[sadcaper]

Well I got some 17" wheels to put on my car so I could drive it before June here in MN. So I took it for a drive today since it's dang nice out, and I'm getting a 'Tire Defect' message on my dash. I know this has to do with TPMS but not sure how to correct it. I filled the tires to 40psi (50psi max), and yet I'm still getting the error. Anything to look for or fix this?

Also, the outside temperature reading is stuck at -40. The battery died at one point over the winter so I'm guessing this is from that. However, not sure how to reset it. Any ideas?

Finally, there seems to be a creaking sound coming from the front end. Maybe just from sitting for so long? It seemed to get a little better after some driving, but was still there.

Thanks for the help!

 

[koolkat1973]

Well I got some 17" wheels to put on my car so I could drive it before June here in MN. So I took it for a drive today since it's dang nice out, and I'm getting a 'Tire Defect' message on my dash. I know this has to do with TPMS but not sure how to correct it. I filled the tires to 40psi (50psi max), and yet I'm still getting the error. Anything to look for or fix this?

Also, the outside temperature reading is stuck at -40. The battery died at one point over the winter so I'm guessing this is from that. However, not sure how to reset it. Any ideas?

Finally, there seems to be a creaking sound coming from the front end. Maybe just from sitting for so long? It seemed to get a little better after some driving, but was still there.

Thanks for the help!

You can try to reinitialize your TPMS system after inflating your tires to the right psi. This should fix the tire defect problem. If not - your battery might be going. All the electronic gizmos on these e39s are very voltage sensitive. If your battery is not up to par - you notice alot of weird stuff in your car.

 

[Tj Hunter]

It would seem that your temp sensor is bad, otherwise it is the battery as others have said. I am not sure what the front end creak is that you are talking about. I am in the St Paul area most weekends, I can always help out if you need anything. On a side note we are having a GTG of MN M5board people this weekend, check the regional forums.

 

[sadcaper]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe I'll take the battery in and get it tested. I think it's fairly old so that may be the issue. Maybe MN's ridiculously cold winter put it out of it's misery.

Tj Hunter...thanks for letting me know about the meet. Looks like it's next weekend tho. I'll subscribe to that thread!

 

[Beemer Guy]

I'm going to throw out a few suggestions with a few caveats.

TPMS: Does the E39 use a wheel sensor for this? If so, one or more of your new wheels may have a bad sensor. That's where I would look first. Problem is, the warning doesn't tell you which wheel. Finally (!!) on my F10 they tell you which wheel. Took 'em 10 years to figure it out. Or it could just be that the system needs to initialize after the battery failure.

Creak: Dry bushings. Any aftermarket stuff, like poly sway mounts or something silly like that? They'll make lots of noise.

Battery: Just replace the damn thing. Once a battery goes totally dead, its life is vastly shortened. The car will run better and be much happier with a fresh new battery. And then buy a battery tender for next year. I don't envy you your winters up there. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

If the temp sensor is broken or has become disconnected, it will read -40. Easy and relatively cheap to fix, unless the plug got ripped off as well (as happened to me once). Front right of car, almost directly under the headlights if my poor memory serves me correctly. Access from under the car. Although... since you are in MN, it may be working just fine! Or will you guys break 0 this week?

HTH,
Michael

 

[sadcaper]

Just a quick update...

Tested the battery and it did indeed test out bad. It was a BMW battery from 2007, and man those things are just beasts!! Like 65 lbs! I replaced it with a Optima 34R red top. Smaller, lighter and supposedly better. Got er installed tonight.

Reset the TPMS sensor by holding it down for a few seconds with the key in position 2. Hopefully I don't get any warnings when I drive it tomorrow.

As for the temp sensor I haven't been able to check it out yet. Seems odd it would just go bad while sitting in the garage over winter, but you never know. I'll see if I can find it.

Supposed to be 50 tomorrow so I'm excited to get out and drive...and avoid all the dang potholes!

 

[mcrowl11]

Just a quick update...

Tested the battery and it did indeed test out bad. It was a BMW battery from 2007, and man those things are just beasts!! Like 65 lbs! I replaced it with a Optima 34R red top. Smaller, lighter and supposedly better. Got er installed tonight.

Reset the TPMS sensor by holding it down for a few seconds with the key in position 2. Hopefully I don't get any warnings when I drive it tomorrow.

As for the temp sensor I haven't been able to check it out yet. Seems odd it would just go bad while sitting in the garage over winter, but you never know. I'll see if I can find it.

Supposed to be 50 tomorrow so I'm excited to get out and drive...and avoid all the dang potholes!

The tire pressure reset sequence isn't finished until you've driven for a few miles and the system has had enough time to complete the measurements . I'm guessing that by turning the engine before driving, you're back to square one.

from page 82 of the manual:

1. Turn the ignition key to position 2(do not start the engine)
2. Press the button and maintain pressure until the message "SET TIRE PRESSURE" appears in the Check Control (several seconds)
3. As you drive, the Flat Tire Monitor automatically enters the system initialization mode in which it stores the current pressures as its reference
figures. The initialization process lasts for ten minutes or somewhat longer. Once it has been completed the Tire Pressure Monitor is able to
detect and warn of flat tires.

Repeat this process after altering the tire inflation pressure, changing the tire, or rotating the wheels. Do not carry out a new initialization of
the system, if you correct the inflation pressures to the already specified tire pressures