Tire Pressure Monitor?

[Ray D]

I read about Pressure Pro tire monitoring systems on this forum, and thought, "Wow! I need that!" I was well on the way, looking for the most economical site when I posted another, somewhat related, thread. In the course of that thread, my attention was directed to the switches and displays, on the instrument panel.

Thanks, by the way, for all the help there.

So, here we go. On the instrument panel, when I turn the ignition on, there are a bunch of symbols displayed, briefly. Then, all but the symbols appropriate to the circumstances go out. Pretty normal for a display.

One of the displayed symbols is a cutaway of a tire with an exclamation point inside. The manual says it is "Tire Pressure Monitoring." If I have "tire pressure monitoring," I don't need another expensive system.

I asked the dealer rep if I had the system or if all instrument panels display that and only some actually have it. After telling me I probably have inoperable  switches, he said I probably did have the pressure system, and that the symbol would only light, if I had a problem. But, he suggested I have a tire dealer check it out. He said I should check with a gauge, at intervals, whether I had a system or not.

Been dealing with a truck tire center for a very long time, and wanted an alignment, anyway, so went there, yesterday. He didn't know. Nobody else, there, knew either. He said he could take the tires off, and check but might not know what he was looking at since they rarely see trucks or RVs with monitoring systems and never service them. He advised me to check at intervals with a gauge, anyway.

Apparently, there aren't many people around here that use continuous monitoring systems. This is Boise, Idaho, a great place to visit for people who want to see living history. As the rest of the world gets going in the 21rst Century, we are just making it into the 20th Century. It's pretty interesting.

Not a word about it, beyond the description of the symbol, in any of my manuals. Puzzling! The manuals are not specific to my unit. They describe a lot of units. I would think that would be in there, somewhere!

So, how do I know if I have a system onboard, already? Haven't had a flat, nor an indication. I could let some air out of a tire and see if I get an indication, but don't think that's a good idea. It might not register, sitting, and I don't want to drive on an underinflated tire.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Ray D.

 

[Karl]

RayD,

You forgot to mention some important details like: What kind of rig is it, how new, does it have leveling jacks, does the light stay on...etc. If you have a class "A" with leveling jacks, all you need to do is use the jacks to get most of the weight off the tires, then let some air out of one of them. If you have it, the light should come on. Refill to the proper air pressure and the light should go out. Simple, BUT that doesn't tell you what the 'trip point' is for a low pressure warning. I personally have not seen any factory-installed monitoring systems, but that doesn't mean there are none. If it was user-installed, there should be some manual or other paperwork for it.

 

[John From Detroit]

The only ones who can tell you for sure if your rig as a bulit in TPMS and how it works and how good it is will be the manafacturer, might have to be the chassis manafacturer

There are several TPMS systems.  One uses anti-lock sensors to measure the rotational speed of each wheel, If one wheel is turning a lot faster than the others,,, Good chance it's low on air

Others, like the Pressure Pro, measure pressure.

Of course I'm not sure how good the first type woudl be on duals

And here is the biggie:

NOT ONE OF THE FACTORY SYSTEMS MONITOR THE TOWED VEHICLE

Pressure Pro, Smart Tire and another I saw at the GLASS rally, all mointor all the wheels you have, Heck, you can even mointor your spares if you wish, they are that flexable

 

[Ray D]

Karl: It's an 05 Damon Challenger, 36' with leveling jacks. The light does not stay on. May have to let some air out, but going to try to contac Damon, first.Thank you.

John: On your 05 Damon Intruder, do you have that light on your display? I think our units have a lot in common. Thanks.

Had to go shopping, today, and found myself close to the RV Dealer. Needed something there, and decided to get it, since I was close. Saw a new 4 slide Monaco in the show room, and couldn't resist a walk-thru. Wow! Price? Wow, again!

As usual, my salesman saw me and came over. In the course of the conversation I mentioned the tire monitor light. Like the "walk thru" service rep, he said I probably have the system. You can't always count on salesmen telling you all they know, but you can usually count on them knowing a lot, if they last long enough to make a living in sales. I asked more.

He sez:

The government is requiring pressure monitoring systems on all units, starting in 08 or 09. He wasn't sure which. He thinks they started coming out on luxury units in 04. He said most luxury units he sees, now, have them. And, a lot of units in the mid price range also have them. (I think I remember a news article about that.)

He described the same systems as John did, in his post, and made the same observations. He suggested a method for letting the air out, to check - - and that I should do that near an air-hose, for reinflation. Reinflation to wait for the tires to cool down, an hour or so. He recommended that I contact Damon with my Veh-ID-#, instead.

He thinks I have the whole system because:
All Vortec Workhorses have the same instrument cluster. The cluster lights come on when the key is turned on, as the computer checks the system. Then, they go out, except for those notifying the driver of current issues, such as the parking brake - and the engine if you turned the ignition but did not start the engine. Optional symbols that are not "activated" do not light in the check out period. Only active systems do that. My light comes on because I have an active system.

Not, apparently, sure of that, he recommended contacting Damon, who should have that on record.

On the types of systems: he said about the system that monitors the anti-lock brakes, that if one of the duals is flat it does affect the rotational speed of both duals on that side and activates the warning light. One low pressure tire is all it takes.

Still doesn't monitor the toad.

Ray D.

 

[BernieD]

Ray

I feel fairly comfortable saying that the Challenger doesn't have a TPMS. Even if it did, it would not include pressure levels on your coach's tires nor any information on your toad. I bought my system because I was very concerned about my toad, there isn't any way you can be warned about a problem without a TPMS

 

[John From Detroit]

It is possible I have the light, but I don't have factory TPMS (When I was visiting DAMON I had a problem with the insturment cluster, so I got a new one, no charge, (warranty don't you know)

 

[Ray D]

I got an answer back from Damon. My unit has the light, only. It does not have the pressure monitor.

Back to the drawing board - and  the check book, I suppose.

Ray D.

 

[Tom]

Ray,

Click here for a possible source of supply for the PressurePro.

 

[John From Detroit]

I got an answer back from Damon. My unit has the light, only. It does not have the pressure monitor.

Back to the drawing board - and  the check book, I suppose.

Ray D.

I checked,,, I do indeed have the light.. But like you no sensors, other than the P-Pros from Bernie

Now those work great, and what's more, though they have never alerted me to something that needs attention on the motor home they have discovered at least 2 screws and a bead leak on the towed vehicle.  Since the Lumina was in tow at the time and a un-discovered flat could cause over a thousand in damage even if there is no fire I'd call that one good bargain

 

[Jeff]

PP has alerted me to two slow leaks,on our Toad, one while driving on a long trip last summer that I am sure would have remained undetected until the tire went flat, the other an overnight leak that had the tire down to 18 pounds.

Greatest security blanket I have purchased.