Low Tire Pressure?

[cougar214]

Hey guys. I just have a quick question. I have the 98 Intrique with the low tire pressure warning system in it. The thing is, When my tires are low I get no warning light. I know I have this system because I have the light on the dash and the breaker for it in the fuse panel.

This isn't a high priority thing and I never really payed any attention to it before but over the last week I have been thinking about it since I aired up my front tires again. My front passenger tire had only 15 psi in it. Shouldn't this system have told me it was that low?....lol.

[dosintrigued]

I've also noticed that system does not seem to work. Check the tires regularly, especially now since it is getting cold!

[carbon02]

Some of GM's early attempts at tire pressure monitoring have involved using the rotational speed of the front wheel bearings and comparing that with a calculated vehicle speed.
I think the theory here is if the tire is low on air, the diameter of the tire is less than a full tire, causing the tire to rotate at a different speed than it's soposed to.

In this design there is no pressure sensor in each tire rim. Not sure with the Intrigue, but many of the early 2000-2005 Bonnevilles had this design.

In the 2005 Bonneville this has been a signficant issue, and while reading the service manuals it mentioned that the system needed to be calibrated by holding in a reset button on the diagnosics cluster. Which the Intrigues don't specifically have.

I wouldn't be supprised if there's no pressure sensor in the tires, and that there's some attempt at identifying a flat based on rotational speed.

[cougar214]

I know my service manual for this car mentions nothing about this system. It tells you the basics of airing up the tires, rotating them, etc. But says nothing about the low tire pressure monitoring system.

Not that it really matters because I"m getting ready to sell this thing anyway to get something newer. I'm tired of old cars. Old cars = old problems.

[LittleHoov]

Ive never heard of the Intrigue having this system either, perhaps it was part of the Autobahn package?

Your Intrigue will probably treat you better than a lot of cars on the road would, a few quirks here and there, but overall theyre good cars.

New Cars= More Expensive problems + Monthly Payments + Higher Insurance Premiums

Id be willing to bet that your new car will still get a low tire once in a while

Aluminum wheels tend to lose air more easily than their steel cousins, which is probably why your tire is a little low.

[Tobey]

Haven't heard of many Intrigues with TPMS, I think it was more popular in Canada. It works exactly the way Carbon02 described. You have to reset the system occasionally while the tires are properly inflated, otherwise it won't be accurate. There's probably some ritual you have to perform to do this, because I don't think there's a reset button.

[cougar214]

Tobey I wish my camera was still working, I'd take a pic of the breaker in my fuse panel for you to see. It is there....lol. LittleHoov, I'm not going to buy a "NEW" car. I want to get an 04 maybe an 05. Something that is in good working order. Specially the tranny. I have come to this decision because I contacted Macco and they want between $2500 and $3000 to rebuild my tranny in this. The whole car is only worth $2000. That's an investment that isn't swinging in my favor.

[cougar214]

I found this on the net,

Set all tires to the manufacturer's recommended pressure.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON position, engine OFF.
Press the RESET button and release. The CHANGE OIL indicator will start flashing.
Press and release the RESET button again. The CHANGE OIL indicator will turn OFF and the CHECK TIRE PRESSURE (Pontiac) or LOW TIRE PRESSURE (Oldsmobile) indicator will start flashing.
While the CHECK TIRE PRESSURE (Pontiac) or LOW TIRE PRESSURE (Oldsmobile) indicator is flashing, press and hold the RESET button until the chime sounds.
The system completes the procedure by going through a relearn process while the customer drives the vehicle.
It takes 15 to 20 minutes to learn tire pressures in each of 3 speed ranges (15-40 MPH, 40-65 MPH, above 65 MPH). After about 60 minutes of driving across all speed ranges, the system will alert the driver if a tire is 12 psi different from the other 3 tires for 2-8 minutes.
Detection thresholds may be higher and detection times may be longer on rough roads, curves and at high speeds. The system is not capable of detection at speeds greater than 75 MPH.


Needles to say, This did not work for me. The "change oil" light comes on and stays on. It does not flash, And the "low tire pressure" light does not come on either. My "Low coolant" light comes on. So I have no idea if this is the correct procedure for this car or not.

[cleong]

Not sure if this is accurate but I remember reading back when i was looking to buy the Intrigue that there is no TPMS at least on the 99. There is a light on the dash but the system was not implemented beacuse it was not reliable. GM left the light on the instrument panel but it was never supposed to light up. Again I can't remember where I read this.