Tire slowly loosing air...
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This is my factory mounted Goodyear. It looses about one PSI per day. This started about two months ago. The factory bead has never been broken. This wheel/tire has never been used in winter and therefore was never exposed to road salt.
I removed the wheel/tire assembly from the car.
I very carefully inspected the tire and removed any stone, pebble or grain in the tread and sipes. I found no evidence of any puncture or glass.
I checked the tire valve valve to ensure that the core was tight. It did not budge.
None of the other three tires are loosing any air.
What do you think is causing this very slow leak?
I removed the wheel/tire assembly from the car.
I very carefully inspected the tire and removed any stone, pebble or grain in the tread and sipes. I found no evidence of any puncture or glass.
I checked the tire valve valve to ensure that the core was tight. It did not budge.
None of the other three tires are loosing any air.
What do you think is causing this very slow leak?
1 - 20 of 23 Posts
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2,047 Posts
soapy water works great. I too had a slow leak for like a year. I found it to be a tiny finishing nail/staple.
The valve itself maybe leaking at wheel hole seal.
The valve itself maybe leaking at wheel hole seal.
My first thought is corrosion at the rim/tire interface......joys of living in the saltbelt, the salt creeps up between rim and tire and makes a leak path.
Mix up a rather rich mix of water and dish soap,......add the soap after filling the container with water....swish the mix with your hand to prevent bubble formation..... lay the tire/wheel assembly flat and gently pour the mix along the seam where tire meets rim.
It will take several minutes....like three to five, but if the seal is compromised you will see a white froth develop at the seam if it is leaking.
Be patient.....you have a very slow leak....a bit of the mix at the tire valve/rim area as well with the same froth developing if this is the leak point.
Turn the wheel over and perform the same proceedure.
If this is the leak point, the tire must be dismounted and the wheel sealing area cleaned...usually using a air grinder with a scotchbright pad, to bare aluminum.
Ideally, the rim should have a quick coat of spray paint to (on the inside...no masking required) protect the area cleaned, tire remount and balance and move on.
This is a continual aggravation with aluminum wheels used in the salt belt......I have done 3 on my wifes 08 Malibu.....noticed the forth one has lost ten pounds since last month so.....I get to do that one now.
I can count on a replay of one or more next summer.......ug, whatta drag.
Rob
Mix up a rather rich mix of water and dish soap,......add the soap after filling the container with water....swish the mix with your hand to prevent bubble formation..... lay the tire/wheel assembly flat and gently pour the mix along the seam where tire meets rim.
It will take several minutes....like three to five, but if the seal is compromised you will see a white froth develop at the seam if it is leaking.
Be patient.....you have a very slow leak....a bit of the mix at the tire valve/rim area as well with the same froth developing if this is the leak point.
Turn the wheel over and perform the same proceedure.
If this is the leak point, the tire must be dismounted and the wheel sealing area cleaned...usually using a air grinder with a scotchbright pad, to bare aluminum.
Ideally, the rim should have a quick coat of spray paint to (on the inside...no masking required) protect the area cleaned, tire remount and balance and move on.
This is a continual aggravation with aluminum wheels used in the salt belt......I have done 3 on my wifes 08 Malibu.....noticed the forth one has lost ten pounds since last month so.....I get to do that one now.
I can count on a replay of one or more next summer.......ug, whatta drag.
Rob
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5,301 Posts
Take it to a Tire guy? Do you get free air in Canada. 50 years ago our country charged for going to the toilet, now its air. Also beware the Spare (if you have one) will lose about a pound a month. Mine was down 30 pounds after 2.5 years
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7,353 Posts
Sadly air is no longer free in these parts neither.
It's been at least 30 years since I did the limbo to prevent from paying a dime to take a leak.
In the late '80s I went to a restaurant in Montreal and they had an employee stationed in the men's washroom working as an attendant. Talk about a shitty job.
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529 Posts
Just go to a discount tire shop. They'll check it for free.
Edit... Oh Canada huh....
What about https://www.kaltire.com/air/
Edit... Oh Canada huh....
What about https://www.kaltire.com/air/
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7,353 Posts
Good suggestion. Never dealt with them before. Nearest one is 15 miles away. I just might stop by and check them out.
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39 Posts
9 times out of 10 it's the bead seat. Little bit of corrosion or sometimes some debris can get in there. Soap and water is the easiest way to check. I just put it in a spray bottle though. Even if there's bubbles in it when you spray it you'll still be able to tell if there's a leak.
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481 Posts
It could also be a puncture from a nail or something that did not stay in the tire... put the tire in a basin and look for bubbles... there is your leak.
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1,202 Posts
You live in Mojave, so you should get air for free. There is a California state law that requires gas stations to provide free air and water if you purchase gas. Some stations have the pay machines, but you can just ask them to turn it on for you. Stations that refuse can be fined $250 for each violation. You can report violations on the Department of Food and Agriculture website
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10,589 Posts
Here we have both free and paid air. Free air is usually always broken so you end up paying for it. If you get a car with green valve stem caps, you may see $50 on the window sticker for it. Cadillac is notorious for charging for nitro fill tires and I don't think I seen a single one on the new lot w/o green caps.
I also vote (hope) its debris in the stem core holding it open ever so slightly. Most likely Robby is right.
71K I'm almost in need of a 3rd set of Eco bad years. They should last me this winter.
I also vote (hope) its debris in the stem core holding it open ever so slightly. Most likely Robby is right.
71K I'm almost in need of a 3rd set of Eco bad years. They should last me this winter.
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24,131 Posts
My air is always "free". I use a 12v air pump. Also, thanks for the heads up about the up-charge for Nitrogen. That would be the very first thing I knock off a new car purchase since nitrogen does absolutely nothing for passenger cars.
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5,301 Posts
Thanks as I did not know of this law. For most of my 10 years here Gas has been priced at $5 a gallon (half that a couple blocks away in Arizona's Mohave) so buying part of a gallon of gas to get free air was always a hassle although I've never been turned away. For that matter I called the County Health department once, gave the lady my City and she told me I didn't live in California?
I agree with the soap test and it is likely the bead etc.
One warning! If the leak is through the metal in any way the rim is no longer safe.
I have been told that if tires leak through the metal they have an internal fault and can shatter at speed.
I believe that rims made today never have this issue but the old mags cast from powder did on occasion.
One warning! If the leak is through the metal in any way the rim is no longer safe.
I have been told that if tires leak through the metal they have an internal fault and can shatter at speed.
I believe that rims made today never have this issue but the old mags cast from powder did on occasion.
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