I just bought a new 2008 F150 Screw FX4. According to a sticker on each tire, it is equiped with the TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System). And the idiot light comes on for the TPMS when the key is turned on. I did not get a reset tool with my truck. I called the dealer and was told that I could bring the truck by there when I needed to reset the system after a tire rotation. According to the Owners manual, one of these tools is supposd to be supplied with the truck. I wated to know if anyone of you guys knows if this is supposed to be with the truck or something I have to buy? The dealer should supply one if its an option as I have bought five new trucks since 2002.
Thanks for any help and info.

 

I think it's just some kind of magnet, isn't it?

 

You will not get a reset tool as your vehicle has a recommended pressure the same in all 4 wheels. That is needed only with vehicles that have different recommended pressure between front and rear. For when they are rotated.

 

I wasn't sure if that was the case. But does the system on the truck need to know which tire goes where, or does it just let you know one of the tires is low without telling you which one?

 

It doesn't tell you which one, just that at least one is low. Same even if the recommended is different between front and rear. The difference is that with a different front and rear recommendation, the psi at which it goes off is different.

 

There's no tool that comes with the truck. The sensors have to be re-learned by the dealership with TPM Activation Tool 204-363 (Ford part number).

 

I have the same problem as you, I made a thread on this subject and the jist of the replys was that only the dealer can reset it and it can't be taken off the truck either. all the tpms does is annoy you and makes you press a button every time in order to see you truck info upon start up....i'd like to punch the engineer in the face that thought of that idea!

 

I started a thread about this a week or so ago. My dealer is trying to get me the tool as I rotate frequently with high miles each week. I am running LT tires at a higher pressure (50-55psi) than the door jamb sticker (35psi), so the likelyhood of the TPMS light coming on related to "low" pressure is almost nil or nothing. I'll post the results of the dealers findings when I hear back from them.

 

You can purchase the tool for about 18.00 from the dealer. The only time it needs to relearn is when you are running two different pressures and you rotate front to back. In the cases where this is done from the factory, such as the heavy duty package, a tool is provided. The sensers are already set for the 35lbs that the 'regular' tires are set for.

 

I think your anger is misdirected. You can thank bloodsucking lawyers and idiot jurys who award way too much money to ignorant plaintiffs who don't check their tires to see if they're inflated properly. Then you could also thank Congress for their knee-jerk reaction. You can't blame Ford for making this system hard to circumvent, thus leaving themselves open to more litigation from more bloodsucking lawyers.
I'm not a fan of the way Ford bands their sensors to the wheels. The old way of TPMS in the valve stem was a whole lot user friendly when it came to changing wheels. Maybe someone else has some info why the new way is better.

 

Congress had nothing to do with it. It was a regulation handed down by un-elected bureaucrats somewhere in the NTSHA.

 

Thank you, I stand corrected. Can I still hate Congress anyway?

 

For (among other things) not having the "testicular fortitude" to rein in the idiots at the NTSHA?

ABSOLUTELY!!