Ford E-350 (2010 year). Manual — part 39

• Metal valve stem with banded

sensor- the valve stem is
completely metal.

Understanding your tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS)

The tire pressure monitoring system measures pressure in your four road
tires and sends the tire pressure readings to your vehicle. The low tire
pressure warning lamp will turn on if the tire pressure is significantly
low. Once the light is illuminated, your tires are under inflated and need
to be inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. Even if
the light turns on and a short time later turns off, your tire pressure still
needs to be checked. Visit www.checkmytires.org for additional
information.

When your temporary spare tire is installed

When one of your road tires needs to be replaced with the temporary
spare, the TPMS system will continue to identify an issue to remind you
that the damaged road wheel/tire needs to be repaired and put back on
your vehicle.

To restore the full functionality of the tire pressure monitoring system,
have the damaged road wheel/tire repaired and remounted on your
vehicle. For additional information, refer to Changing tires with TPMS
in this section.

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When you believe your system is not operating properly

The main function of the tire pressure monitoring system is to warn you
when your tires need air. It can also warn you in the event the system is no
longer capable of functioning as intended. Please refer to the following
chart for information concerning your tire pressure monitoring system:

Low tire
pressure warning
light

Possible
cause

Customer action required

Solid warning light

Tire(s)
under-inflated

1. Check your tire pressure to
ensure tires are properly inflated;
refer to Inflating your tires in
this chapter.
2. After inflating your tires to the
manufacturer’s recommended
inflation pressure as shown on
the Tire Label (located on the
edge of driver’s door or the
B-Pillar), the vehicle must be
driven for at least two minutes
over 20 mph (32 km/h) before
the light will turn off.

Spare tire in
use

Your temporary spare tire is in
use. Repair the damaged road
wheel/tire and reinstall it on the
vehicle to restore system
functionality. For a description on
how the system functions, refer
to When your temporary spare
tire is installed in this section.

TPMS
malfunction

If your tires are properly inflated
and your spare tire is not in use
and the light remains on, contact
your authorized dealer as soon as
possible.

Tire rotation
without sensor
training

On vehicles with different front
and rear tire pressures, the
TPMS system must be retrained
following every tire rotation.
Refer to Tire rotation in this
chapter.

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Low tire
pressure warning
light

Possible
cause

Customer action required

Flashing warning
light

Spare tire in
use

Your temporary spare tire is in
use. Repair the damaged road
wheel and re-mount it on the
vehicle to restore system
functionality. For a description of
how the system functions under
these conditions, refer to When
your temporary spare tire is
installed in this section.

TPMS
malfunction

If your tires are properly inflated
and your spare tire is not in use
and the TPMS warning light still
flashes, contact your authorized
dealer as soon as possible.

When inflating your tires

When putting air into your tires (such as at a gas station or in your
garage), the tire pressure monitoring system may not respond
immediately to the air added to your tires.

It may take up to two minutes of driving over 20 mph (32 km/h) for the
light to turn off after you have filled your tires to the recommended
inflation pressure.

How temperature affects your tire pressure

The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) monitors tire pressure in
each pneumatic tire. While driving in a normal manner, a typical
passenger tire inflation pressure may increase approximately 2 to 4 psi
(14 to 28 kPa) from a cold start situation. If the vehicle is stationary
over night with the outside temperature significantly lower than the
daytime temperature, the tire pressure may decrease approximately 3 psi
(21 kPa) for a drop of 30°F (17°C) in ambient temperature. This lower
pressure value may be detected by the TPMS as being significantly lower
than the recommended inflation pressure and activate the TPMS warning
for low tire pressure. If the low tire pressure warning light is on, visually
check each tire to verify that no tire is flat. If one or more tires are flat,
repair as necessary. Check air pressure in the road tires. If any tire is
under-inflated, carefully drive the vehicle to the nearest location where
air can be added to the tires. Inflate all the tires to the recommended
inflation pressure.

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TPMS reset procedure

The TPMS reset procedure needs to be performed after each tire
rotation on vehicles that require different recommended tire
pressures in the front tires as compared to the rear tires.

WARNING: To determine the required pressure(s) for your
vehicle – refer to the Safety Compliance Certification Label or

Tire Label located on the B-Pillar or the edge of the driver’s door. See
Vehicle loading - with and without a trailer in this chapter for more
information.

Overview

Note: Before performing either of the TPMS reset procedures below
refer to Changing tires with TPMS earlier in this section to familiarize
yourself with the type of wheels and pressure sensors on your vehicle.

To provide the vehicle’s load carrying capability, some vehicles require
different recommended tire pressures in the front tires as compared to
the rear tires. The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) equipped on
these vehicles is designed to illuminate the low tire pressure warning
lamp at two different pressures; one for the front tires and one for the
rear tires.

Since tires need to be rotated to provide consistent performance and
maximum tire life, the tire pressure monitoring system needs to know
when the tires are rotated to determine which set of tires are on the
front and which are on the rear. With this information, the system can
detect and properly warn of low tire pressures.

TPMS reset tips:
• To reduce the chances of interference from another vehicle, the TPMS

reset procedure should be performed at least 3 feet (1 meter) away
from another Ford Motor Company vehicle undergoing the TPMS reset
procedure at the same time.

• Do not wait more than two minutes between resetting each tire sensor

or the system will time-out and the entire procedure will have to be
repeated on all four wheels.

• A double horn chirp indicates the need to repeat the procedure.
Note: Two TPMS reset procedures are given below: one for tires with
snap-in sensors and one for tires with banded sensors.

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