have randomly stopped reading as well.
I was thinking it might possibly the large offset compared to stock wheels? Pushing the sensors a bit further away from the readers?
User Experience #2
I got my JLUR at the beginning of May. I took weeks to choose new wheels. Decided to keep my stock 33s since this whole little “makeover” was adding up by the hundreds. I overpaid by A LOT (probably almost double what I could have ordered them for myself) to get the wheels from the dealer who claimed to the be best Jeep mod shop in town and they would make sure that everything would sync up and work like brand new.
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/tpms-sensors-not-working-after-new-fuel-wheels.10932/
Since its is a brand new jeep, I wasn’t inclined to have someone else screw things up. They ordered my wheels and told me I needed new TPMS sensors, apparently, I didn’t have a choice, I couldn’t keep or reuse the old ones. So, then I paid another $726 for new sensors.
Wheels go on, and they look great! But, immediately after leaving the lot, I call the dealer svc mgr back to tell him, “hey, my sensors don’t work. I’m getting messages that some tires aren’t reading.”
I bring it in, they check that I do have pressure (which I already checked) and tell me to bring it back in during the week so the tech who worked on it can adjust the sensor. Fast forward a week. Now, after two more visits to the dealership and two adjustments, it went back in today for them to replace “the module”.
Not 3 minutes off their lot, the sensors are still not working! I’ve been to the dealership four times for this.
Symptoms
The TPMS uses wireless technology with sensors mounted on the wheel rims. These are used to monitor tire pressure levels. These wheel valve stem sensors transmit tire pressure readings to the receiver module. If that is not happening, you will experience any of the below symptoms.
- System shows reading is unavailable
- Alert light remains on
- Readings signals are intermittent
- Not receiving signals on all 4 wheels
Solutions
The Wrangler Tire Pressure Monitor System is designed to alert the driver when tire pressures drop below the recommended tire pressure as stated on the vehicle’s cold placard pressure. If this is not happening you need to inspect the sensors or have the TPMS module reprogrammed to relearn the sensor information.
Dealership Reprogram
Try and resolve this as quickly as possible by visiting your local dealership to have the TPMS module scanned and possibly reprogrammed, and all-wheel sensors tested. They have a portable device to do this without physically having to remove any wheels. A decent dealership shouldn’t charge you for a simple scan. Reprogramming each sensor will be charged for.
Sensor Replacement
The tire pressure should vary with external temperature by roughly 1 psi (7 kPa) for every 12°F (6.5°C). This means that when the outside ambient temperature decreases, the tire pressure will decrease. Tire pressure should always be set based on cold inflation tire pressure.
Tire pressure should always be set based on cold inflation tire pressure
The tire pressure is determined after the vehicle has been parked for a minimum of three hours. Alternative if the vehicle has been driven less than 1 mile (1.6 km) after a three-hour period.
If you managed to determine one or more of your sensors are defective, replace them with a genuine OEM part. Aftermarket sensors have proven to be more unreliable. There are 3 sensors located on the chassis that manage the 4x TPMS sensors on each wheel. Your spare tire sensor is inactive until it is replaced by one of the wheels.
The replacement part number is OEM:433 – Schrader 20398.
Low-Pressure Warning Limit
If the tire pressure drops below the low tire pressure warning limit, the driver will be alerted. Low External temperatures will trigger the alert as well as a deflated tire. The onboard alert will continue until the tire pressure is at or above the recommended cold placard pressure. When your Tire Pressure Monitoring System Warning Light appears, you need to increase the tire pressure immediately to the recommended Cold placard pressure before the TPMS Light disappears.
Module Replacement
The TPMS system is quite intelligent and can determine all the required info from the 3 chassis sensors. The WCM (Wireless Control Module) receives the info from the sensors, which is then relayed to the driver onboard. The alert warning on the dashboard cluster will remain eliminated until the tire is inflated to the placard pressure. All this information is processed within seconds of the vehicle driving and all is done automatically.
Disconnecting the Battery to Reset
Owners have attempted to reset the TPMS monitoring system by disconnecting the battery. If you disconnect the negative battery terminal for 5 minutes – all electronic modules and capacitors lose their memory. This is not only applicable to your TPMS system but every electronic circuit on your vehicle. This practice will also erase onboard error messages.
Wheel Rotation
As a process of elimination exercise, you can have the wheel with the faulty signals rotated with a wheel that has a good signal. If that same wheel is still giving problems at the new location, you’ve identified the wheel valve sensor to be faulty. Alternatively, if you’ve rotated wheels and the wheel that was behaving, now gives problems where the previous wheel did, you can safely conclude, that you have a faulty chassis sensor.
Removing the TPMS Completely
Another option, which is not supported or endorsed by your owner’s manual, is to completely remove the TPMS from the valves and replace them with regular valves. Use a TPMS programmer to switch off the TPMS system.
Jeep Wrangler TPMS Module Location
The Jeep Wrangler TPMS wireless receiver is located on the chassis cross member. The receiver gets its information from the dual-axis accelerometer in the wheel sensors. This is used to determine the front and rear position through its signal strength. These are highly sophisticated sensors and should only be replaced by genuine OEM sensors. Avoid the cheap versions.
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- Jeep Wrangler Hard-Top to Soft-Top Conversion [HOW TO GUIDE]
Resources
Replacement OEM Sensor (Schrader 20398 433mhz.)
Wrangler TPMS Calibration Module
Tire Pressure Gauge (Highly Recommended)
Jeep Wrangler Flashcal Programmer
Download your FREE DIY Troubleshooting Handbook Now
Conclusion
When you adjust the tire pressure, you’ll need to drive the vehicle for up to 20 minutes at speeds above 15mph (24km/h). This is necessary for the TPMS to receive the updated information.
The TPMS has been specifically optimized to function only with the original tires and wheels. TPMS pressures and warnings have been established for the tire size equipped on your vehicle.
The TPM sensor is not designed to operate optimally with aftermarket wheels. This may result in poor overall system performance.