Tyre Pressure Warning Light - False Alarms

[Restyle]

For several months now, My Aug 04 Build MCS has been bringing on the Amber Tyre pressure Warning Light on the Dash.
Its not exactly a random occurance, but usually happens after a small amount of wheelspin on wet & greasy roads while pulling away from junctions etc.

I understand how its supposed to work:- by constantly monitoring each roadwheels speed against each other over a certain period, so that if a tyre looses pressure, it will have to revolve faster to cover the same distance as the others ... & this picked up by the ABS computer which then signals the alarm.
But it seems mine is monitoring the speed of each wheel over a much smaller time, thus throwing up false alarms.

I used to check the Tyres at the earliest opportunity when this happened, but now, as long as the steering feels Ok, I tend to leave the checking till the end of the Journey.

As an aside to this, I experienced a blowout to a rear tyre in my previous 2002 MCS (at well over 100 mph) & the runflats did what they were designed to do, & I stopped a few miles later when the Dash Light came on ...Accompanied by an Audio Alarm "Chirp" which brought my attention to the problem.
Not once has this Audio Alarm accompanied the warning light on This Car !!

I see there was a recall related to this (non-alarm) problem
>> http://www.mini2.com/forum/showpost....4&postcount=33 <<
My car was built after the affected dates specified [ 20040323 - 20040415] when the controlling software had been supposedly patched !!

Anyone else experienced either of these problems

[northandy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Restyle

For several months now, My Aug 04 Build MCS has been bringing on the Amber Tyre pressure Warning Light on the Dash.
Its not exactly a random occurance, but usually happens after a small amount of wheelspin on wet & greasy roads while pulling away from junctions etc.

I understand how its supposed to work:- by constantly monitoring each roadwheels speed against each other over a certain period, so that if a tyre looses pressure, it will have to revolve faster to cover the same distance as the others ... & this picked up by the ABS computer which then signals the alarm.
But it seems mine is monitoring the speed of each wheel over a much smaller time, thus throwing up false alarms.

I used to check the Tyres at the earliest opportunity when this happened, but now, as long as the steering feels Ok, I tend to leave the checking till the end of the Journey.

As an aside to this, I experienced a blowout to a rear tyre in my previous 2002 MCS (at well over 100 mph) & the runflats did what they were designed to do, & I stopped a few miles later when the Dash Light came on ...Accompanied by an Audio Alarm "Chirp" which brought my attention to the problem.
Not once has this Audio Alarm accompanied the warning light on This Car !!

I see there was a recall related to this (non-alarm) problem
>> http://www.mini2.com/forum/showpost....4&postcount=33 <<
My car was built after the affected dates specified [ 20040323 - 20040415] when the controlling software had been supposedly patched !!

Anyone else experienced either of these problems

Never heard that one before... I think a trip to the dealer is your best bet.... maaybe its a faulty wheel speed sensor on one of the wheels.... worth getting checked out asap, as ots the same sensors that are used for the ABS system like you say...

[laura f]

On my previous 51 plate ONE i had a fault with the sensors.... the light would come onm but with the 'bing' at about 60mph on smooth flat roads.... and it was the sensors that had a fault, got replaced and no problems afterwards

a trip to the dealers sounds in order