Little help with TPMS trigger device please?

[Perry]

Okay, so I received on Wednesday my winter wheel/tire set from Tire Rack, along with a FordTrigger TPMS device to reset the system or whatnot. Didn't have opportunity to swap wheels until today. I drove to the local gas station, filled up with gas and topped off the air in the tires, then, after driving around a bit, and having the TPMS warning light come on, did what I thought I was supposed to do with the FordTrigger device--I stopped, leaving the car running, and placed the FordTrigger device against the wheel at the sensor position, with the arrow on the device pointed at the valve stem, and pushed the button. The red LED lit up, and I held the button until it went out. For each tire, that was a few seconds. The TPMS warning light was still on, and so I turned the car off and then on again. The light flashed for about 30 sec to a minute or so after starting, then went solid and remained so.

I was under the impression that this was the sort of thing even the brain dead could pull off. But, either it's not so easy or I'm beyond help in the neuronal division.

So: tips, hints, suggestions? Am I an idiot?--no, wait, don't answer that. Let's try this: Do I need professional help?

 

[Harvick]

Your process seems to vary from the directions a little bit. In the second portion for "Push-Button" it states to leave the ignition button OFF before pressing and releasing the brake pedal.

http://www.tpmsdirect.com/FORDTRIGGER_TPMS_Instructions_a/729.htm

When new sensors are installed, they must be registered using a FORDTRIGGER TPMS triggering tool.

1. Make sure all tires are inflated to vehicle specifications.
2. Turn the ignition switch to OFF then press and release the brake pedal.
3. Turn the ignition switch from OFF to RUN (engine OFF) 3 times, ending in the RUN position. Do this within 10 seconds.
4. Press and release brake pedal
5. Turn the ignition switch back to OFF.
6. Turn the ignition switch from OFF to RUN (engine OFF) 3 times, ending in the RUN position. Do this within 10 seconds.
7. The horn should sound letting you know the vehicle has entered into TPMS relearn mode.
8. Place the top of the FORDTRIGGER on the sidewall of the driver's side front tire in the location of the valve stem.
9. Press the button of the FORDTRIGGER tool. The vehicle's horn will sound letting you know the sensor has learned.
10. Once the horn sounds, move on to the passenger side front tire and repeat the process. Each tire should only take 30 seconds or less.
11. After the passenger side front tire has been learned, continue on to the passenger side rear tire and finishing with the driver's side rear tire.
12. You may now turn the ignition to OFF. If the horn does not sound, the sensors were learned successfully. If the horn sounds twice, then the process must be repeated because there was a malfunction.​

If your vehicle has push-button ignition:

1. Make sure all tires are inflated to the vehicle specifications.
2. Make sure ignition button is OFF then press and release the brake pedal.
3. Hold the ignition button down for 2 seconds, release it, and then tap the button once. The vehicle should be OFF. Hold the ignition button down for another two seconds, release it, and then tap the button once.
4. Hold the ignition button down for two seconds again. The vehicle should be in RUN mode, engine off.
5. Press and release the brake pedal.
6. Tap the ignition button once so the vehicle is OFF.
7. Hold the ignition button down for 2 seconds, release it, and then tap the button once. The vehicle should be OFF. Hold the ignition button down for another two seconds, release it, and then tap the button once.
8. Hold the ignition button down for two seconds again. The vehicle should be in RUN mode, engine off.
9. The horn should sound letting you know the vehicle has entered into TPMS relearn mode.
10. Place the top of the FORDTRIGGER on the sidewall of the driver's side front tire in the location of the valve stem.
11. Press the button of the FORDTRIGGER tool. The vehicle's horn will sound letting you know the sensor has been learned.
12. Once the horn sounds, move on to the passenger side front tire and repeat the process. Each tire should only take 30 seconds or less.
13. After the passenger side front tire has been learned, continue on to the passenger side rear tire and finishing with the driver's side rear tire.
14. You may now turn the ignition to OFF. If the horn does not sound, the sensors were learned successfully. If the horn sound twice, then the process must be repeated because there was a malfunction.​

 

[Perry]

Yowza. I think now that I see this, Harvick, that I saw something like this previously, perhaps even on here. If so, thanks for reposting. I'm now walking to the printer . . . and . . . no ink. Dangit. I'll give this a shot in the AM when I can print out the process, etc. Muchas gracias, amigo. In my defense, this is just a tad more complicated than I'd been led to believe by another source. But thanks again.

 

[Harvick]

Glad I can help, thanks for the rep point.

 

[Perry]

Glad I can help, thanks for the rep point.

You earned it, dude. I might have to take off my shoes and socks to do all the counting and such, but I'm sure I can get it done now.

 

[STooge]

lol. Good job Harvick. Good help

 

[Perry]

A final bit on this that may prove helpful to some with similar experience levels to my own regarding this sort of thing: I followed the details given by Harvick above to the letter (I wasn't kidding about printing the instructions!), only to fail in getting the vehicle to enter the TPMS Relearn mode (signified by a horn honk at the appropriate time in step 9). So I tried again, and again, carefully, slowly, methodically plodding my way through the details. Nuttin'. Finally, I came up with the bright idea that maybe I was doing it all too carefully, slowly, and methodically. Emphasis on slowly. I repeated the whole thing, proceeding through it without significant pause, as if I knew what I was doing and couldn't possibly lose count of how many times I'd held the button down for two seconds or whatnot. Worked like a charm. Honks and cheers all 'round. So, the tip here--don't lolligag. Git 'r done.

 

[scottiemac]

I bought my wheels and tires from TR plus the little trigger device. Put the wheels on at about 25km and now at over 200km and still haven't seen a TPMS warning. A bit confused.

 

[Perry]

scottie--Did you use the Ford Trigger device to activate 'em? Or are you just particularly blessed? But here's another reason, as I understand things: If you park near the original set of tires with sensors in place, and don't drive more than about 20 minutes getting to/from wherever you go, you many not be activating the TPMS to "see" that it's not receiving appropriate signals. The sensors on the vehicle, if they've not been "learned" by the vehicle, won't be read by the TPMS. However, the start-up near the "known" sensors will keep the TPMS happy, at least for a while.

 

[rodmoe]

scottie--Did you use the Ford Trigger device to activate 'em? Or are you just particularly blessed? But here's another reason, as I understand things: If you park near the original set of tires with sensors in place, and don't drive more than about 20 minutes getting to/from wherever you go, you many not be activating the TPMS to "see" that it's not receiving appropriate signals. The sensors on the vehicle, if they've not been "learned" by the vehicle, won't be read by the TPMS. However, the start-up near the "known" sensors will keep the TPMS happy, at least for a while.

I can attest to this being true as it is what i am doing this winter ..

 

[scottiemac]

scottie--Did you use the Ford Trigger device to activate 'em? Or are you just particularly blessed? But here's another reason, as I understand things: If you park near the original set of tires with sensors in place, and don't drive more than about 20 minutes getting to/from wherever you go, you many not be activating the TPMS to "see" that it's not receiving appropriate signals. The sensors on the vehicle, if they've not been "learned" by the vehicle, won't be read by the TPMS. However, the start-up near the "known" sensors will keep the TPMS happy, at least for a while.

Interesting. When I installed them I never used the trigger device. I just drove it and was waiting for the alarm to show before I went through the process. The car is typically parked at home either right beside the stack of stock wheels or within about 25 to 30 feet of them. My trip to work is about 15 minutes. I just haven't had the time to take it for any longer drives. Thanks for the info Rodmoe - much appreciated.

 

[rodmoe]

Glad to help Though the first time mine went off it did cause me to go .. Do i need to pull over and check then i remembered i didn't have any sensors to warm me LOL

 

[scottiemac]

I think they said in the instructions that you had to drive around for about 20 to 30 minutes to trigger the sensor and so far none of my drives have been for that long. Sometimes I wonder if these things haven't got bigger brains than I do. Thanks also to Perry as the OP of the clue.
Cheers

 

[Perry]

Hey, another mystery solved! You're welcome, scottie. Glad to be of service. Esp. since I'm usually the one asking the questions, it seems.

 

[FineTooned]

Why would Ford make this such a convoluted process with a magic button and doing the hokey pokey with the ignition button and all? In my three year old MINI, I just selected the TPMS Reset option in the car's settings menu and then drive off. Done.

Ford's process is ridiculous.

 

[Harvick]

haha I agree, I figure with the high tech Sync system there should be a button to easily reset the TPMS.

 

[jariten]

For whatever reason, when swapping back to summers, it took two solid weeks of daily driving before the sensor triggered allowing me to retrain it.

 

[Perry]

It's an exercise in absurdity, that's for sure. Why it (and many similar things, like, oh, I dunno, oil change reset?) can't simply be on a service menu in the MFT/SYNC completely escapes me.