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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 01:21 PM
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Default tire sensor batteries

I am going to change wheels on my wife's convertible and think it would be a good idea to change the batteries in the sensors, since I don't plan to change again untill she wears the tires out. What batteries do they take?
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by jgauger
I am going to change wheels on my wife's convertible and think it would be a good idea to change the batteries in the sensors, since I don't plan to change again untill she wears the tires out. What batteries do they take?
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. The tire pressure sensors are a sealed unit and they are not intended to be user serviceable. They have a planned life of approximately 7 years and at that time they simply must be replaced.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 03:28 PM
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some reset units tell you how much battery life is left on the sensors .
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 03:33 PM
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Originally Posted by talon90
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. The tire pressure sensors are a sealed unit and they are not intended to be user serviceable. They have a planned life of approximately 7 years and at that time they simply must be replaced.
You always have great info.

2 questions. Are the sensors expensive to replace? And do the life of the batteries depend on miles driven/use?
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 03:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Vette Suspension
2 questions. Are the sensors expensive to replace?
From gmpartshouse.com:

||--Tire Pressure Sensors--||

25758220 – Tire pressure sensor – 55.22 each
15234846 – Tire pressure sensor nut – 3.73 each

Total set of 4 nuts and 4 sensors 258.91 shipped
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 03:41 PM
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FWIW, our C5 was 5 years old with about 48k miles on the sensors when we traded it, sensors were still working fine. But several friends have had intermittant problems with the sensors at around the same time/miles, not sure if the batteries are the cause.
Our C6 has 3 years/35k miles on the sensors,still good.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 03:47 PM
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Our car was delivered Sept 22, 2004 and is still on orignal sensors . .so, about 4-1/2 years thusfar . . .
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 04:01 PM
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batteries ? My understanding is that they have a small built-in capacitor, not a battery, that charges up when the car is in motion, allowing the sensors to operate only while the car is in motion.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 04:04 PM
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Originally Posted by spin-doktor
batteries ? My understanding is that they have a small built-in capacitor, not a battery, that charges up when the car is in motion, allowing the sensors to operate only while the car is in motion.
Your understanding would be incorrect. See Talon90's post above....
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 04:29 PM
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Originally Posted by johnodrake
Your understanding would be incorrect. See Talon90's post above....
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by spin-doktor
batteries ? My understanding is that they have a small built-in capacitor, not a battery, that charges up when the car is in motion, allowing the sensors to operate only while the car is in motion.
Nope, they have a battery and actually they do operate while the car is stationary as well but they only update once per hour while in their sleep state. They then update realtime once the vehicle gets moving again.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 05:52 PM
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Default sensor batteries

Thank you, thank you, thank you.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by talon90
They have a planned life of approximately 7 years and at that time they simply must be replaced.
Thanks Talon. Once more CF helps me plan ahead. It's time to put away a couple of hundred bucks in savings bonds to go with the others that will pay for my tire change in 2012-13.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 10:28 PM
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Originally Posted by jgauger
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
"Please take my wife."
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 01:04 AM
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Originally Posted by spin-doktor
batteries ? My understanding is that they have a small built-in capacitor, not a battery, that charges up when the car is in motion, allowing the sensors to operate only while the car is in motion.
Capacitors do not charge batteries.
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 07:53 AM
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love em when they work
hate them when ya gotta play with them
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 09:21 AM
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Originally Posted by geewez
Capacitors do not charge batteries.
I didnt say anything about a capacitor being used to charge a battery. A capacitor is like a short term "battery" . Whatever is in there is probably charged with an electromagnetic / motion generator thats operated when the wheels are in motion. ( kind of like one of those flashlights that dont need any batteries).

You guys have stirred my technical curiousity, Im going to take one of these things apart to see whats actually in there
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 10:15 AM
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Originally Posted by spin-doktor
I didnt say anything about a capacitor being used to charge a battery. A capacitor is like a short term "battery" . Whatever is in there is probably charged with an electromagnetic / motion generator thats operated when the wheels are in motion. ( kind of like one of those flashlights that dont need any batteries).

You guys have stirred my technical curiousity, Im going to take one of these things apart to see whats actually in there
Don't bother, unless you have one with a worn out battery - but no C6 sensors are old enough to be past their design life yet (of course some may run down ealier than the MTBF).

If you do dig into one, here's what you'll find:




The picture above is of a C5 sensor in a thread in the C5 section by forum member xboxexpert. Because they are older and the batteries are wearing out, there are guys that have been replacing the C5 batteries.

Take a look at xboxexpert's thread on the C5 board - there are several videos in there that show the procedure for digging out the battery and soldering in a new one:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...-tutorial.html

I have never dug into a C6 sensor, but I'm sure it's very similar to that C5 one.

Bob
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 12:35 PM
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Originally Posted by BEZ06
Don't bother, unless you have one with a worn out battery - but no C6 sensors are old enough to be past their design life yet (of course some may run down ealier than the MTBF).

If you do dig into one, here's what you'll find:




The picture above is of a C5 sensor in a thread in the C5 section by forum member xboxexpert. Because they are older and the batteries are wearing out, there are guys that have been replacing the C5 batteries.

Take a look at xboxexpert's thread on the C5 board - there are several videos in there that show the procedure for digging out the battery and soldering in a new one:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...-tutorial.html

I have never dug into a C6 sensor, but I'm sure it's very similar to that C5 one.

Bob
Great post. Thank you.

Question: Would the battery last longer on a low mile vehicle as opposed to a high mile vehicle? Battery use over age or time?
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Vette Suspension
Great post. Thank you.

Question: Would the battery last longer on a low mile vehicle as opposed to a high mile vehicle? Battery use over age or time?
I don't think there would be a significant difference.

Like talon90 said, when the car sits still the sensors transmit once every hour.

When you start driving faster than 20 mph the sensors wake up and transmit once per minute.

I'm not even quite sure what the design life of the C6 sensors is. As talon90 mentioned, the most commonly circulated number is 7 years, but I've also heard 10 years.

I think I've heard that the C5 sensors were good for 7 years or 100,000 miles, but I haven't heard of a mileage associated with the life of C6 sensor batteries.

Butt.....I would think that if you put 100,000 miles on the car in 7 years the batteries are probably at the end of their life cycle, however a car with 50,000 miles after 7 years might get another year or two out of the batteries.

All the above is sorta speculation, and YMMV!!

Bob
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