BEZ06

I happened to have access to 3 different types of tools used to work with tire sensors. I had previously posted a video of the use of one of the tools, but the video was taken with my digital camera and the resolution was lousy. I recently got a new little digital video camera and thought I'd try it out. The resolution is much better, but my camera work is still lousy, and the close up focusing is still not good, but I hope these might help somebody who is considering getting a tool to decide which type they might prefer and how to use it with the C6.

These videos were taken strictly for informational purposes to show the features of these 3 different tools.

The first video shows the 3 tools and discusses their features, particularly their diagnostic capability to check a sensor for proper operation.

The 3 other videos are of putting the car in the learn mode and actually using each of the tools to "excite" the sensors to "register" them with the TPMS computer in the car, as you would do after swapping wheels for the track or when you put new sensors in a set of new tires. The process is virtually identical for each tool, but the indications you get on the Kent-Moore and TIPS tools are different, and the OTC tool takes a rather long time (about 12 to 15 seconds) at each wheel for it to excite the sensor.

The simplest tool is an OTC tool similar to the simple Bartec tool, and has no real diagnostic capability at all. You can't do anything with it unless the car is in the "learn" mode, in which case it will excite the sensor and the only way you know it worked properly is if you get a honk of the horn indicating the sensor sent its info to the TPMS computer in the car.

The Kent-Moore J-46915 tool and the TIPS tool can both be used without putting the car in the "learn" mode. You can use the tool on an unmounted sensor, or a sensor in a tire (as I do in the video on a wheel that's not even mounted on the car) to see if the sensor and its battery are okay, for instance to make sure the sensor wasn't damaged during tire mounting.

I hope you find these worthwhile for informational purposes. If you have any questions about the videos or the use of any of the tools let me know.

Bob


Click the picture above to view the overview video which shows the diagnostic features of the tools.



Click the picture above to see the video of using the simple OTC tool to register the sensors.



Click the picture above to view the video showing the use of the J-46915 tool to register the sensors.



Click the picture above to see the use of the TIPS tool to register the sensors.

Viprklr

Thanks for all the hard work. i will bookmark this page for use in the future as needed.


Matt

shurite44

Good job beezeye, . My Isuzu tool is working excellent.

rwpatte

Your hard work is appreciated.

Wayne88

Very good presentation: Thanks, I learned something

BEZ06

Thanks very much to several of you for the props, but making these simple videos was the easy part!!

The hard part was trying to learn about sensors and the TPMS to solve my own problems back in May when I got my spare set of wheels/tires and swapped them out. I went to one local 'Vette dealer to get the sensors reset and they said "come back tomorrow and when we get time we'll do it for 10 bucks", then I went to the other local Chevy dealer and told me the same thing except it would cost me $49.95. You'd think if the General built this into the car that they'd take care of it for free.

I went to a Cadillac/Pontiac dealer and got MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better service and concern. They sent a tech out right away with the J46079 GM TPM tool (looks and functions exactly like the J-46915 in the video). But, he didn't know how to use it! I found out later that he didn't know how or where to put the antenna so he couldn't get it to work.

I didn't have time to go back to either of the Chevy dealers to get the TPMS reset, so I ended up going on a several day 1,000 mile road trip the next day and got annoying DIC messages, alerts, and lights for the whole trip. Every time I stopped I checked the runflat pressure with my gauge. When I got home I decided I needed to learn about sensors and the tool you use to reset them.

That's when I bought a J-46915 not even knowing if it work on the C6, but it did, so I've tried to pass on info to others on the forum. That's the beauty of the forum - members passing on info that they've learned about the car to others here on the forum.

The downside of the forum is that I would have been real happy with a perfectly stock C6 until I got on here and started reading about all the mods other members were putting on their cars. Oh well, even after all the $$ I've spent on mods I still really enjoy the forum and the interchange of info that goes on here.

Thanks again, and I'm glad several of you are finding the videos worthwhile info.

Gary, I'm glad your J-46915 Isuzu tool is working good for you. Having access to the 3 different types of tools I thought it would be good to compare them. That TIPS tool is a really great piece of gear and would be my choice if I ran a tire shop and needed to excite all different kinds of sensors on a bunch of vehicles. Butt.....for the C6 I think I like the tool like you have with the screen that displays some good info on it.

Mainly, I'm trying to show these 3 different tools all work well on the C6.

Bob

Zig

is it at all possible to 'reset' the sensors without the aid of an 'electronic tool' ?

i imagine this would be the 'long' process, but, i'm wondering if it is at least possible and if one would be able to reteach the sensors by;

disconnect the battery, leave disconnected for 60 minutes- to clear previous readings.
raise vehicle off of the ground, no longer supported by the wheels.
reconnect the battery.
place the vehicle in 'learn mode' (by holding the lock/unlock buttons until a single honk ?).
quickly spin the front left tire, continue to spin the tire until vehicle does a single honk.
repeat the process for each remaining tires, front right, right rear, left rear.

would it be correct to assume if one was able to get it to single honk for each tire and double honk on the fourth that the 'relearn' would be complete ?

mlongo99

That is probably true for so many people.

BEZ06

I don't think that will work.

When you "excite" the sensor with the tool, it sends its unique individual sensor ID# to your TPMS and "registers" that ID# with the TPMS for that particular wheel position on the car (LF,RF,RR, or LR).

In order to "excite" the sensor, you have to have the Tire Sensor Reset Tool that transmits a low frequency radio signal on 125 kHz. That tells the sensor to send its ID# which is sent to the TPMS on a 315 mHz very high frequency transmission.

Now, like you say, if you have the car in the "learn" mode and you try your technique and you get a horn honk, then I think it did indeed register the sensor with the TPMS. Give it a try and let us know how it works!!

Bob

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

Any idea on who's tool offers the best range and capability to set/reset for those of us with banded sensors not directly in factory stem position ??

67Roadster

Same here!

BEZ06

Hi Scott

Uh-Oh! Is your J-46915 not working for you?

It sounds like Rick (67Roadster) and Gary (Shurite44) are having good luck with their TPM tools. Out of the 3 tools that I've used, I like that one with the screen the best - I think because it has the screen and gives some types of diagnostic info and displays the tire pressure right on the screen.

Bartec has just come out with a tool like the simplest one in my videos - matter of fact, I think it is the same tool. As they say in their literature, it only is designed to work for the C6 sensors, but the price is good at about $130 shipped.

As far as signal strength, the TIPS tool seems to have the strongest transmission. When I use it on my sensors it doesn't take nearly as long and I never have to reorient the antenna and try again because I have always gotten a honk on the first try at exciting the sensors. Also, the TIPS tool is completely universal and will work with sensors on all makes and models of cars/SUV's/trucks.

Scott, if you need a TIPS tool and want to trade in your J-46915, let me know. I'll give you what you paid for it and credit it toward the TIPS (which is $210 shipped). I think the TIPS gives off the strongest signal and might work best with banded sensors. I'll send one down for you to try out if you'd like.

Bob

Zig

i thought it was worth asking. the next time i have her up in the air, uh, up so i can work on her bottomside, i'll give it a shot.

i'm having a hard time getting over the fact we gotta spend over a hundred buck to reset the sensors. it's beginning to sound like a harley.

Harley Davidson = HD = Hundred Dollar (anything harley related is gonna cost at least $100 or it's crap.)

bub

Bob:

More good work. This is the first time I have seen all 4 videos.

BTW, on the J-46079 you do not get any menu prompt for vehicle type of any kind like you do on your Isuzu or as I understand exists on the OTC 3833, it (the J-46079) just goes into the activiate or simulate mode right from the SPX boot-up screen.

My next curiosity is if the OTC 3833 software can be loaded into the J-46079. Probably will not try it though, as I have all the GM functionality I need now with the J-46079 updated for v.3.3 via the cabling as discussed. May try it on my brother's Dodge Magnum this weekend to see if it works with it though.

-CKB

MackIII

The videos and instructions are great!!!! But, I have programed my C5 tps (have not tried it with the C6 yet) by just going into the sensor program mode of the car and basically following the same procedure as in the video and holding a magnet next to the tps until the horn sounds. It worked and I didn't need those fancy gizzmos.

Frankb10

Bob:

Thanks for taking the time to create the instructional videos.

You did a great job at explaining the whole process using (3) different tools.

You know what they say "A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS", but a video is even better.

Thanks again.....


P.S. Has anyone out there successfully programmed a C6 using the magnet method that works on the C5 ??????

shurite44

C5 magnet procedure will not work on the C6, that is why everyone is buying this tool.

BEZ06

Hi Gary

I've got 2 things to add to this discussion:

1. I haven't seen any of the J-46915 Isuzu Tire Sensor Reset tools, like you got, available anywhere for quite a while. I still have several of the TIPS Tools available for $210 shipped.

A guy contacted me about a tool but didn't want to spend that much and I told him about the Bartec tool that was advertised a couple of months ago at $110 plus about $20 shipping. Well.....that was an intro price. I called Bartec for the guy and they told me it was now $199.99 plus $20 shipping for their Wheelrite Trackside, which is designed to only work on the C6.

2. I got a surprise recently. I have a real early 2005 Coupe. It was made in about August '04. I had put on a second set of wheels/tires that I bought from a forum member and they were all mounted up and included sensors. I needed my Sensor Reset tool to trigger the sensors on that set of wheels with the new sensors.

I recently put some new tires on my old original wheels and original sensors. Well, I got quite a surprise when they took the tires off and I got a look at my old early C6 sensors - you can see in the pics below that they are small square sensors, which is quite different from the sensors used in all other C6's - they actually look much more like C5 sensors. I don't know when they changed over, but I put the GM Part# 10354988 (which is molded into the old sensors) into a parts search website (Gene Culley's www.gmpartshouse.com and a couple of others) and it comes up with Part# 25758220 (the current C6 sensor part#) and a note that "that part# is no longer available and has been superceded by part# 25758220".

The real surprise is that the old original sensors seem to be able to be excited by either a magnet or a radio frequency tool. When I put my new tires on the car, I was actually having a hard time triggering one of the old sensors with the radio frequency tool, and I put the magnet, which is on the bottom of my TIPS tool, down over the valve stem and it activated the sensor and I got a honk of the horn.

So......if anybody has a really early 2005 and still has their original sensors, they may be able to be excited by a magnet. When you have to replace them you can't get that old part# anymore and will have to go to the current 25758220, which will work with your car, but MUST be excited with a radio frequency tool.

Bob

2 Pictures of the GM Part# 25758220 sensor that is the current sensor used in all C6's







Picture of OLD (very early 2005) C6 sensor that is no longer availabe. You can just make out the GM Part# 10354988 molded into it

Zig

does this also possibly mean that c5 sensors would work in the c6 ? or did i miss that part of the discussion ?

BEZ06

I dunno!!! That's a good question.

However, I doubt C5 sensors would work in the C6.

Here's a picture of a C5 sensor from eBay. It's GM Part# 25773946, and is reported to work in 2001 - 2004 C5 Corvettes, as well as 1998 -2006 Cadillac Sevilles. It looks similar to the old original ones in my early C6, but it's a different part#.

C5 Sensor




Below are pictures of sensors for other GM vehicles. They look exactly like our current C6 senors (GM Part# 25758220 which is black), but they have different part #'s and they are different colors.










All these sensors are for different GM vehicles (Cadillac cars and Escalades, Tahoes, Malibus, etc.). They have different part#'s and colors to keep from mixing them up and putting them on the wrong vehicle. They either transmit to the TPMS on a different frequency or with a different data transmission stream, or they require a different pulsed code to trigger them with a Tire Sensor Reset tool.

The old original sensors in my early '05 C6 have a different Part# than C5 sensors, and when I put that Part# into a GM parts search website it tells me they are obsolete and have been replaced by the current C6 sensor.

So......I doubt C5 would sensors would work in a C6. Butt......if anybody has access to C5 sensors, please check them out to see if they will work!

Bob