TPMS on i-MiEVs

[Rational]

Continuing going off-topic, in the US we only had model years 2012, 2014, and 2016, although one member claimed he had a 2017. OTOH, IIRC in Canada there was a 2013 (and 2015?)

Back on topic, I've never had a problem with any TPMS on any of my three 2012 i-MiEVs over the year (knock on wood). All original, and still waiting for the TPMS batteries to die.

So how do you see the info on tire pressure in the factory TPMS setup? Is it on the center display or something?

 

[JoeS]

So how do you see the info on tire pressure in the factory TPMS setup? Is it on the center display or something?

The i-MiEV's TPMS doesn't provide a reading but simply results in a low pressure warning. It's one of the icons on the instrument cluster (left side) and lights up when a tire gets low (but not high). I'm old school, have an air compressor in my garage, check my i-MiEVs' tires monthly (I think the rims are very slightly porous as the pressure does drop over time), and can't remember the last time I saw this symbol. In my manual, it's discussed on Page 3-51.

 

[hjdlsnbc]

I can see in MUT-3 SE read out pressure values from TPMS that are not existing of course without TPMS sensors in the tires in my case. Also i can see there to what tire pressure the existing sensors have been programmed. Also temperature readings exist.
When you do not know if TPMS sensors are working in general and you are working on trying to teach them to the car, then just decrypting the TPMS values with https://github.com/merbanan/rtl_433 is something you can do. You can also read out all the sensors from cars driving past that are also RF based.

 

[Rational]

Hi @hjdlsnbc

I'm sorry you haven't been able to get the help you need so far with this topic. This community is a good one and I'm sure will be more supportive of you from here on out knowing how much you would like to get this going.

I'm a member of some great communities online and how we're treated matters very much. I'll do all I can to help you to resolve this issue if I can. I originally started reseraching TPMS becuase I wanted to get it working on my Leaf. But have had other issues and upgrades to complete first. So I will start to dig into this now on the miev again and share all I can for you.

I think the lack of answers mostly comes from 1. not many people have i-miev cars in the world overall and 2. those that do aren't looking into TPMS nor CAN bus stuff much as CAN is a cryptic thing for normal people. Even me a techie find it a whole new learning curve to tackle so haven't yet.

I know the guys here are very very helpful on the stuff they know about the i-miev. It's just that TPMS is not something they have personally looked into so aren't able to help you. I'm sure it's nothing personal, it's just a matter of their time, energy, and interest over the decade or more of running this great forum hasn't foccused on this one small area of interest you'd like to know about. But that's what these forums are for. For all of us to contribute the area of interest that we have that others' don't. Perhaps you can become the expert on TPMS and other CAN modifications that others haven't yet been able to spend the time and energy on. Maybe you and I can do it together!

I'm sure they will help if they see us genuinely pursuing it like you have been over time. It's just a very niche aspect not everyone is able to tackle.

I can suggest a great group that are CAN masters over at Dala's EV discord channel. They focus mainly on the battery integration aspect of EVs to help make a can-bus interpreter to help with battery upgrades, etc. But they have a channel in the group to ask 'general ev questions'. You might get some help there from the many experts who participate there.

I'm a member there and have received lots of cordial help so I highly recommend you join. I can also ask there if you'd rather not join for some reason.

But let's see what you and I can learn together this coming year on TPMS. I'm interested in how it works too.

Here's an invite to Dala's discord channel: https://discord.gg/wPmunE8E

 

[Rational]

We can also possibly buy an OVMS and then start some forum posts over there and see if the CAN experts there might be able to help. I know there are still some features not enabled on the i-miev that would be great to have enabled. I know a few people have asked for them but again it's not been successfully tackled as yet for some reason. Maybe it's really hard? Or maybe there are so few people with these cars who care still?

I have an OVMS for my Leaf. I don't mind buying another for the i-miev if it will help in moving forward knowledge on the CAN bus features and TPMS.

There are so few people with passion for this topic like you, so I'm grateful to have you here still interested and fighting for progress on it. Thanks for being here and don't give up the fight. It just may take personal action by us to uncover the answers and not others.

 

[Rational]

Oh, and in that direction, do you have a youtube channel you can share some videos you make on what you know about TPMS? So I can catch up quickly with you on what you know so far about it?

I need some help in understanding everything you know about it so far.

Or if you can type up a how-to guide or some posts on what you know so far about how it works would be helpful for me to help you further.

Any details at all on where to look in the manuals, how it displays TPMS pressures, etc. Any details at all you can share to help me help you would be great.

 

[Rational]

I can see in MUT-3 SE read out pressure values from TPMS that are not existing of course without TPMS sensors in the tires in my case.

Oh. Interesting. Can you post a screenshot or tell me where in the menus and submenus to look to find these TPMS pressure value read outs?

That will speed things up for me. Thanks.

When you do not know if TPMS sensors are working in general and you are working on trying to teach them to the car, then just decrypting the TPMS values with https://github.com/merbanan/rtl_433 is something you can do.

Oh, very intersting. Great tip. I'll see about loading that up when I have a chance to see how it works and what it shows. Do you have a video on how to use it you could post and share with me to make it easier and quicker? That would be helpful. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[Rational]

The i-MiEV's TPMS doesn't provide a reading but simply results in a low pressure warning. It's one of the icons on the instrument cluster (left side) and lights up when a tire gets low (but not high).

Oh. Pretty basic then. Thanks for sharing that it only alerts on low and not high. Really good to know that! I like running my tires a tad high for better fuel efficiency.

Yeah, I just got an air compressor set up in my garage with the long retractable hose to make it easier to do this frequently from here on out. Way less effort now.

(I think the rims are very slightly porous as the pressure does drop over time)

I have the same thing going on with my miev. At least for the right rear tire I noticed. As it seemed to be bulging after I'd inflated it the prior week. I ordered a digital pressure guage off of amazon to get them all spot on to confirm if I was just seeing things or not.

 

[Rational]

@hjdlsnbc

I just did a google search "Is it possible to disable tpms?" and learned that TPMS cannot be disabled because it is mandated by federal law from 2007 onwards.

So I'm guessing here, but it would seem logical to me that they might not have built a disable CAN command into the system if so. That may be why you aren't seeing the option in the menus when you try it. Food for thought.

But there's something called a TPMS bypass emulator:
https://tpmsbypass.com/tpms-disable-tool/

https://tpmsbypass.com/product-cate...ors/us-tpms-bypass/mitsubishi-us-tpms-bypass/

https://tpmsbypass.com/product/mitsubishi-us-tpms-bypass/

Until we can do further research this may be a great quick solution.

 

[kiev]

i have been trying to disable the TPMS light on a 2007 Suzuki Forenza.

Removing the TPMS control unit caused the TPMS light to blink and then stay ON solid. So there is some other controller involved in the Instrument Panel.

The FSM did not show a CAN buss connection to the control unit, and no CAN chip was found on the board. Guessing it uses the LIN buss or K-Line.

 

[MickeyS70]

The FSM did not show a CAN buss connection to the control unit, and no CAN chip was found on the board. Guessing it uses the LIN buss or K-Line.

I believe that’s different on a triplet, the TPMS controller is built into the ETACs ECU and therefore communicates via CAN?

 

[kiev]

Mits tech info page indicates that there is a TPMS Off option for the outlander,

https://mitsubishitechinfo.com/data/RE/2019/00/HTML/M100101500445600USA.htm

Also found a TSB related to outlander TPMS, may have some clues for miev,

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2017/SB-10098939-0335.pdf

 

[MickeyS70]

Mits tech info page indicates that there is a TPMS Off option for the outlander,

https://mitsubishitechinfo.com/data/RE/2019/00/HTML/M100101500445600USA.htm

Correct, there are even instructions on how to disable it on an Outlander: (link in post 25)

https://myimiev.com/threads/i-miev-and-lexia-3-and-diagbox.4042/page-2

Unfortunately there is no such option for a triplet, maybe a bit of black tape could do the trick?

 

[Mars]

Hi , on the latest I-Miev 2012 that i bought used ( i own 4 totals ) the TPMS are disable but i do not know how it was done . Been in Canada and changing tire does bug me that the TPSM yellow led in car console stay lit .
So i am searching a way to get it off while learning about the car.

 

[hjdlsnbc]

Thats interesting. I have never seen a 2012 model year car with TPMS enabled in ETACS.
Your ETACS config file would be interesting. Please upload it here: https://myimiev.com/threads/need-your-etacs-configuration-from-your-car.5715/
When this ETACS config database got bigger and bigger, then people could start getting their config files for their model years of their cars from there.
If you do not mind trying things out, make a backup of your ETACS config and then install the 2011 ETACS that is already uploaded there. From the Outlander experiments in other forums we know that when you put a completely wrong ETACS config, you get a huge amount of errors, but in general can change back the config to your backup file and delete the error codes and you should have the same situation like before.

For ETACS config file swaps you should use the OpenPort 2.0 adapter and MUT-3 SE software.

 

[jray3]

Something is unusual about our 2012 TPMS. Even though it’s supposedly the standard 400 MHz, multiple tire shops fail to see ‘em, and when they finally do, only the dealer can synch new sensors to the car. I’d like to find the right tool, as I use winter wheels on 3 cars, and spend nearly half the year with error lights…

 

[BrunoJ]

I had an issue recently, corelated with the cold weather (-0C) last few days. I had error light every morning and after longer stay. In most cases disappeared after few km drive. Today first day with +5 - no error on dash board. I checked the pressure and it seems to be all the time correct. So it looks like issue with temperature (transmission between wheels and antena/dashboard? Or one of sensor failing while frozen?
Anyone had similar issue and can provide some hint?

 

[MickeyS70]

Anyone had similar issue and can provide some hint?

Might be nothing wrong with the TPMS as tyre pressure really drops in freezing temperatures, what do you measure?

 

[BrunoJ]

I'm not convinced. With +5C no issues, With -3C TMPS highlighted for few km. Not really big temperature difference. Now 8-10C and again no issues. I use(d) couple of cars already and never get issues like that. I measured ~2.2bar/32PSI on all wheels. Unless TPSM are so sensitive, it should be quite ok. I would expect the TPSM warning starts flashing when below 1.8-1.9 bar.

 

[MickeyS70]

I'm not convinced. With +5C no issues, With -3C TMPS highlighted for few km. Not really big temperature difference. Now 8-10C and again no issues. I use(d) couple of cars already and never get issues like that. I measured ~2.2bar/32PSI on all wheels. Unless TPSM are so sensitive, it should be quite ok. I would expect the TPSM warning starts flashing when below 1.8-1.9 bar.

You could inflate the tyres to 2.6bar to see if that makes a difference when it gets colder again?