A heads-up on an issue that is likely common knowledge but somehow escaped me: not an unusual occurrence.
I had one of my TST TM 507SE tire pressure sensors fail this weekend.Since the system was a little over a year old I decided to check the sensor battery.When I unscrewed the cap the first thing I noticed was the o-ring seals had deteriorated.I then noticed the battery and battery cage had badly corroded. I called TST support and was told this is common and is the reason they recommend replacing the o-rings, along with the batteries, once a year.Hopefully, cleaning the corrosion and replacing the battery will make this sensor work again.If not, lesson learned.
From what I can tell the o-rings are very tiny and do not look like a standard size.Does anyone know if there is a source for these other than from TST?I don’t mind ordering from TST, just prefer picking them up locally.Actually, TST support told me there should have been replacement o-rings in the original package.I know I stored them in a place I could easily find them, but where?
Steve
vannchan said
03:45 PM Oct 22, 2018
First, think of where you would put them now if you had them and were going to store them, then look somewhere else.
arcaguy said
04:54 PM Oct 22, 2018
Someone makes the o-rings for TST, who I don't know who, but if you have access to a set of dial-indicator calipers you can measure the OD of where the o-rings sit and then measure the thickness of the cross-section of the o-ring and I'm betting someone on the Internet can supply them. You might want to check out these folks. Don't know anything about them just found them on a search. www.theoringstore.com/index.php Just my two cents.
Dutch said
05:52 PM Oct 22, 2018
I found replacement O-rings for my TST sensors at a True Value hardware store that had a wide variety of them in small segmented drawers. Ace hardware stores usually have similar selections too.
MAYBE2021 said
06:16 PM Oct 22, 2018
vannchan wrote:
First, think of where you would put them now if you had them and were going to store them, then look somewhere else.
Story of my life. My wife tells me if I think our destination is left, we should always go right.
MAYBE2021 said
06:22 PM Oct 22, 2018
Thanks for the input but, miraculously, I found the original box and- in the box as advised- there is a plastic bag with replacement o-rings.I’m going to clean-up the faulty sensor and replace all four batteries and o-rings.I’ll keep you posted.
I’ll keep those o-ring source suggestions in mind.There is always something broken that can be fixed with a 10-cent o-ring.
MAYBE2021 said
11:29 AM Oct 24, 2018
Don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but I now recall that when I took my first trip using this TPMS I went through several heavy rain storms and that same sensor stopped working for a period then came back on line. I even posted about it piggy-backing on one of Ronc's posts: https://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t63783210/tpms-success-story/
I think there is a very good chance this sensor's o-ring was defective from the beginning. I'm writing TST to see if they will warranty that sensor; they'er $50.00 each. I'll let you know what they say.
Steve
MAYBE2021 said
12:33 PM Nov 6, 2018
Update:
I emailed TST with my story and was told they would replace the defective sensor. About a week after mailing my defective sensor to them, I received a new sensor in the mail. Nice customer service.
I am a little concerned about the quality of the o-rings though. I went ahead and replaced the o-ring and battery on the other three sensors and found that when I unscrewed the caps all three o-rings fell out in pieces. So all four o-rings appeared to have deteriorated in just over a year. Has anyone else experienced this?
Steve
LarryW21 said
01:13 PM Nov 6, 2018
Interesting report. Thank you for sharing.
RonC said
09:06 PM Nov 6, 2018
I also have the TST 507 TPMS ... FWIW ... I replace each battery in every sensor (along with the O ring) every year. Just part of routine maintenance.
-- Edited by RonC on Tuesday 6th of November 2018 09:06:58 PM
MAYBE2021 said
07:24 AM Nov 7, 2018
RonC wrote:
I also have the TST 507 TPMS ... FWIW ... I replace each battery in every sensor (along with the O ring) every year. Just part of routine maintenance.
-- Edited by RonC on Tuesday 6th of November 2018 09:06:58 PM
Yes, I'm going to have to put that on my maintenance schedule.
But I'm curious: 1) Do you get your o-rings from TST?, 2) Are the o-rings deteriorated and falling apart when you unscrew the sensor cap? That's what really surprised me; how bad all the o-rings looked after 14 months of part-time service. In a former life I was a mechanic and I have never seen o-rings deteriorate in that short a time.
Steve
arcaguy said
08:28 PM Nov 7, 2018
Steve,
I'm with you. I don't think that the o-rings should deteriorate within a year or so. Like you I've seen o-rings last a long time, sometimes decades.
RonC said
07:12 PM Nov 8, 2018
I do get my O rings from TST. They are the water seal between a twist on cap and a stationary body. Doesn’t surprise me that they would be “one and done”. Mine aren’t crumbling, but they look in bad enough shape that they probably wouldn’t water seal anymore.
arcaguy said
08:57 PM Nov 8, 2018
I'm thinking that a very light coating of silicone grease on the o-rings may alleviate some of the galling and likely add to their sealing ability. Just at thought.
RonC said
10:11 AM Nov 9, 2018
arcaguy wrote:
I'm thinking that a very light coating of silicone grease on the o-rings may alleviate some of the galling and likely add to their sealing ability. Just at thought.
You are probably right ... sounds like a good idea, but the O rings are not very expensive so I just consider them a consumable.
MAYBE2021 said
11:29 AM Nov 9, 2018
Yes, the o-rings probably should last longer but, for me, the real take away here is that TST stood behind their product. There are many companies out there that will look for any excuse to not warranty their product. Their customer service was great.
Steve
dianneandsteve said
08:53 AM Nov 19, 2018
I’ve had the TST since 2012 and never had a corrosion issue but those o-rings always crumble. IMHO it’s because you‘ve got to stretch the hell out of them to get them on then they become too thin. Why not just a larger o-ring that slips on easily? I’ve always had great service from TST.
A heads-up on an issue that is likely common knowledge but somehow escaped me: not an unusual occurrence.
I had one of my TST TM 507SE tire pressure sensors fail this weekend. Since the system was a little over a year old I decided to check the sensor battery. When I unscrewed the cap the first thing I noticed was the o-ring seals had deteriorated. I then noticed the battery and battery cage had badly corroded. I called TST support and was told this is common and is the reason they recommend replacing the o-rings, along with the batteries, once a year. Hopefully, cleaning the corrosion and replacing the battery will make this sensor work again. If not, lesson learned.
From what I can tell the o-rings are very tiny and do not look like a standard size. Does anyone know if there is a source for these other than from TST? I don’t mind ordering from TST, just prefer picking them up locally. Actually, TST support told me there should have been replacement o-rings in the original package. I know I stored them in a place I could easily find them, but where?
Steve
Story of my life. My wife tells me if I think our destination is left, we should always go right.
Thanks for the input but, miraculously, I found the original box and- in the box as advised- there is a plastic bag with replacement o-rings. I’m going to clean-up the faulty sensor and replace all four batteries and o-rings. I’ll keep you posted.
I’ll keep those o-ring source suggestions in mind. There is always something broken that can be fixed with a 10-cent o-ring.
Don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but I now recall that when I took my first trip using this TPMS I went through several heavy rain storms and that same sensor stopped working for a period then came back on line. I even posted about it piggy-backing on one of Ronc's posts: https://rv-dreams.activeboard.com/t63783210/tpms-success-story/
I think there is a very good chance this sensor's o-ring was defective from the beginning. I'm writing TST to see if they will warranty that sensor; they'er $50.00 each. I'll let you know what they say.
Steve
Update:
I emailed TST with my story and was told they would replace the defective sensor. About a week after mailing my defective sensor to them, I received a new sensor in the mail. Nice customer service.
I am a little concerned about the quality of the o-rings though. I went ahead and replaced the o-ring and battery on the other three sensors and found that when I unscrewed the caps all three o-rings fell out in pieces. So all four o-rings appeared to have deteriorated in just over a year. Has anyone else experienced this?
Steve
I also have the TST 507 TPMS ... FWIW ... I replace each battery in every sensor (along with the O ring) every year. Just part of routine maintenance.
-- Edited by RonC on Tuesday 6th of November 2018 09:06:58 PM
Yes, I'm going to have to put that on my maintenance schedule.
But I'm curious: 1) Do you get your o-rings from TST?, 2) Are the o-rings deteriorated and falling apart when you unscrew the sensor cap? That's what really surprised me; how bad all the o-rings looked after 14 months of part-time service. In a former life I was a mechanic and I have never seen o-rings deteriorate in that short a time.
Steve
I'm with you. I don't think that the o-rings should deteriorate within a year or so. Like you I've seen o-rings last a long time, sometimes decades.
You are probably right ... sounds like a good idea, but the O rings are not very expensive so I just consider them a consumable.
Yes, the o-rings probably should last longer but, for me, the real take away here is that TST stood behind their product. There are many companies out there that will look for any excuse to not warranty their product. Their customer service was great.
Steve
I’ve had the TST since 2012 and never had a corrosion issue but those o-rings always crumble. IMHO it’s because you‘ve got to stretch the hell out of them to get them on then they become too thin. Why not just a larger o-ring that slips on easily? I’ve always had great service from TST.
Safe travels!