kaps_gunner83

Hi there,
this is the 2nd toyota i got, for around 9.3K in NC .. its a 2007 - (dont know if its first gen or not) and has 72K miles on it.

I was getting it for cheap but i knew something would come up, i love the car but wanted to be aware of what these two issues look like.. if any one can help it will be great.

1. The tire pressure light is on, i reset it .. it blinks stays on. Prev owner got new tires recently.
2. At low speeds when not pressing gas peddle, ie when slowing down I hear a noise similar to someone rubbing an air balloon.. chunk - chunk ... seems linked to rotations of my tire-faster i go the chunk chunk happens faster. It happens at low speed whether i am starting or coming to a stop. When I turn right its a little more pronounced, comes only from front driver side. Once i am beyond 30mph it goes off. Its there if i break or i just let the car run.

From what research i have done, 1 could be sensors going bad - but did someone have the receiver or transmitter go bad? also can it be a DIY?

2 is more complex so going to a delership in Statesville NC to see... they are costing 50 bucks to investigate.. not too bad. 2 sounds either bearings or CV jont (dont know too much) or i read in some post it is the transmission

I dont know too much about the suspension / breaks etc.. only little.

Thanks for listening.
Kaps.

speedintc

iTrader: (1)

the only thing i could think of would be either bad bearings, or possibly the little clip on the front brakes. i think the cv issue is more of a clicking sound.

maclick

Dang good luck. I too just got my 1st Scion TC a 2008. I've had it going on two months with no problem, knock on wood. I had to reset the change oil light other than that smooth sailing.

Basebllstar

9.3K doesn't sound cheap for an 07 with 72k.

What brand tires do you have? They could be lesser quality and the tread could be choppy. Not sure what sound rubbing a balloon makes, all I can imagine is that annoying rubber honk-like sound.

Have you checked the tires to make sure they're properly inflated? Too much can trigger the light as well. If they are, it's most likely a sensor. If you aren't careful when you're mounting/dismounting tires you can break them easily.

kaps_gunner83

Freakonomics! in my office parking lot a chipped the paint of a honda while opening the door. god help me what am i doing today another few bucks gone out of my pocket.

Hard to explain what the sound is - just rotate the wheels of a bike (bicycle) and put a playing card between it... its something like that,
the tires seem ok but they had 51psi as max listed-will check the brand out and tell you- will a picture help.
I went to a gas station they were out of the pressure gauge.. will go to another store and get one.

Also one thing, the original rims have some slight wear on the circumference.

Thanks for helping buddies.

Basebllstar

That doesn't sound like a tire issue. It could be, as speed said, a bearing or the CV joint if it is truly a clicking sound. A decent shop would put your car in the air and check it out for you at no charge (with the hopes of you having them fix it, of course).

Just because the tire says you can run 51psi doesn't mean the light will not be on if you run that pressure. Open your drivers door and there will be a decal/sticker nead the latch. On that sticker it will tell you exactly how much psi you should be running in the front and rear. Set your tire's psi to those numbers, they should be around 29-33 psi.

Are you even 100 percent sure you still have the sensors? A lot of people take them off when they go to aftermarket rims. It's possible the original owner did that then went back to stock without the sensors.

kaps_gunner83

Sounds like a possible wheel bearing issue; does turning left or right ... remove or increase the noise? I would get the wheel bearing checked by a suspension-type shop.

Got this from another blog,
anyone got clue about how big a deal bearings are..
will be getting it done from a good friend who is not too costly. If someone can confirm it,

For me the noise is slightly more if i turn right vs left.

kaps_gunner83

Are you even 100 percent sure you still have the sensors? A lot of people take them off when they go to aftermarket rims. It's possible the original owner did that then went back to stock without the sensors.

Well i am scared they may have damaged or removed them.
I guess the best place is dealership for this indicator light, they should be able to tell me whats goofed up. Is replacing the sensors a DIY job? i like doing light things if i have a nice pics with illustrations.

Oh yes any cost estimate on sensors / bearings ... would help.

torqueTc

iTrader: (11)

OK you should have a tire shop pull your tires (start with doing ONE first) and see if the TPMS sensors are even there. If they are not, then DONT pull the rest of the tires. You can usually find USED TPMS sensors on here, or even a junkyard. I would not buy them from a dealer, due to the cost your going to absorb.

The other way around it if you dont care (and trust me, TPMS sensors dont really do ****, if you dont know how to check/keep proper inflated tires, you shouldnt be driving a car) then you can most likely pull the bulb from the gauge cluster so it doesnt light up, if thats what is bothering you.

kaps_gunner83

thanks torque, yes i dont even know if sensors are there, those guys told me about this while we were at the DMV getting title done and i didnt wanted to back down from this deal as i loved the car so much .. i said well few things wouldnt hurt..


The other way around it if you dont care (and trust me, TPMS sensors dont really do ****, if you dont know how to check/keep proper inflated tires, you shouldnt be driving a car) then you can most likely pull the bulb from the gauge cluster so it doesnt light up, if thats what is bothering you.
My wife says this is illegal, and i saw some OEM sensors for 70 on e-bay. Will see what the dealership tells me on those. I am all in to go to the junkyard now that my insurance co says 2100 for seech months .. and i am 28 never been in an accident and have been driving for 2.8 years.
Thanks torque, i do have a habbit of checking oil levels tire pressures very often.

kaps_gunner83

Got tire pressures checked - front were a little above 33 and rear ones were 32+, got the rear ones down to like 30, tonight will try and check the front for bearing problem.

Thanks. tc.

dropzone

You don't even have to take the car anywhere to check if the wheels have the sensors installed. The valve stem is the giveaway, should look like this...

And pic of the sensor

kaps_gunner83

That looks awesome, i will check it out first thing tomorrow morning ... i fear the worse though, i have a dealership meeting setup, if he says the sensors are missing i may consider a diy if its within reach .. else well i will manually monitor the psi.

Thanks.
One more thing i noticed, the alignment seems bad, it drives towards right on interstate at 60 mph. And the noise i hear is a distinct thud thud thud and not like what i saw on some videos related to bad bearings. will keep all posted. thank you for the help .. appreciate it.

Basebllstar

Dont forget, even if you get the new sensors, you still have to have someone program them. GM's got a pretty cool system for that that you can do at home where you adjust tire pressures in a certain order. I wouldn't recomend trying to install the sensors yourself chances are you will destroy your rim or sensor or most likely both.

Take your car to a shop to get the "thud" checked out. It's going to be impossible for us to figure it out over the internet.

Alignments go bad. Theoretically you could get aligned, hit a pothole on the way home and knock it back out. Most would recomend getting the alignment done twice a year. If you plan on doing a lot of suspension work, get an alignment plan. I payed $160 for a 3 year transferable plan to get my car aligned as many times as i want in that 3 years. It's been roughly 5 months and i'm going in for alignment number three later this week.

kaps_gunner83

Ok, i will keep you guys posted, i am going to look for the sensors etc. but work is keeping me up busy, also the guy whos paint i accidently chipped did not call in to ask for $$$$ dont know why ;)

Saturday i am going to get the thud checked, and sensors i can. Darn i forgot the name of the car tires, they looked new and were tubeless radial with a chinese name, i thought it sounded cheap but i could be wrong completely. i will go out for lunch and post their names.

Patience !!
And oh yeah on the price, i was searching for a car and here near Charlotte on CG etc it was impossible to get something even at kbb price, its summer , the kbb for the car is 10,300 odd for good.

Thanks will keep you all posted.

kaps_gunner83

I saw the tires, NANKANG 17 inch... 17inch is the stock size i believe i saw same size on another Scion.

Ok on dropzones image -- the first one, if the horzontal bar inside the valve is what determines if it is having a sensor or not, yes i did see that in one of my tire valves, also removed a samll pebble stuck in my front driver side tires ... could not take it for a ride.
Thanks.

dropzone

If the valve stem is made of rubber then you don't have the sensors. If they're exactly like the pics posted(in the second pic it has the nut missing which can be seen in the first one) then your wheels have them. That horizontal piece you see inside would be the valve stem core(which every valve stem has).

kaps_gunner83

As per the manual - if the light for tire pressure blinks for a minute and then stays on your system is bad and you need to contact a dealership. right i see that and i have been asked not to fret too much over it. I will shop around for that if sensors are bad.

Today hopefully will jack it up and check for bearings.
thanks people you have been generous.

Oh one more thing the trunk door opening latch has some black plastic thing on it which comes on to my hand every time i try to open the trunk. ?? is it something someone knowss?

kaps_gunner83

I saw the tires, NANKANG 17 inch... 17inch is the stock size i believe i saw same size on another Scion.
is NANKANG ? good ?
sorry dont know much about tires.

kaps_gunner83

Ok finally got it fixed. Went to a dealership, they took tires off and put them back on, and the noise went away, could be some brakes clicking noise, i got the alignment done and the tire rotation done, tires are low profile so will have some noise. I went around to get some food, i come back to see they have replaced all lug nuts saying they were loose, wtf? and added about a 100 to the bill. No way to verify but no noise and lugs well its about safety of my family so i am not being a cheap bast*rd here.

All in all $230 bill which hurts but am still ok.
On the sensors though - said u dont have any on your car its $687 to put them and i am like yeah sure i will put it when i get some money.
Who cares, i will have plenty of time to do that. Go to a scrapyard as torque said and get few cheap ones.

Thanks for the help. as far as this topic is concerned we are done and roaming in our tC. and loving it.