Help with TPMS Sensor programing on 2010 Roadster

[Phleabag]

I replaced all 4 TPMS sensors on my 2010 Roadster sport after I began getting "TPMS hardware failure" warnings on the VMS. After deleting the warnings a few times they stopped showing up but still had no reports available. So I bought a Foxwell 1000 TPMS tool and checked the sensors and sure enough 3 of the 4 were dead. I then purchased 4 new Baolong 433MHz sensors from Gruber and installed them. I used the tool to activate them and relearn their locations, but was unable to program them after several trys. The tool does show that it supports the Tesla roadster Baolong sensors. However each time or method I use the screen comes up with the instructions required for a Model S activation with the on board VMS under "control". Of course that doesn't apply to the roadster. The tool activation report (photo) shows they are working properly, but no data is shown on the VMS even after driving a 50 miles or so. Also no errors show up on the VMS. Is there a special tool required to make these things work/program them? I'm $450 into the debacle with no satisfactory result.

Any ideas? I am a 75 year old electrical engineer (analog circuits not digital) and all computers hate me.

 

[X.l.r.8]

I would possibly speak to the person you got them from. As of right now the only 2 ways I know of is pop into a SC and they usually do it for free. Or use the OVMS (not sure how that little magic box does it). But if a company sold you a product they should at least tell you how to make them work. If they can’t then they should have a disclaimer.

 

[ShawnA]

Hi @Phleabag ,

As @X.l.r.8 mentioned there a few ways to "relearn" the sensors to your car...

There is a Special Tesla tool to do this.
Tesla used to sell the tool to Roadster owners but gave up on that...

Very many tools will reprogram or clone TPMS sensors for the Roadster.
The trick is to teach the car the new addresses...
It is an OBD relearn and NONE of the current TPMS tools have the Roadster
specific relearn programs.

If you have a nearby service center that would be a good choice.

A better choice for you would be to visit Medlock and Sons in Seattle.
They are the best Roadster service people in the country...

If you buy or have an OVMS3 device on your car it must have the K-line
option to be able to perform the OBD relearn...
Carl Medlock and Sons also sell and install these devices.
If you look at openvehicles.com you will see that they add a cell phone
inquiry and command interface to your car.

I have one and I love it...

If all else fails, I have a tool that I could mail to you that in combination
with a Windows PC would allow you to do it yourself...

Good luck,

Shawn

 

[Phleabag]

Thanks guys - there is a Tesla SC only 20 mikes away from me as a seagull flies. But I have to take a ferry to get there, a day trip to America as well call it here on Whidby Island. I'll give that a try since I've wanted to check it out anyway. The same seagull would have to go 50 miles to get to Carl's. I would like to find a reason to visit his new shop also.

I'll let you know if anyone at the SC even knows what a roadster is. I did a car show a couple of years ago and a couple (young) Tesla mechanics said they had never even seen a picture of one!

BY the way I love my Tesla so much last years I converted 68 MG to electric. Got close to 2,000 miles on it and it hasn't left me stranded yet.

 

[markwj]

If you change one or more sensor IDs, you need to re-program all four IDs into the TPMS ECU again (and in the correct wheel order). Short story is that the ECU is programmed (over the K-line bus on the OBDII port) with the four unique IDs for each of the four wheels. The ECU then goes on to program the front and rear antennas (using LIN bus) with those IDs. The antennas then listen for those specific IDs when reading tyre pressures + temperatures (rather than the sensors of the car next to you at the traffic lights), and the ECU knows which ID corresponds to which wheel.

Obtaining the IDs is easy. Pretty much any TPMS can do it, or you can write them down before installing into the wheels. It is re-programming the TPMS ECU with the new IDs that is the hard part. There are currently a few options to do this:

1. There is a Tesla tool that your 'local' service centre may have. That plugs into the OBDII port, and talks over K-line to program the new sensor IDs into the ECU. But I suggest you call first, to make sure they have the tool.
   
   
2. Use OVMS, with the K-line option board, to program the new sensor IDs into the ECU. This works in a similar way to the Tesla tool.
   
   
3. Get a K-Line to USB tool and 'hack' the IDs manually into the TPMS ECU.
   
   
4. Don't change the IDs. If you can find re-writable replacement sensors, program the old IDs into the new sensors (ie; change the ID in the sensor, not the ECU). Full disclaimer; I have no idea if you can find re-writable sensors compatible with the Baolong ones, and you would need the old sensors (and know which wheel they came from).

A while ago we worked out the protocols used by Tesla for their Baolong sensors in the 2.x roadsters. As this is over K-line protocol, you need either a K-line to USB tool, or OVMS with K-line option board, to do it. A document describing the gory details is here: Tesla Roadster v2.x TPMS (Baolong) Engineering

As an aside, we also worked out the protocol used by early Model S cars to talk to a different Baolong TPMS ECU. That is over CAN bus, and the code for that is in the standard OVMS (with no extra hardware needed).

P.S. We provided this information to TPMS tool manufacturers, but they didn't seem interested in including it in their products.