It may have been the thread I posted a couple of months ago about replacing the TPS batteries.
This is a really easy project, so don’t be intimidated; some attention to detail and basic soldering know-how are all you need.
Here’s the battery info from my order:
Ordered: 2 Shipped: 2 CR2032-T4-2 Sanyo CR2032 3 Volt Lithium Coin Battery W/2 Hole Mounting # CR2032-T4-2 $2.50
Purchased from: BatteriesAndButter.Com Tel: (718) 491-2702 Fax: (718) 491-2707
Seem to recall that the two of them cost ~$15.00 to my door and most of that was shipping.
These batteries work just fine, but you do have to slightly fold the tabs to get them to fit.
First suggest you mark each TPS as “front” or “rear” so you know where to re-install them.
As Lather said, peel back the label on the back of the unit and use a tiny torx drive to remove the back. Be careful, as the plastic is easy to break. You can coax it off with a small flat-bladed screwdriver, just don’t force it.
Once the back is off, the battery and guts of the sensor will pull free from the plastic housing. Suggest you use a heat sink to keep from over-heating the electronics; somebody found a $2.99 Radio Shack heat sink that would work fine.
I used de-soldering braid, and someone else liked a solder sucker, but either will work to wick up the old solder. Once the soldered joints are free, the battery will fall off. You should note the polarity of the old battery’s connections, “+” or “-“ and place the new battery in likewise.
Fold the tabs to meet the TPS’ connections, re-solder, put the guts back in the case, snap the top back on the sensor, replace the torx, smooth the label back on and it’s finished.
The sensors have a rounded end and a squared-off end. Kawasaki does not spec which direction relative to the wheels’ rotation to place these, but Fred found that the ‘Wings say to place the square end toward the wheels’ travel. I didn’t pay attention to how mine were installed, but replaced them square side toward the breeze.
My TPS has worked perfectly for ~3000 since I replaced them. It was much easier for me to go this route than to screw around with a dealer.
There was early speculation that you had to jumper the units to keep them hot while the battery was removed, or that the tires had to be inflated to wake up the sensors. I did neither and mine are perfect.
Hope this helps!
Mike