No Tire Pressure Reporting--Bad TPMS Control Module

[TheHops]

Sometime around late summer, all 4 of my wheels stopped picking up tire pressures overnight. I parked the Jeep with them working, and when I went to drive to work the next morning they were no longer reporting. From that alone, I assumed that it had something to do with the control modules, and not the TPMS themselves. Fast-forward to today when I finally had time to get an appointment. I dropped the Jeep off at the dealer this morning for what I assumed would be a routine fix on their end. After a few hours they called me back, stating that a damaged wiring harness was to blame. It appeared to them that it was "rodent damage" or that the harness wires had been worn through. Disagreeing, but not wanting to argue, I grabbed the Jeep, drove back home, and climbed underneath to get eyes on the harness that they identified. The wires were clearly cut/worn by something sharp, at an angle, as all 4 wires on the harness showed the same type/orientation of damage. Luckily, the break was in a spot that made both ends of the harness easily accessible, so I simply fixed it myself.

Dealer quote: "$400 - $500"
Cost for me to fix: Around 50 easy minutes, ~$1.50 of wiring/splices/heat shrink

It's sickening what these dealerships charge for such simple work. @JeepCares, I'm also disappointed that the dealer tried to take the path of least resistance here. To my eyes, it was clear that something sharp (closest item being the spare tire heat shield) wore through the wires, as there was no sign/indication of anything chewing on it. That leads me to believe that the harness was either misrouted or had too much slack in it from the factory, allowing it to make contact with something that it shouldn't have. I believe this should have been a warranty covered item, however I didn't have the time or energy to pursue it, so I did the job myself.

To anyone else who may have a similar issue, I encourage you to look into it yourself. This was a quick, and simple fix.

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[ShadowsPapa]

Sometime around late summer, all 4 of my wheels stopped picking up tire pressures overnight. I parked the Jeep with them working, and when I went to drive to work the next morning they were no longer reporting. From that alone, I assumed that it had something to do with the control modules, and not the TPMS themselves. Fast-forward to today when I finally had time to get an appointment. I dropped the Jeep off at the dealer this morning for what I assumed would be a routine fix on their end. After a few hours they called me back, stating that a damaged wiring harness was to blame. It appeared to them that it was "rodent damage" or that the harness wires had been worn through. Disagreeing, but not wanting to argue, I grabbed the Jeep, drove back home, and climbed underneath to get eyes on the harness that they identified. The wires were clearly cut/worn by something sharp, at an angle, as all 4 wires on the harness showed the same type/orientation of damage. Luckily, the break was in a spot that made both ends of the harness easily accessible, so I simply fixed it myself.

Dealer quote: "$400 - $500"
Cost for me to fix: Around 50 easy minutes, ~$1.50 of wiring/splices/heat shrink

It's sickening what these dealerships charge for such simple work. @JeepCares, I'm also disappointed that the dealer tried to take the path of least resistance here. To my eyes, it was clear that something sharp (closest item being the spare tire heat shield) wore through the wires, as there was no sign/indication of anything chewing on it. That leads me to believe that the harness was either misrouted or had too much slack in it from the factory, allowing it to make contact with something that it shouldn't have. I believe this should have been a warranty covered item, however I didn't have the time or energy to pursue it, so I did the job myself.

To anyone else who may have a similar issue, I encourage you to look into it yourself. This was a quick, and simple fix.

Maybe you've never had squirrels or chipmunks chew wires through before . I have.
It looks like someone took side cutters to the wires at a slight angle. NO chewing, just nice clean cuts at a slight angle - looked just like yours. I had my Christmas lights nipped by the little bas$%#$s as well as camper wires cut - and the wires to my prior car hauler/flat bed trailer were cut INSIDE the frame channel in a way like yours. There was never anything near them to cut them.

They can't do repairs like you did - if you've ever worked in a dealership shop - they don't dare do that sort of thing. For one, someone like me would never go for anyone but ME fixing wiring. I'd insist in a new harness.
Maybe an independent shop would have cheaped out and fixed it how you did, but no dealership will do that.
I use marine grade heat shrink - it has a "glue" inside that melts and seals against water where regular heat shrink won't make a perfect seal in all cases. I also don't use "connectors" but only direct wire-to-wire solder.

Sorry, but I am going to agree with them - looks much like rodent damage - chipmunk, squirrel, etc. as I've had wires look exactly like that several times.
Your pictures also don't show anything that's directly against the wires. The wires are generally so well routed and fastened so tightly they can't move or wiggle even if you want them to.

 

[TheHops]

Maybe you've never had squirrels or chipmunks chew wires through before . I have.
It looks like someone took side cutters to the wires at a slight angle. NO chewing, just nice clean cuts at a slight angle - looked just like yours. I had my Christmas lights nipped by the little bas$%#$s as well as camper wires cut - and the wires to my prior car hauler/flat bed trailer were cut INSIDE the frame channel in a way like yours. There was never anything near them to cut them.

They can't do repairs like you did - if you've ever worked in a dealership shop - they don't dare do that sort of thing. For one, someone like me would never go for anyone but ME fixing wiring. I'd insist in a new harness.
Maybe an independent shop would have cheaped out and fixed it how you did, but no dealership will do that.
I use marine grade heat shrink - it has a "glue" inside that melts and seals against water where regular heat shrink won't make a perfect seal in all cases. I also don't use "connectors" but only direct wire-to-wire solder.

Sorry, but I am going to agree with them - looks much like rodent damage - chipmunk, squirrel, etc. as I've had wires look exactly like that several times.
Your pictures also don't show anything that's directly against the wires. The wires are generally so well routed and fastened so tightly they can't move or wiggle even if you want them to.

Really? That's wild. I've never had something like that happen in all my years of vehicle ownership. I guess there's a first for everything though.

Where the wire broke is at the apex of the spare tire heat shield, the top of which is quite sharp, as I found out while retrieving the broken wires. It's very close to where the harness was routed. If it slipped away from the frame rail, it very easily could have contacted it.

As far as the repair, what's pictured is the lowest level. Those connections have both adhesive and solder connections inside. No doubt actual soldering would be better, but not really feasible in those tight quarters for me. On top of that, I have a layer of marine/adhesive heat shrink over each connection, and then one large one covering all 4 splices, then all of it is wrapped in split loom and is zip tied on top of the frame. Those things aren't going anywhere, and shouldn't see water even if fully submerged.

A new harness would have been great, but that's a battle that I (nor my warranty) have the time to fight. I expect that this fix should hold plenty well.

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