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Tires all the same size but different PSI max cause tire pressure light to come on?

chmcke01chmcke01 Member Posts: 3
edited September 2015 in Chevrolet
I just got a really good deal on a 2011 Chevy Aveo, it runs and drives great but the tire pressure light is on. I knew it when I bought it but I figured one of the tires was just a few pounds off since they all looked fine and wasn't that worried about it. Now I have made sure the tire pressure is good on all of them but the light is still on.

I just noticed that even though all four tires are the correct size (185 60R14) and filled to the correct 32 PSI, but the front two are rated at a max 44 PSI while the driver rear tire is rated at a max 40 PSI and the passenger rear tire is rated at a max 36 PSI. Do you think this could be the cause of the light being on? Or should it be fine since they are the right size and correct PSI?
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    capriracercapriracer Member Posts: 907
    First, No, the difference in max pressure should not have affected the sensors.

    Second, it is possible your gauge is off. Try overfilling the tires.

    Third, it might be the sensors need to be replaced - that the batteries are used up.
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    imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,154
    edited September 2015
    If Capriracer's suggestion doesn't reset the system, my experience with my Cobalt 08 may help.

    But I want to ask one question first. At what pressure are the tires now? Usually the recommended pressure
    on the door would be 30-32. Since you mentioned the sidewall label for max load and that pressure, do you have
    the tires at those pressures by any chance? --44 psi and 36 psi?

    I tried reading the Aveo glovebox manual. Does the tire pressure light flash when it comes on for a minute and then stay on steady? That indicates a missing sensor (low battery, e.g.) or other problem. Simple low pressure at a wheel is a steady light.
    page 6-60 approx. in your glovebox manual.

    And one place it says your spare may have a sensor and another place it says the spare doesn't. Have you checked the pressure in the spare?

    A good tire store can scan each of the sensors and see what the indicated pressure is for that tire and battery level for each sensor. I would say that's the easiest. My Chev dealer charged 11$ to reset my sensors.

    Have you tried to have the system reset at the wheel sensors? When I changed the battery in my Cobalt, it caused the computer to lose track because I didn't use a jumper to maintain the battery voltage while disconnecting the old battery. I had to use a scanner that made each of the wheel sensors reset. Cobalt has a readout on the dash for pressures but it was giving a strange message about checking the system.

    Also, The Cobalt has a manual system for doing that by following instructions in the glovebox manual where an air hose is used to raise (or lower) the pressure on each wheel as its turn comes up once the car is put into reset mode. Then the car honks when it sees pressure rising (or dropping) on a wheel and assumes that wheel sensor is the one to register for that corner of the car.

    I had bought a hand unit like a scanner that causes the wheel sensor to reset when operated next to the valve stem of that wheel.
    Or a friendly tire store will check them out for you.

    However, a few months later my Cobalt had the light on but a different code IIRC and the wheel sensor was replaced under my extended warranty by the Chevrolet dealer. Otherwise, the dealer indicated that the others may last for years more. They didn't find that when one failed the others followed after a short period of time.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

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    chmcke01chmcke01 Member Posts: 3
    I guess we will have to get it checked out. The sticker on the door frame suggests 33 PSI for all four except for the spare which it recommends be set at 60 PSI. I checked the spare and it was only 40 PSI so I filled it up to 59 PSI (the tires states its max is 60 PSI so I didn't want to risk getting any closer, lol) but the light didn't go out. I tried filling all four up to 35 PSI (I set them at 33 PSI yesterday) but still the light didn't go out. The light comes on, stays on for 15 seconds, goes off for a second, and then comes back on and stays on...but it doesn't "blink" really.
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    imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,154
    edited September 2015
    Did you drive the car after adjusting the pressures? The wheel sensors may not have triggered
    if the change in pressure was small when stationary: the sensors turn off to save the batteries,
    but a large change in pressure triggers them to send their status.
    Traveling at 25 mph triggers the sensor to send its status to the computer.

    Do you have the glovebox manual?

    http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Ownership/Manuals_and_Videos/02_pdf/2011_Aveo_Owner_Manual.pdf

    :

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

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    chmcke01chmcke01 Member Posts: 3
    I drove the car after changing the pressure on the four tires on the car but not since filling up the spare. I will try that tomorrow.
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    imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,154
    chmcke01 said:

    I drove the car after changing the pressure on the four tires on the car but not since filling up the spare. I will try that tomorrow.

    I'm not sure if the spare has a sensor in it. The manual seemed to say it did in one place and another that it didn't.
    I don't think the Cobalt 08 does.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

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