tire pressure monitor question

[mjtr21]

I have a 99 Grand AM GT and i was looking at new tires. I saw the Traction T/A and i liked them. but my question is when i change the tires, do they need to take anything off for the TPM system? where are the sensors located for the system?

[xeroinfinity]

i dont thinks this is an option, i've never seen anything in the diagrams i have. Plus I've had several flats and no indicator lights were present.

[mjtr21]

well i think your GT has one. it looks the same as mine same color greenish. it even shows it in the car manual. you should have a light on the instrument panel that say CHECK TIRE PRESS. its on the same part as the speedometer and its the very last one on the right. i can try taking a picture and show you. ive had it come on a few times and it does work pretty good. i dont think it could immediately tell you when you get a flat though. it senses when one wheel is a certain amount lower psi than the others. but what i needed to know is if i need to change the sensors to the new tires.

[Hungrycat7]

Wow that is news to me! If my GT has these they do not work anyway! I have to pump up one of my front tires every other day and I have never had a warning light.

[xeroinfinity]

I know exactly where the indicator light is on the cluster but I have never seen them lit on any 99-05 grand ams.

I wanna see a pic of the indicator lit, let some air out and take a pic please .

I know Grand Prixs have had them since 95-96 and they do work.

yeah the right front on my GT did go low regularly, no holes I could find, so I slimed it good and it hasnt leaked since.
I am thinking its the rims bead area where it leaks...

[mjtr21]

okay well i let a few pounds of air out and i got the light to come on. ill post the picture on somehow lol...

[mjtr21]

[xeroinfinity]

If you dont take the tires off right the first time they are removed, you'll break the monitor and then it doesnt work, neither of my GA's have ever had them, dealer probly took them out and resold them.

Also mjtr21, please resixe that pic to 800x600.

[corem]

Most Gm tire pressure lights work off of the wheel speed sensor. They read wheel speed every second and when one get to far from the rest the comes on. I have spent lots of time fixing these at dealerships. But if you change tires there is nothing that needs changed. They just have to be careful not to break them if in wheels.

[xeroinfinity]

Well if they work off the speed sensors then mine should work, but thiers no TPM on/in my rims.
They do sell a tool to keep the sensor in place while removing the tires.

[J-Ri]

They do go off the wheel speed sensors, but the tire has to get pretty low (to the point of the driver noticing it before the computer does) before there's a significant difference in wheel speed.

A tool!? All you need to know about the sensors is this: "first off, last on". To remove the tire from the rim, turn the tire machine to where the bar slides in directly in front of the sensor. Pop the bead off the rim and press the "rotate" pedal until the outter bead is off. Turn the machine back the where you will be puting the bar in directly to the outside of the sensor, and pop the inner bead off. To go back on, position the tire over the rim so that the tire will pop back over the rim at the sensor last. I've done dozens of tires with sensors and never broken one.

Of course, with the old tires machines, this is not possible, but any of this type of machine should work: