how to locate the tire air leak

[AndyL]

Hi,

It is minor leak, at most a few PSI per day.
It is not a valve, changed it for a new one and there is no improvement.
It is random, one day the tire loses 5PSI, other it stays the same.
It is temperature changes dependent as it seems that it develops when
there is a significant weather change.

And it is annoying :-(

Any clue how to pinpoint it?


Thx, Andy

 

[j]

First, the whole process will be infinitely smoother with the wheel of
the car. Once you've removed the wheel, slowly pour a soapy water
mixture over the tread as you roll the tire. You will be looking for
bubbles as air escapes from the wounded tire. If you don't find a leak
in the tread, pour the soapy water around the area where the wheel/tire
meet. Sometimes, the bead may not be properly seated. If this still
fails to identify the source of the leak, and even though you've
replaced the valve, maybe you should then check the valve stem.

Good luck!

J

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

First, the whole process will be infinitely smoother with the wheel of
the car. Once you've removed the wheel, slowly pour a soapy water
mixture over the tread as you roll the tire. You will be looking for
bubbles as air escapes from the wounded tire. If you don't find a leak
in the tread, pour the soapy water around the area where the wheel/tire
meet. Sometimes, the bead may not be properly seated. If this still
fails to identify the source of the leak, and even though you've
replaced the valve, maybe you should then check the valve stem.

Good luck!

J

Good advice.
I'll just add that I have read of folks who needed an alloy wheel
'sealed' on the inside due to the pressurized air actually seeping
through too porous casting!

Carl

 

[KLS]

I'll just add that I have read of folks who needed an alloy wheel
'sealed' on the inside due to the pressurized air actually seeping
through too porous casting!

This is what my mechanic does when he puts tires on my alloy wheels.

 

[Edward Hayes]

Really really small leaks can be found by raising the tire pressure to
the max found on the tire sidewall and then submerging the tire
completely under water.

 

[markansas859]

I'll just add that I have read of folks who needed an alloy wheel
'sealed' on the inside due to the pressurized air actually seeping
through too porous casting!

Carl

happened to me. went to tire store, they put in some kind of sealer, aired
it up, and ran it on the balancer 3-4 times.... was okay after that

 

[Sheldon]

Aside from all the other good posts, if it's a front tire you can turn the
wheel all the way to one side. If it's a rear tire you will have to get it
off the car. Slowly rotate the wheel and very carefully look for any nails
or screws or staples or whatever. Remember, if it's a nail or a screw the
head may have been ground off by driving the car. If you plan on fixing it
yourself go for it. If you plan on taking it to someone else to fix it DO
NOT remove the object. Whatever is in there is plugging the hole to some
extent allowing you to drive on it.

BTW, most places don't charge that much to fix a flat, and they have a tank
to submerge the tire in to look for leaks.

If, by any chance, the leak is in the sidewall you will need a new tire(s).

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Aside from all the other good posts, if it's a front tire you can turn the
wheel all the way to one side. If it's a rear tire you will have to get it
off the car. Slowly rotate the wheel and very carefully look for any nails
or screws or staples or whatever. Remember, if it's a nail or a screw the
head may have been ground off by driving the car. If you plan on fixing it
yourself go for it. If you plan on taking it to someone else to fix it DO
NOT remove the object. Whatever is in there is plugging the hole to some
extent allowing you to drive on it.

BTW, most places don't charge that much to fix a flat, and they have a tank
to submerge the tire in to look for leaks.

If, by any chance, the leak is in the sidewall you will need a new tire(s).

This would be a good place to remind folks their tires' circunferences
should be VERY close to the same. Subaru recommends within 1/4" , So,
one new tire put on with 3 old tires should be 'shaved' to the same
cricumference. In some cities only a 'speed shop' will have that
equipment. The alternative? Buy 4 tires.

Carl

 

[Ed P]

Hi,

It is minor leak, at most a few PSI per day.
It is not a valve, changed it for a new one and there is no improvement.
It is random, one day the tire loses 5PSI, other it stays the same.
It is temperature changes dependent as it seems that it develops when
there is a significant weather change.

And it is annoying :-(

Any clue how to pinpoint it?


Thx, Andy

How old & how many miles on car? My '96 Outback has a chronic problem
with air leakage at the tire bead-wheel interface. Local tire shop has
attempted to correct problem but without total success. At present 2 of
my 4 wheels leak slowly.

You can best observe this or diagnose any slow leak by taking wheel off
car, pumping it up to specs or a little above and spraying a soapy
cleaner on the tire. Even a slow leak will show bubbles forming.

Ed P

 

[pheasant]

Hi,

It is minor leak, at most a few PSI per day.
It is not a valve, changed it for a new one and there is no improvement.
It is random, one day the tire loses 5PSI, other it stays the same.
It is temperature changes dependent as it seems that it develops when
there is a significant weather change.

And it is annoying :-(

Any clue how to pinpoint it?

I had the same symptoms on a front tire about a year ago; after doing the
water and soap bit at home, spit on the valve stem, submerging the entire
thing in a tank to no avail, had it dismounted, and found the tire's inner
liner/casing whatever it's called had a few cracks in it, so the leak was so
slow was impossible to diagnose. Replaced the tire, and no more troubles.
It was a first for me in 30 years.

In hindsight, a can of that goopy sealer may have taken care of it, but the
boys at the tire shop tell me how they detest working on tires that have it
in. Being it's just an around town car, I opted for the better fix.

Which brings up a question I've pondered, but never acted on. Daughter
attends a college 400 miles from home, I've oft thought about throwing a can
of it in each of her tires, but for the same reason as above, never have.
What's the groups thinking on it's use?

Mark

 

[Rick Courtright]

attends a college 400 miles from home, I've oft thought about throwing > a can of it in each of her tires, but for the same reason as above,
never have. What's the groups thinking on it's use?

Hi,

I've used it in wheels that tended to "leak" even w/o damaged tires--see
notes above on porous alloy wheels. It seemed to help. I've also used it
for "emergencies" when picking up a nail far from home to keep things
sealed until a tire shop could be found. One thing to remember is the
life expectancy of at least some brands is around two years. So after a
couple of years, some mfrs advise putting another tube of "goo" in the
tire to "refresh" what's in there. I've never had balance problems w/
just one tube, but I don't know if a second would add enough weight to
be concerned about.

On the subject of tire shops hating the stuff: most of these sealers are
water-based, so I follow the advice my brother-in-law's tire guy gave
him, "Just tell us the stuff's in there BEFORE we start working on your
tire. That way we'll know to just wash it out when the tire comes off
the wheel."

Rick

 

[Michael Pardee]

I had the same symptoms on a front tire about a year ago; after doing the
water and soap bit at home, spit on the valve stem, submerging the entire
thing in a tank to no avail, had it dismounted, and found the tire's inner
liner/casing whatever it's called had a few cracks in it, so the leak was
so slow was impossible to diagnose. Replaced the tire, and no more
troubles. It was a first for me in 30 years.

In hindsight, a can of that goopy sealer may have taken care of it, but
the boys at the tire shop tell me how they detest working on tires that
have it in. Being it's just an around town car, I opted for the better
fix.

Which brings up a question I've pondered, but never acted on. Daughter
attends a college 400 miles from home, I've oft thought about throwing a
can of it in each of her tires, but for the same reason as above, never
have.
What's the groups thinking on it's use?

Mark

I've heard the same as Rick says - if you use it, warn the tire shop.
Personally, I don't like the stuff. I prefer a plugging kit and 12 volt
pump.

Mike

 

[pheasant]

I've heard the same as Rick says - if you use it, warn the tire shop.
Personally, I don't like the stuff. I prefer a plugging kit and 12 volt
pump.

Me too, but a teenaged girl ain't gonna want to attempt to plug one on the
side of the road.

Have to chuckle about the plugging response, I worked my way through school
30 years ago in a service station; (no self serve back then) and plugging
was what we did for about 75% of our tire repair. Hoo Boy!! I got flamed
big time for doing unsafe repairs, (30 years later!) and yet, I don't ever
remember anyone coming back saying the plug let go on the interstate causing
a crash, or even in town making it go flat again. My how times/thinking
changes.

I still have a kit in the garage, and have one of Momma's vans tires still
holding air about 3 years after a home done job. Maybe not the Tire
Institute's preferred way, but works for me. Ain't gonna sue myself.

 

[Sheldon]

Me too, but a teenaged girl ain't gonna want to attempt to plug one on the
side of the road.

Have to chuckle about the plugging response, I worked my way through
school 30 years ago in a service station; (no self serve back then) and
plugging was what we did for about 75% of our tire repair. Hoo Boy!! I
got flamed big time for doing unsafe repairs, (30 years later!) and yet, I
don't ever remember anyone coming back saying the plug let go on the
interstate causing a crash, or even in town making it go flat again. My
how times/thinking changes.

I still have a kit in the garage, and have one of Momma's vans tires still
holding air about 3 years after a home done job. Maybe not the Tire
Institute's preferred way, but works for me. Ain't gonna sue myself.

I would say you can do all the physics you want, but a "modern" tire plug
installed correctly is not going to fly out of the tire. However, you
should probably lower the speed rating of the tire one notch if it's not
repaired from the inside.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Have to chuckle about the plugging response, I worked my way through > school 30 years ago in a service station; (no self serve back then) > and plugging was what we did for about 75% of our tire repair. Hoo > Boy!! I got flamed big time for doing unsafe repairs, (30 years > later!) and yet, I don't ever remember anyone coming back saying the > plug let go on the interstate causing a crash, or even in town making > it go flat again. My how times/thinking changes.

Yup!

You'll probably remember they were recapping radial tires back then,
too? When's the last time anyone talked about that?

Some changes are due to changes in technology, some just marketing,
others I blame on an education system that turns out so many "brain
dead" individuals who can't follow instructions and procedures, though
posts here make it sound like they generally end up at quickie-lube
places instead of tire shops. And then there are the lawyers...
NOTHING'S "my fault" or "well, stuff happens" anymore, there's gotta be
someone to sue whenever life's not "just perfect." Look at the
Firestone-Explorer debacle a few years back: running 26 psi in a tire on
a vehicle like that just "doesn't sound right" from the get go, but
let's assume it IS safe. IF the tire's kept at 26 psi, that is?
Considering all the "tests" I've seen written up in car mags over the
years about the percentage of underinflated tires in whatever parking
lot they chose to check, I wonder how many of those tires that let go
had really been run at 20 psi or similar low pressures for weeks, maybe
months, before they failed?

Yes, it's sad that people died, but as a buddy started teaching his
daughter at a very early age, "People die from doing stupid stuff." He
told a story on her when she was around seven or so: she was watching
the news across the room from where he was working, and the story had to
do with someone being killed. "Honey, what are they talking about?" "Oh,
somebody died." "What happened?" "Oh, Daddy, you know. They did
something stupid!"

So owner negligence suddenly becomes manufacturer liability? What a
world...

Hope you get a BIG settlement if you change your mind and sue yourself!


Rick

 

[AndyL]

Hi,

It is minor leak, at most a few PSI per day.
It is not a valve, changed it for a new one and there is no improvement.
It is random, one day the tire loses 5PSI, other it stays the same.
It is temperature changes dependent as it seems that it develops when
there is a significant weather change.

And it is annoying :-(

Any clue how to pinpoint it?

thx for all the hints but I have to wait unitl tonight since the car was
in almost non-stop usage.


I took off the wheal and poured some soapy water all around the bread
and the valve. nothin, than I noted that almost in the middle of the
actual tire there are small boubles comming out. looked closer, indeed
there is a smal puncture. Will take it to Walmart tommorow.


thx again, A.