A Tire

Ok..so it looked like my tire was going flat..i noticed it the AM cuz i havent driven my car in a week..it def looks low.....so i took it off..put my full spare wheel on. brought it inside...i cant seem to find if and where its leaking from? i ran my fingers around the edges of the rim. saw no foreign object in the tire other than a few small pebbles in some of the treads. what advice u got for me?

oh..and the spare is a 12 spoke(damaged lip)
and the 3 others are 7 spoke chromes. both OEM

The bead could have a slow leak in it or the valve stem possibly? One way to check is take a spray bottle and wet the tire around the bead and see if you see any little air bubbles, you can do the same for the valve stem.

Not sure if tire places do this anymore or not, but I remember when they had a huge tank of water they would put the tire in and then take it out and look for bubbles to see if there was a slow leak someplace.

Soapy water is the trick.

Usually it's a bead seal or valve stem, like Luke said. This can be fixed by a good tire professional. They grind away the corrosion and apply a new seal. If they tell you it can't be fixed, get another opinion. I used to have 4 leaking rims (10 PSI per week), and now my tires all hold air. Firestone was my solution.

whats the bead? cuz did the water stuff and i didnt see anything?
lets say i fill it up with air....and say...try driving across the country....just filling it up along the way.

OR
drive on the 12 spoke?

Odds are you have a slow leak around the rim/tire sealing point. A repair shop should be able to either find an actual leak in the tire and fix it, or they will determine it is not sealing properly, and will clean it up and remount the tire, which normally will solve the slow leak at the tire bead/rim contact point. My last tire patch a few weeks ago cost $18.

54_nailhead wrote:

The bead could have a slow leak in it or the valve stem possibly? One way to check is take a spray bottle and wet the tire around the bead and see if you see any little air bubbles, you can do the same for the valve stem.

Not sure if tire places do this anymore or not, but I remember when they had a huge tank of water they would put the tire in and then take it out and look for bubbles to see if there was a slow leak someplace.

Many still have the tank - esp. if you go to a tire dealer or an older service station. The tank is not that big.

As a long shot - rarely, a piece of dirt gets stuck in the Schraeder valve, holding it open.

Once upon a time, installing a tube was a way to deal with a pesky leak. Problem is if the tube ever blows it deflates all at once, real fast. Sounds to me like $20 and a visit to a tire shop will have you rolling again.

Albertj

Dont give up finding the leak that easy. You can do! We can help!
Use a tire gauge and air the tire up to 45lbs. That should be plenty enough pressure to find the leak yet not enough to be dangerously overinflated. More air pressure will help you find the leak.
Take your time and look closely and you will see bubbles. Sometimes they are very very tiny bubbles popping out rapidly.
Also if it is the Schrader valve leaking make sure it is not loose(it screws in just like a bolt/screw.

But as usual these folks are giving great advice. Get a proffesional to fix it.


Bert

Well yeah, he may be able to find the leak, but still will need to take it in to get it addressed. Even if you show them a nail in the tread, they'll still air it up and look for other leaks, or at least should do so.

If air is leaving the tire fast enough that you notice it, you definately have a leak. Did you take the tire off the car to do the water test? It could be on the inside. Sometimes you can actually hear it after spraying with water.

i took it off..its sittin in my shower lol. i soaked it. soaped it...i noticed nothing. im gonna have to go pro i guess.

xxsupergman25xx wrote:

i took it off..its sittin in my shower lol.

Lol, this thread is worthless without pics!!!

lol y?

Perhaps someone let some air out of it just screwing with you... if the tire repair professionals dont find a leak you will know.
When you carry it to be repaired ask if you can watch them do it. If so you will be more prepared to be able to find the leak next time and you will have a better understanding of how it should be repaired.

You can buy a tire repair kit(NAPA) that would allow you to repair some tires in the future. For instance I have a lawn mower tire that has a "plug" in the sidewall that I installed many years ago instead of replacing the tire. It only takes a couple of minutes.
I also have repaired passenger car tires in my driveway that have screws and nails in them. It is very easy to do. You dont even have to remove the wheel/tire from the vehicle.

Good Luck

Bert

hahaha... and I thought I was the only one who had car parts in the tub. Do you know how awkward it is taking a shower and washing a inner fender at the same time?

Ok, I take that back... no pics, NO PICS!!!

It's very very likely that your valve stem is leaking. There was a batch of chinese made valve stems sent to thousands of tire installers all over the country that were made of inferior material and are failing at an enormous rate, flattening many many thousands of tires. Have them checked by a professional.

deekster_caddy wrote:

Have them checked by a professional.

yea...me + car problem = not good
me + car problem + professional = good*
me + car problem + being back home = great


*=current choice

had the guy look at it. he did it for free. said he cracked the bead then resealed it.