TPMS Sensor Question
Today, I had the opportunity to drive my coach for about 4 hours (2 hours each way) to get to an alignment shop for some evaluation and suspension work. This was my first real trip of any duration since installing my TPMS (TST 510). I had asked in another post about the accuracy of the TPMS sensors as opposed to a gauge, as I had noted about a 5psi average difference (TPMS read about 5psi less than two separate gauges which both read the same psi). After getting those readings, I decided that I would start each trip with pressure measurements from the gauges and then use the TPMS as a relative indicator during the trip to know if I had significant pressure or temperature changes that might cause damages.
On today's trip, all was well...with pressures and temps rising accordingly and ultimately reaching a point where they stopped increasing and remained steady. On the way home, I glanced at the TPMS monitor and saw one tire showing an almost 30psi reduction than it had just shown about 5 minutes earlier (no alarm was triggered due to either rapid deflation or to getting below the set threshold point). I panicked and started to reduce speed, thinking that it was losing pressure. The temp was showing the same as it had been all along, well within limits. As I looked for a safe place to pull off the highway and check the pressure, that same tire then showed on the monitor back to the same pressure as it was previously and was in line with the other 5 tires. For the rest of the trip, it stayed at the right pressure reading until I stopped to fuel up...then it changed to the lower pressure it had scared the **** outta me with earlier. I checked that tire with both gauges and both showed it to be properly inflated.
So.... with all that explanation.... do I have a sensor that's already going bad or was it just losing connection with the monitor, causing it to show the improper pressure reading?
On today's trip, all was well...with pressures and temps rising accordingly and ultimately reaching a point where they stopped increasing and remained steady. On the way home, I glanced at the TPMS monitor and saw one tire showing an almost 30psi reduction than it had just shown about 5 minutes earlier (no alarm was triggered due to either rapid deflation or to getting below the set threshold point). I panicked and started to reduce speed, thinking that it was losing pressure. The temp was showing the same as it had been all along, well within limits. As I looked for a safe place to pull off the highway and check the pressure, that same tire then showed on the monitor back to the same pressure as it was previously and was in line with the other 5 tires. For the rest of the trip, it stayed at the right pressure reading until I stopped to fuel up...then it changed to the lower pressure it had scared the **** outta me with earlier. I checked that tire with both gauges and both showed it to be properly inflated.
So.... with all that explanation.... do I have a sensor that's already going bad or was it just losing connection with the monitor, causing it to show the improper pressure reading?
