My tire pressure warning light came on in my '06 Tacoma recently. I inflated each tire to exactly the specified PSI (29), yet the warning light remains on. My guess at this point is that it's the spare setting the sensor off. Is there an easy way to check the spare's pressure without going to all the hassle of removing it from its storage place under the truck bed? It appears the valve is facing up, making it inaccessible without removing it.
Where did you get the tires serviced last? Go back and have them flip the spare over so the valve stem is accessible. It only takes a few minutes to crank it down, flip it over, and back up, especially if they have their own crank rod and don't have to dig yours out.
For you it would be an "Oops, forgot about that" mistake, but shops service tires every day - they're supposed to know better than that.
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Thanks for the input, Bruce. Actually, I think the manual recommends positioning the tire upward like that, so I can't fault the Toyota dealership. I was just hoping there'd be an easy way to access the valve in that position. But your suggestion is a good one -- go back to the dealership and have them do it!
snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net found these unused words:
1/2 hour minimum each time and is should be checked monthly ... YIPES!
That would rank right up there with "Do you put the roll of Toilet Tissue in the dispenser with the free end coming off the front of the roll, or off the back?" Personal preferences and individual circumstances shape the decision.
Off the front is easier to use - but if you have cats or kids that want to sit on the lid and play "bat the roll", one morning you'll find the whole roll unreeeled all over the floor...
Mounting the spare with the stem up certainly avoids the (low) risk of tampering with the tire, or of physical damage to the valve stem from road debris, but it makes checking the air and refilling as needed a royal PITA. They make tires good enough now that you rarely need the spare, and it sits for several years between uses.
On the tampering angle, if they crawl under there to let the air out of the spare (as well as one or more tires on the ground) to immobilize the car and find the stem is up, they'll just stab the spare tire in the sidewall with a knife. Same end results, but now you have to spend $100 or more each to buy new tire(s).
I always mount my spare tires stem down and forward (protected by the axle) with a good metal gasketed valve cap. And the TP off the front, because I have neither cats or children in the house.
And I've had tire shops ask me whether I want it mounted stem up or stem down if I forget to state a preference.
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