TPMS sensor repair?
 

I've currently got all my sensors laying in bits on my missus coffee table.
I actually do no know if any of them work, as I haven't been able to test them.
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...922/aSzYRl.jpg

The reason I've dismantled them is partly curiosity, and partly as I wished to check all the soldering, as well as the issues mentioned in these articles:

http://www.zr1netregistry.com/Information/TechNet/EngineDrivetrain/Drivetrain/tabid/138/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/102/categoryId/33/Low-Tire-Pressure-Sensor-LTPS.aspx

http://www.zr1netregistry.com/Information/TechNet/EngineDrivetrain/Drivetrain/tabid/138/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/103/categoryId/33/Low-Tire-Pressure-Sensor-LTPS-Revisited.aspx

I did however not wish to re-assemble without replacing the capacitor, but I am not comfortable enough in the world of electronics to decide exactly which to buy.
The current one is specified as a 22uF 25V 80°C (Axial, through hole type?)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...923/ADzYu2.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...924/7g2bOR.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...923/kpXszR.jpg
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640...923/Dw1Hac.jpg

Any hints on where to find a replacement?

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

Amazon probably

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

I'd probably find it on Amazon if I knew exactly what to search for. :)

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

Would have been cheaper and easier just to hook up scantool and check voltages, wouldn't it?

Edit: Sorry read this as TPS. Having said that, did u check for bulb in DIC and then let air out of tires?

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

Mouser.com

Hopefully, this link will work

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...ir8ULxCPfAc%3d


Bill

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

Thanks Bill. I'll try to order a few of those.

Xfire,
It doesn't really matter if any of them work or not. The condensators are old and due for replacement. I'll have to unsolder the piezo element anyway to reattach it properly. That being said, I'm not really expecting any of them to work when I'm done, so anything more than that would be a bonus.

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

S.hafsmo,

Thanks. For those of us that upgrade to other wheels/tires, the TPMS functioning is a non-issue. Of course there is always the tire gauge.

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

I have replaced the capacitors on the sensors several times and it has never repaired one. Every time I have repaired a sensor the problem has been with the piezo electric generator. Unfortunately they are not available as repair parts. I look for sensors that have been damaged by tire dismounting and I harvest the generator if it is intact.

There is an article in the NetRegistry Heart of the Beast publication #42 that has all of the details on how to test the voltage output of the piezo generator.

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

Thanks Mark.
I'll see if I can find the publication you mention.
Regarding the generator I wouldn't even know what to search for. The one on the sensor does not really specify much detail. Surely today one should be able to find a more compact and solid unit to put in it's place. I assume Epic Tech. no longer exist in it's 1986 form?

Edit:
Maybe one could ask Daniel S. Snyder, the inventor.

http://www.google.com/patents/US4510484

Re: TPMS sensor repair?
 

The biggest issue I had with mine was the intermittent loss of communication of the system to one tire every now and then...that and the inevitability of the tire shop to bust your 27 year old plastic housing.

I did have successful alerts for low pressure, but the on and off with the 'ltpws' light just made me throw the rears in a box during a recent tire swap. I do have a very expensive and dense epoxy that I think could fix a cracked housing, but it just seems like a lot of trouble. I don't like the giant counter weight on a giant hose clamp idea anyhow.