i just recently did my 6000 mile maintenanec of tire rotation & oil change. nothing special about the oil change, standard 5 quart synthetic & fram oil filter (the guy that made it so you have to take the whole skip plate off needs to be slapped). for the tire rotation i took the spare out & put iton my front right, moved that to the back right & moved backright to the front left, front left to back left & that one to the spare slot. only thing i noticed was that the valve stem on the spare was different than the rest of the spares. since i did the tire rotation i now have a "malfunctioning TPMS" warning light on the warning / advisory pannel. this is according to the owners manual as the light flashes for a little while & comes on steady. after a while it goes off & then returns. my question is this. is the valve stem part of the TPMS or did something break when i did the tire rotation? if i did everything right then i'm bothered that my full size spare isnt like every other tire but if i broke some thing changing the tires is it expected that if you get a tire failure on the road that your going to further break your car? thanks in advance for the help.

seein as its my first post, i'd also like to say thanks for the welth of knowledge here, its awsome & i've found it a great deal of help as i like to do all of my own schedualed maintenance =)

I don't have an 05/06 so I can't verify this, but I don't think the spare tire comes with the inflation sensor in it, only the other 4. Most people don't rotate in the spare.

yep, changed out the spare with one of the 4 originals & the light turned off. so now i guess a new question has come up, can i install an inflation sensor on the spare to put it into the rotation or would the 5th sensor make things screwy too? thanks for the quick response =).

also yes, i have a '06 xterra & also: is the rotation pattern i used ok?

The 6 cylider Xterras only take 3.5 qts of oil, and that's with a new filter.

He's got a 2006 X, and they probably use more than the old 3.3 liter.

--The '06 Xterra takes a little over 5 qts(US) with new filter and you shouldn't cross rotate BFG radials!!! --JIMBO

yeah, little more research & i was back in the auto hobby shop on base & put the tires on their respective spots. the engine ('06 S model) is a V6 4L engine, 5q puts me at almost topped off on oil. BTW lots of good stuff here

--GOODO Kavett-just remember that you can include the spare in rotation-just have to keep it at ONE side, oh and forget about the low pressure icon on your dash, because the spare wheel has no sensor!! :rolleyes: --JIMBO

You can't have 5 sensors on the system. The computer only has 4 slots for the sensor memory. So inputing one into the spare is possible, but you'd have to get the sensors all reinitiated after rotation to get the light and the system to work normally.

As far as forgetting the light altogether, then we'd just have a bunch of Ford Exploders running around with low tire pressure. The light is your friend, keep your tires aired up. Fuel mileage is also tire pressure related. Fuel mileage = emissions. Keeping your tires aired up does a lot for your vehicle and our environment. Every action has a reaction.

Cyclemut, I don't question you're knowledge-but I don't understand a Ford (Exploders) comparison. I don't think that you want the consumer to SOLELY trust a dash ICON for all vehicle condition!!! . I put my spare on the left rear after a flat and now I will do my -spare use-rotation on the left side. Now my low pressure icon only comes on when first ignition-(then off).An owner should check the air pressure PHYSICALLY, fairly often-and always before and after off-road.I check my tire pressure after every fill-up and keep it at about 35psi. --JIMBO

You may do that, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that 99% of folks don't. They don't ever check their tire pressures, ever!

When the light comes on, most will actually make an appointment to have the light checked out, only to be told that they have a low tire. They'd still have the low tire and drive her into the ground, if it wasn't for that annoying light.

When the light comes on, you'd think they'd read the owner's manual and find out that they're supposed to check the tire pressures, but they don't.

I don't leave anything to chance, and it sounds like you don't either Jimbo. That's good for us. But for the folks that don't, that little light may just keep someone with low tire pressures at all 4 corners from loosing it due to a tire failure (like the Exploders did when the Firestones overheated and blew due mostly to the vehicle owners not keeping up on the pressures and causing the problem to begin with!).

Heck, little known fact, but Nissan had to deal with the Firestone issue as well, but those tires didn't make it on too many of our vehicles. So we never had to deal with the deaths and such.

If someone is keeping the pressures up, rotating the tires, aligning it, et cetera, then by all means, rotate the spare in. But if not, or if they're marginal, then I don't think it's something that ought to be pushed.

And don't feel bad about questioning me, I'm only human. I make mistakes just like the next guy.

I like my pressures around the 35psi mark as well. Still good suspension feel and less rolling resistance. My wife likes it at 32psi on her truck. She likes the cushiony feel. I won't let her get below that.

__Well said, my friend. I'll just try to maintain an even keel thru this summer. I've earmarked some beautiful little lakes in the Sierras above TRUCKEE, so I'll be trying them this winter-in the snow with LOW air pressure. Damn the icon full speed ahead!!! JIMBO

for those that don't have state of the art technology.
i prefer ACCU-PRESSURE safety valves. every time i fill up or just leaving the house i walk around my truck and just check the color of the valve stems. these work really good especially in the winter when you loose pressure from the colder weather.