# Flat Tire Monitor Reset Showdown (long)



## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

OK, so my FTM lights up red the other night on the way home. Pull over, nothing seems amiss in the dark, get home, check pressures, all OK, let it sit overnight, check again, fine. So I sum it up to the fact that I had my dealer swap on the new rims and snows and it's a delayed reaction from a couple of weeks ago. Thought they'd hit the reset and perhaps they didn't. So... the reset in the '04 manual doesn't seem to work for me, and here's what I've found through searches on the topic. '03, and I assume earlier years, reads different from '04.

Initializing the system (from 2004 manual)

Each time you correct the pres-sure in a tire, or change a wheel or tire, reinitialize the system immediately afterwards. This requires a bit of driv-ing.

1. Before driving off, start the engine but do not start driving
2. Press the button as long as you need to until the yellow indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up for a few seconds
3. Drive off.

It takes a few minutes before the Flat Tire Monitor can detect a flat tire and issue a warning.

Initializing the system (from 2003 manual)

Initializing is necessary to familiarize the system with the correct inflation pressures. Repeat this process after any changes
in tire inflation pressure, tire rotation or replacement.

1. Check the tire inflation pressures in all the tires, comparing them with the inflation pressure table on page 25, and adjust them if necessary
2. Turn the ignition key to position 2
3. Press button as long as you need to until the indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights up. After a little while, the indicator lamp will go out by itself
4. After a few minutes, the Flat Tire Monitor will accept the current inflation pressures as the values to be measured against, and from that point on can detect and report a flat tire.

I'm going to try the '03 method tomorrow morning and hope that it works. Anyone have another method like some special chant or spell?


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## bren (Jul 1, 2002)

Over the spring/summer/fall I changed between street and autox wheels more times than I can count and never once had the tire monitor light up :dunno:


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

bren said:


> Over the spring/summer/fall I changed between street and autox wheels more times than I can count and never once had the tire monitor light up :dunno:


Did you reinitialize after the swap?


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

Same here. Swap between street tires (stock Michelin Pilot Sports), street/track tires (Sumitomo HTR Z IIs 245/265) and Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (265 all around). Never had the monitor go off.

It seems that the difference is that in 04 they are telling you that you need to actually drive to rest the monitor. Since the monitor wroks by comparing ABS sensor readouts, just pushing a button while stopped can' actually do anything.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

Pinecone said:


> Same here. Swap between street tires (stock Michelin Pilot Sports), street/track tires (Sumitomo HTR Z IIs 245/265) and Michelin Pilot Sport Cups (265 all around). Never had the monitor go off.
> 
> It seems that the difference is that in 04 they are telling you that you need to actually drive to rest the monitor. Since the monitor wroks by comparing ABS sensor readouts, just pushing a button while stopped can' actually do anything.


I have been driving.  

Edit: OK, this is what I've done. I pushed the button long enough for the red warning light to go out. It stayed out. Did not turn the system off. Pushing it long enough to have the yellow light come on and then go out results (for me) in the red light coming back on a second later. I'm going to do a regular reinitialize according to the steps above before I head home from work and I'll see if that goes normally.


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## bren (Jul 1, 2002)

WILLIA///M said:


> Did you reinitialize after the swap?


Nope, never.

If I remember correctly the performance center people told me to turn the key to ACC, press the button in until the light comes on, then start the car and drive around.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

WILLIA///M said:


> Edit: OK, this is what I've done. I pushed the button long enough for the red warning light to go out. It stayed out. Did not turn the system off. Pushing it long enough to have the yellow light come on and then go out results (for me) in the red light coming back on a second later. I'm going to do a regular reinitialize according to the steps above before I head home from work and I'll see if that goes normally.


This is in fact what worked for me so in the event of an apparent false red warning light or one that has resulted from an adjustment in tire pressure or a change of wheels/tires (unless you are Bren or Pinecone apparently) here is what you do.

1. Start the car.
2. Press the FTM button long enough for the red warning light to go out. Let go of the button.
3. Press the button again long enough for the yellow warning light to come on. It will go out in few seconds.
4. Drive.

Happy motoring.


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

The monitor only checks to variation in the tire rotation speed. So if the differences are small enough it shouldn't go off. 

So if you have 30 psi all around in your tires and pump them up to 45 psi, the monitor shouldn't care. 

Same thing with tire diameter, as long as the change is the same all around. 

Your may have been set close enough to the end of detection that a very small change set it off.


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## Bluecoat (Jul 14, 2004)

Ya, same alarm came up when I put on my winter tire package Dunlop Winter Sport M3 235/45HR17.

Did the reset on all seems to be ok for now.

Probably will have to turn if off when the white stuff starts to fall as tire slippage will also set it off.


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## 330ciPfmcePkg05 (Jan 17, 2005)

My tire pressure monitor just lit up RED not yellow...i have an 05' 330ci ZHP...just got snows put on 1 week ago...the monitor just popped up red not yellow..is it an 05' light change?


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

System is different on the normal 3 series IIRC, using pressure monitoring sensors. On the M3 it uses sensed difference in rotation. You might try the E-36 3 series forum. The meaning of red in either case should be the same but as noted above can be a false indication.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

WILLIA///M said:


> System is different on the normal 3 series IIRC, using pressure monitoring sensors. On the M3 it uses sensed difference in rotation. You might try the E-36 3 series forum. The meaning of red in either case should be the same but as noted above can be a false indication.


Since March 03 (or possibly September 03) production, regular 3ers have also used the rotation-sensing method. This was highlighted in a British BMW press release to explain the drop in price from £300 to £150 of this option (as if BMW GB would do this out of the goodness of their own hearts ).


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## TGray5 (Jan 22, 2002)

330ciPfmcePkg05 said:


> My tire pressure monitor just lit up RED not yellow...i have an 05' 330ci ZHP...just got snows put on 1 week ago...the monitor just popped up red not yellow..is it an 05' light change?


I believe the light has two stages...yellow for low pressure check it soon and red for hey stop the car now there is a big problem with pressure.


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