Leak!

[canoetrpr]

Finally got to try out my brand new box blade with my brand new top and tilt. It was awesome.

My neighbour came over for demo of the TnT and as I was showing it to him I heard the dreaded sound of a leak on one of my rear tires.

I was loosing air and liquid from a valve stem. No clue how this happenned. My only guess is that while ripping my driveway a rock must have hit the valve stem or something.

I was about to call my tire guy when my neighbour suggested that I ought to get a valve stem key and a couple valve stems and replace it myself. Guess there's a first time for everything.

I've got the valve in 12 o clock position now so no liquid is coming out. I would have lost very little I think before I caught it. I've jacked the rear up to take the weight off.

Any suggestions while I attempt this? I'm assuming that I will be able to put the key right in and take the valve stem out? and then drop a new one in?

[Willl]

Yup, it usually is just as simple as that.
Hardest part is remembering the 'lefty lucy-righty tighty' rule.

I'd try to just snug it up abit, might be just alittle loose.

[canoetrpr]

It's good that I picked up a valve core removal tool and a couple spare valve cores but it turns out that's not the problem

I examined it a bit closer this time and the leak is from around the valve itself. I'm guessing I got a bad valve or bad tube or .... bad luck.... who knows.

Unfortunately for me I won't be tractoring over the long weekend. It is Victoria day this weekend and I was planning on tractoring. Just called my tire guy and he's out for the long weekend.

Guess I have no reason to not get some non tractoring chores done.... painting the fence etc.. argh!

[Willl]

Originally Posted by canoetrpr

leak is from around the valve itself.

If it's like the type pictured with an outer nut, try snugging it up.

[woodlandfarms]

More than likely you knocked your valve stem loose. If you intend to continue to do work that might hit your valve stem I would suggest you have a protective cap welded on. The metal valve stems are still fallible. I have over 16 valve stems on my tractor and I cannot tell you how much I have spent trying to keep from having leak issues.

Carl

[canoetrpr]

Treat me like I know nothing about tires or leaks (because I don't here). I just learned what a valve core was yesterday!.

My tire is jacked up with the valve in the 12 o clock position so I'm not loosing liquid. Once I took the weight off the tire I don't hear any more air coming out.

How can I check whether the problem is the stem itself - sounds like it.

Should I take the air out and try to get the outer tubeless tire off the rim? Should I expect it to come off easily once the air is off? Do I need any special tools to do this?

Since the liquid is in the tube, I imagine taking the tire itself off the rim should not cause a hassle - right?

[canoetrpr]

I think the lesson of the day is don't mess with a loaded tire that needs repair. Unload it first.

I don't have a valve to NTP adapter since I never filled my own tires so I didn't try to unload. Figured I would release the air from the tire to see if I could pry the upper part of the tire off the rim to see if I could tighten the valve or something.

For starters, I got more liquid. Once I'd gotten some of the tire over the rim I could see that the liquid was coming out an inch or two away from the valve. I don't know if this was the original leak or a punture I ended up making while try to pry the tire over the rim. It's possible it is the leak as when I pryed the tire over the rim there was a gush of air. I'm guessing that there is pretty good seal between the rim and the tire so it might have made sense for the leak to appear to be coming from around the valve if somehow only the tube and not the tire ended up getting a hole.

I guess I better leave it alone at this point. No point trying to get the part of the tire I got off the rim over it again (about a 1/3). The valve is still accessible so when the tire man is here I imagine that the first thing he will do is unload it and then go about fixing it.

I'm in half a mind to go pick up one of those filler adapters for valve to NTP to drain the fluid into a tub and save it and then take the tire and tube off and give it a good wash. Don't like the idea of all that leaked CaCl2 sitting on an around the rim.

Aaaargh!

If I were to have to do it again I think I would have loaded it myself without tubes but with something no corrosive like WW fluid. I think that a puncture of any sort would be much easier to fix on a tubeless tire. A tube seems to add some complexity to fixing things up.

[Soundguy]

So do you have a tube.. or a tubeless setup.. if it is a tubeless setup..at worst you are looking at snatching the stem and installing a new one.. if a tube.. you will be breaking the tire down...

soundguy

[canoetrpr]

Soundguy, I do have a tube (one which I've probably pinched trying to take a look at the valve).

'breaking the tire down' sounds terribly bad. What does it mean?

[woodlandfarms]

It is not impossible to repair / replace a tube in your tractor tire, but it is going to be really hard without the proper tools.

I would strongly suggest getting a pro on this one, at least so you can see how it is done correctly at least once. Some places have tire companies that will come out to you. I feel this is your best option, although it will not be the cheapest. Otherwise you are about to learn the misery of loading a tire into a pickup truck.

Also, this will be a good time to weld a protective cab onto the rim around the valve stem.

Carl