Author Topic: Tyre pressure sensor woes.  (Read 3411 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline kwackboy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 6828
  • Bike: BMW F800GS Adventure, Honda CB500s
  • Location: Saaaafff London.
Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« on: December 05, 2017, 18:52:17 »
Earlier this year I bought a Kawasaki GTR1400 Knowing that they have  issues with tyre pressure sensors when the battery runs out .
After a few months of ownership the dash started warning me about a low battery in the rear sensor, bugger ..! Oh well , I did expect it.   :dl_smiley_banghead:
Now,  Kawasaki's stupid idea of complete replacement once the battery fails at a cost of over £150 can kiss my arse. :crazy:.
I can't believe Kawasaki didn't make it so you could just change the battery .. :crazy:

So, out comes the soldering iron and flux....  It's not as easy as it looks as it's so dam small.! and it's hard to take it apart without braking some of the casing but after a few attempts, some burnt fingers and plastic I managed to strip and rebuild it.
Just hope it works once I mount it to the rear wheel then , wait for the front sensor battery to run out ...  :bawl:.
Chief trouble maker 🙂

Offline UK_Vstrom650

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Jun 2012
  • Posts: 6580
  • Bike: DL650A L2
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2017, 19:53:38 »
What a pile of sh!te design by Kawasaki, but yay for you for having a go at fixing it  :lala:

One bloody battery = £150  :shock:  :crazy:

Offline kwackboy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 6828
  • Bike: BMW F800GS Adventure, Honda CB500s
  • Location: Saaaafff London.
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2017, 19:59:11 »
Joke, isn't it ..  ###
The battery was £2.50 and half hour of my time. Tyre has to come off again but it's worth the save if it works . ????????????
Chief trouble maker 🙂

Offline UK_Vstrom650

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Jun 2012
  • Posts: 6580
  • Bike: DL650A L2
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2017, 20:01:33 »
You should go in to business repairing them for GTR1400 owners for £75...   lol

Offline kwackboy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 6828
  • Bike: BMW F800GS Adventure, Honda CB500s
  • Location: Saaaafff London.
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2017, 20:06:34 »
I'm afraid GTR owners are quite rare ... Probably because of the tyre pressure sensors ..  lol
Chief trouble maker 🙂

Offline TLPower

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Sep 2013
  • Posts: 6100
  • Bike: ThunderBastard (KTM 1190 ADV)
  • Location: Doncaster
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2017, 05:32:39 »
 :clap: top man Kwackboy we'll make a Yorkshireman of you yet. I was reading a thread on a Volvo forum where a bloke had taken his V40 in for a service, the service team contacted him to tell him that his dustcaps were seized and he needed 2 tyres. They quoted him 2 grand including the tyres to change all 4  tpm sensors and recalibrate the ecu. I'll post a link later.
To be happy, I don't need private helicopters,a Florida house or a yacht. I'm fine with my motorcycle,a trip to a forest in Bavaria and some lunch money.

Walter Rohrl.

Offline Hugh Mungus

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 439
  • Bike: Fazer 1000
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2017, 08:19:37 »
Jeez. That is insane. What the heck were they thinking?

Offline kwackboy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 6828
  • Bike: BMW F800GS Adventure, Honda CB500s
  • Location: Saaaafff London.
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2017, 10:25:19 »
 :violence-smack: . ⬅️ this is what the designers need .
Chief trouble maker 🙂

Offline tallpaul

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Dec 2013
  • Posts: 10386
  • Tastier than the Barrow-in-Furness bus depot...
  • Bike: 2016 Yamaha XT1200ZE
  • Location: Whitworth, Lancashire
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2017, 11:58:02 »
They were thinking about how much money they could make swapping batteries...
Old enough to know better, but still too young to care...

Offline Andy M

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Apr 2012
  • Posts: 1565
  • Bike: Hurley-Pugh Empire Wildebeeste Manx Thruxton
  • Location: West Yorkshire
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2017, 18:32:15 »
:violence-smack: . ⬅️ this is what the designers need .

The designers are doing their job. Joe public will willingly pay a pound a can for syrupy water that cost tuppence a gallon. The cocaine they used to put in it helped set the trend. They can be made to think some catterwalling tart has "talent" because the people on TV introduced as experts say so. The £75 battery must be better as far the grest unwashed are concerned and after all its for their safety.  Its called sales. They are buying the warm feeling of knowing its done right.

The "ecu callibration" BTW consists of pointing a thing like a TV remote at the valve and waiting until the dashboard flashes. Another warm feeling sale.

No one scraps a £20000 car over a £2000 bill, so why do bargains? No one tells the car salesman "I love the sexy shape and exhaust note and poster of David Beckham in one, but you can shove it because of the LED headlight bulbs, I want H4's"

This repair may work, but if not done with skill will get water in from the condensation in the tyre. That's why we don't let the average grease monkey try it.  Given we sell warm feelings, its better not to let **** soldering ruin the atmosphere.

It gets better. From the early 2020's TPM will roll out as a required safety element on many vehicles. Its for your own good and helps with those who don't like the warm feeling.

Pass the bike catalogues, I can feel my Christmas bonus coming through  :xmas-smile:

We can all manage without many of the add on features every product grows over time. We all fall for the razor trick (cheap handle, new blades have a bit added on to cover the cost, after enough blades the seller is well in).  Don't blame the vehicle industry for selling you shiny things like everyone else does.

Andy

Offline kwackboy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 6828
  • Bike: BMW F800GS Adventure, Honda CB500s
  • Location: Saaaafff London.
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #10 on: December 09, 2017, 14:59:43 »
Looks like I spoke to soon  :groan:, rode my GTR to work this morning in order to fit my rear sensor and now the front one showing low battery ....   :dl_smiley_banghead::dl_smiley_banghead:

On the upside the rear one is now fitted and working so it should be a formality replacing the front sensor battery . This is for Kawasaki ..????????
Chief trouble maker 🙂

Offline Brockett

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 8348
  • Bike: 2022 Moto Guzzi 850 V7 special in blue, 2022 850 V7 Stone in darkest black, 1998 XJ600n in red
  • Location: Tendring in the Far North East (of Essex)
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #11 on: December 09, 2017, 15:57:41 »
I have pressure sensors in the wheels on my Honda Jazz (the slug). I wonder if they will go the same way?  They are quite sensitive and give a warning when the pressure is only slightly low. I hope they don't inhibit normal driving when ignored :angry-tappingfoot: I'll have to go and read the manual now although I suspect the only advice offered is "take to your Honda approved repair shop".
This doesn't last forever, so do it while you can.

Offline kwackboy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 6828
  • Bike: BMW F800GS Adventure, Honda CB500s
  • Location: Saaaafff London.
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #12 on: December 09, 2017, 17:38:36 »
I found this info if it's any help to you ..

"On Jazz and Civic in UK they work from ABS sensors on each wheel - as the pressure drops in a tyre the apparent radius of the wheel decreases (distance from centre of axle to ground gets less because of 'flat spot' at bottom of tyre where it touches the road) and the speed of rotation increases slightly.  system monitors all 4 wheels and looks for a difference in rate of pulses arriving from each wheel.

It is very accurate as I have had to reset mine when I had two new tyres fitted to car. 

look in the handbook under 'multi information display' and it will tell you how to reset it if you need to because of new tyres etc.

The only slight disappointment with the system is that it does not tell  you which wheel is detected as being suspect"

Chief trouble maker 🙂

Offline Brockett

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 8348
  • Bike: 2022 Moto Guzzi 850 V7 special in blue, 2022 850 V7 Stone in darkest black, 1998 XJ600n in red
  • Location: Tendring in the Far North East (of Essex)
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #13 on: December 09, 2017, 18:28:29 »
Thanks for that info Kwackboy.
When the alarm on the dash pops up it merely warns of low pressure and it is prudent to pull over where it is safe and check all tyres. One tyre was 2lb less than the others. The jazz saves weight by not having a spare wheel, but supplies a bottle of puncture 'goo' and a very good electric pump. My fault for not checking tyre pressures weekly as autumn turned to winter.
This doesn't last forever, so do it while you can.

Offline Hugh Mungus

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 439
  • Bike: Fazer 1000
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #14 on: December 10, 2017, 20:10:19 »
We had to buy a spare wheel as an "extra" when we bought a new Dacia Duster - I think it was £150 for something I hope to never use. The other option was a tin of goo.

kwackboy - it was inevitable that the other one would be flat soon. At least you know what to do.

Offline kwackboy

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Feb 2014
  • Posts: 6828
  • Bike: BMW F800GS Adventure, Honda CB500s
  • Location: Saaaafff London.
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #15 on: December 10, 2017, 20:35:17 »
Indeed.... I've already got the front one and fixed it , done a better job this time as I've had practice ..  :icon_wink:
Just awaiting time at work to reinstall it. 
Chief trouble maker 🙂

Offline Asmith61

  • Member
  • ***
  • Joined: Sep 2015
  • Posts: 4684
  • Bike: DL1000 K7, 2011 B-King 1300 , 1999 Triumph 1200 Trophy 2023 Harley Nightster 975
  • Location: Essex
Re: Tyre pressure sensor woes.
« Reply #16 on: December 10, 2017, 21:02:50 »
Well done  lol lol :thumb: