Hey guys, Really hope someone can help me with this one. My Dad got me a new set of generic TMPS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) and I made the mistake of getting them installed at Firestone after I installed 2 new rear tires (which should have been all 4). It was really sweet that he got them for me but it put me in a really bad spot... They were somehow able to sync the rears but it shows 0psi on left and right rear tires and the fronts are the OEM originals but are dead and won't sync at all. Now because the rears are reading 0psi I get the Flat Right Rear Tire, Flat Left Rear Tire, Reduced Handling, Maximum Speed 55mph messages on the DIC and it definitely feels like it's in some kind of limp mode. How the heck do I unsync the rears from the system to get it out of limp mode? I know how to program them but I'm stuck cause I can't get to the rears because I have to do the fronts first but the fronts are dead and it won't let me skip them... I did some searching and found that people will go to the dealership and get the TMPS completely disabled from the system using "Tech 2" because they hate the TPMS warning message on the DIC but at this point after a such terrible week I can't afford to pay anyone to do it.
I would explain the whole crap show this whole week has been and all the trouble just to get my new rear tires installed (2 weeks after ordering I'm still waiting for the fronts because the sold them from under me now they don't have any in stock in Texas) but I'm trying to stay positive after getting my car back with only the rear tires installed and now my car is in limp mode.....Someone please help me! any tips and hugs appreciated...lol

TLDR: I need a way to either unsync the defective rear TPMS when the front TPMS are dead or completely disable the whole TPMS system without costing any money.
2002 Corvette, 35k miles, stock, Austin TX.

 

I'm not really clear how you were able to have the rear TPMS synced at all if your front TPMS are not functioning. This is a pretty simple system. I'm betting the new sensors that you installed are for the earlier TPMS system. The system changed partway through production. The newer sensors are actually cheaper. Honestly, I think your 2 options are to replace the defective sensors, or tune them out with the tech II. Either option will cost some money, so you may have to live with it until you can afford to fix it properly. Sorry I don't have a better answer. You could try clearing the codes, but I suspect it will just happen again.

 

@JDMricist_03 generic TPMS is a risk....not sure what happened and how they managed to get them in the system....it is better that they fail than that they send 0psi.

1- when you do the learning procedure you can try start by the rear, the car does not know what you are doing anyway....
2- find a Texas friend who has a 2001+ corvette and TPMS sensors, put your car close to each other and relearn your car with one of its sensor....once you are away of your friend car, the system will show failing TPMS....and you will have to reset.
3- find a friend who has a Tech2 at the corvette club or anywhere else and disable your TPMS.
4- maybe there is a hard reset in the radio module, I don't know.
5- go back to the shop and ask them to inhibit the transmission of the generic sensors
6- buy the right tpms sensors from Rockauto or else, and have them installed

 

Moved to C5 Tech.

 

I don't know of any C5s that are disabled in any fashion when the TPMS reads low or doesn't work at all. You just get a DIC warning saying pressure is low or you get XXX for each tire that has a missing/bad sensor. I ran my 97 on track for 6 years and never had sensors in the tires. The sensors you have on the rear aren't working anyway and more than likely will never work so take those sensors out of the wheels and drive without them (use regular cheap non-sensor valves). When you get the TPMS warning on the DIC just hit the reset button and everything will be fine until the engine is restarted and you have to hit reset again.

To get the sensor out of the wheel they have to use a tire machine. Just drop pressure to zero, push down side of tire next to the sensor and remove it and insert a good old fashioned valve stem. The independent tire shops in upstate NY where I used to live would charge about $25 to do that for you if you took the wheels to them since it only took a few minutes to change the stem. Not sure how much it would cost in Texas.

Bill

 

All this was super helpful info guys, thanks so much. There's a pretty big Vette following here in Austin, Texas so I'm sure I could find someone cool enough to let me borrow the Tech2 for a few seconds, that would definitely be the cheapest and easiest way although new sensors would be nice, there's just so many other things I would rather spend $200 on...heh.